Celebrate National Wildlife Day with 5 Fascinating Facts About Alabama Biodiversity

By Vulcan Termite | September 3, 2026

Alabama wildlife can be beautiful, strange, and sometimes, surprisingly easy to overlook. National Wildlife Day gives us a reason to look a little closer.

National Wildlife Day encourages people to learn about animal species and support conservation. There are actually two annual National Wildlife Days. The first is on February 22nd, to honor the late, great Steve Irwin on his birthday, and the other is this month, on September 4th, the date chosen by Colleen Paige, the animal behaviorist and philanthropist who founded National Wildlife Day and many other annual pet and wildlife appreciation days (Source).

In honor of the September 4 observance, our team at Vulcan Termite and Pest Control, Inc., from Birmingham, Alabama, is here to share 5 facts about Alabama’s wildlife.

Why Do We Celebrate National Wildlife Day, As Pest Techs?

Pest control and wildlife appreciation are not opposites. Our job as pest techs is to protect property from destructive pests and people and pets from pests that pose harm (e.g., through allergens, venom, disease pathogens, etc.).

We have plenty of appreciation and respect for wildlife, and that includes the same animals we call “pests” when they’re living in their native ecosystems, where they belong and have a purpose.

5 Fascinating Facts About Alabama Wildlife

Without further ado, here are five fascinating facts about some of the many native wild creatures that call Alabama home, in celebration of National Wildlife Day:

#1: Alabama Is Highly Biodiverse

Alabama is known for its incredible biodiversity—we’re ranked #4 overall in the U.S.A.’s most biodiverse states and #1 among states east of the Mississippi River. Pretty cool, right?

#2: Alabama Is Home to Many Endangered Species

With great biodiversity comes a higher number of endangered animal species, which we’re ranked #3 for in the U.S., following California and Hawaii.

#3: The Good News? Alabama Conservation Efforts Are Working

If you’re an animal lover from Alabama who takes great pride in our natural biodiversity, it may hurt just to read fact #2. The good news, however, is that there are always brilliant minds working to protect and restore populations of these endangered critters because they care about them just like we do. And the even better news is that their conservation efforts are working for many species.

One of many exciting examples of our state’s successful conservation efforts focuses on mussels, which are an essential species to the many aquatic ecosystems here. Over the course of 15 years, the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center released approximately 300,000 mussels representing more than a dozen species. Some of those restored populations are now reproducing on their own.

#4: Many Animals Are Exclusive to Alabama

Many animal species in Alabama are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else in the world. Among other states in the U.S.A., we are ranked #7 in endemic species.

Protecting our endemic wildlife, especially endangered species, preserves a part of our state’s natural heritage that cannot be replaced by wildlife populations elsewhere.

#5: Alabama is the Leading State in Aquatic Life (Endemic & Otherwise)

The largest group of endemic wildlife in Alabama is aquatic animals, and that’s unsurprising since we are ranked #1 in the United States for the number of freshwater-dwelling species, including fish.

Respect Alabama Wildlife—And Your Boundaries

National Wildlife Day is a great reminder for Alabamians that our state’s native animals belong in the ecosystems they help sustain, even when some of those same creatures become pests around our homes. We can appreciate the purpose they serve in the wild while still protecting our families, pets, and properties when they cross that boundary.

If termites, mosquitoes, rodents, or other pests are making themselves at home on your property, Vulcan Termite and Pest Control, Inc. can help. Call us at 205-663-4200 or contact us online for professional pest control and prevention solutions tailored to your needs.