The Wildlife of Silicon Valley

Where they live: 

Coyotes typically have territories that span around 2 square miles. These territories have green spaces (parks, creeks) that they use as a 'home base'. Coyotes will often be found within these green spaces, but will also venture out into nearby neighborhoods.

How to find them in Silicon Valley: 

Coyotes can be found in most urban green parks - some specific locations include the Stanford Dish, Vasona Lake Park, Guadalupe Oak Grove Park, Fremont Older Preserve, and Communications Hill. They also use creeks such as Los Gatos Creek and Coyote Creek. Up north, San Francisco's parks have high densities of coyotes too.

What they eat:

Coyotes mainly hunt squirrels, gophers, mice, opossums, raccoons, and feral cats, while also feeding on human leftovers and trash.

Social dynamics:

Coyotes mainly live in family groups. Once breeding pairs have settled in an area and raise pups, some pups will move out, and others will join the family. 'Packs' of coyotes consist of a breeding pair, and offspring that have stayed with their parents.​

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Where they live:
In urban areas, opossums make their homes in brush piles, sheds, crawl spaces, garages, and hollow trees. They prefer areas close to food and water sources, such as neighborhoods, parks, and creek corridors.

How to find them in Silicon Valley:

Opossums are most often seen in residential neighborhoods in Silicon Valley. They use fences to move between houses, and are commonly sighted after dusk. What they eat:

Opossums are omnivores and scavengers. Their diet includes insects, snails, fruits, small rodents, carrion, garbage, compost, and pet food left outside.

Social structure:
Opossums are solitary animals. They do not form social groups or families and typically only come together to mate. Mothers will carry their young in a pouch and then on their backs until the young are old enough to live independently.

Where they live:

Bobcats are elusive animals that stick to the confines of Silicon Valley. Their territories of 2-10 square miles usually contain oak forests and grasslands. They occasionally will live in suburban areas that have ample green space.

How to find them in Silicon Valley:

Bobcats can be found along the edges of the Santa Cruz Mountains, such as in Los Gatos and Saratoga. They also are present in the hills, in parks like Sierra Vista Preserve or Sanborn County Park. 

What they eat:

Bobcats are carnivores and skilled hunters. They primarily prey on small mammals like rabbits, squirrels, mice, and birds.

Social structure:
Bobcats are solitary animals, with males and females coming together only to mate. They are territorial, marking their home range distinctly.

Where they live:
Mule deer live in wooded areas, foothills, and open spaces. They can be found in both rural and suburban environments, but are very rare in urban residential areas.

How to find them in Silicon Valley:

Mule deer are very common in the Silicon Valley foothills. They can be found in parks like Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve, the Stanford Dish trail, and Coyote Hills Regional Park.

What they eat:

They feed on grasses, shrubs, acorns, and sometimes garden plants in suburban areas.

Social structure:
Mule deer are mostly solitary but can form small groups in winter. Bucks and does come together during mating season, and fawns stay with mothers until they are independent.

Where they live:

Striped skunks can be found living in creeks, parks, and golf courses - grassy areas are their favorites. They also will den under decks in residential yards. Their territories are typically small - they don't move around very much. 

How to find them in Silicon Valley:

Notable spots for skunk viewing include Coyote Creek, Coyote Hills Regional Park, and Shoreline Lake. Visiting at dusk is ideal for spotting skunks.

What they eat:

Skunks are omnivores, feeding on insects, small mammals, fruits, berries, and plants. They also scavenge human food scraps and garbage.

Social structure:

Skunks are solitary creatures, except during mating season or when a mother is raising her young. They typically live alone in dens and are very nocturnal.

Where they live:

This aquatic species is present in some urban creeks. They cut down trees and branches to build their dams.

How to find them in Silicon Valley:

Beavers are exceptionally rare in Silicon Valley, but they are known to reside in the Guadalupe River and in Los Gatos Creek. Ulistac Natural Area and Campbell Park are good places to look, dawn is best for finding beavers.

What they eat: 

These herbivores mainly feed on bark, leaves, and roots.

Social structure:

Beaver families live together in colonies, made up of a breeding pair and offspring from past years. These colonies live together in lodges, made out of fallen trees and branches.

Where they live:
Raccoons thrive in urban and suburban areas. They den in attics, sheds, storm drains, and hollow trees. Their territories comprise of creeks, urban centers, and neighborhoods.

How to find them in Silicon Valley:
Active at night, raccoons are common in places like Vasona Lake Park, Lake Elizabeth in Fremont, and along Los Gatos and Coyote Creeks. In San Jose neighborhoods, they’re often seen after dark on fences, rooftops, or near trash bins.

What they eat:
Raccoons are omnivores. They eat fruits, nuts, insects, small animals, eggs, carrion, pet food, compost, and garbage.

Social structure:
Raccoons are mostly solitary. Females stay with their young until they’re independent. In areas with lots of food, multiple raccoons may den or forage near each other.

Where they live:
Gray foxes live in wooded areas and suburban neighborhoods. They den in hollow logs, rock crevices, under decks, or thick vegetation, often near creeks or parks. 

How to find them in Silicon Valley:

Gray foxes can be found in preserves along the SF Bay, like Baylands Nature Preserve. They also are commonly seen in Alum Rock Park. Finally, they are present in many residential neighborhoods, but hard to find.

What they eat:

Gray foxes are omnivores. They hunt rabbits, squirrels, mice, insects, and also eat fruits, berries, and occasionally pet food or garbage.

Social structure:
Gray foxes are usually solitary or travel in mated pairs. Parents raise pups together in the spring, but young disperse shortly and don't form packs like coyotes.

Where they live:

Red foxes are an invasive species in the Bay Area, as they were brought here from Europe centuries ago. They have spread throughout many urban and suburban areas. They live in golf courses and parks, using creeks to spread throughout Silicon Valley.

How to find them in Silicon Valley:

Red foxes are consistently found in golf courses and parks along Coyote Creek, like Los Lagos Golf Course. They also are present, but hard to find, in most marshlands around the SF Bay.

What they eat:

Foxes prey on gophers, mice, squirrels, and birds, in addition to eating plenty of human litter and pet food.

Social structure:

Red foxes have very flexible social structures - they can be solitary or live in small communities with other foxes. They hunt individually, and pair up during mating season to raise pups.​

Where they live:
Mountain lions inhabit forests, hills, and mountains around urban areas. Their territories range from dozens to hundreds of square miles wide. They occasionally come down from the hills and roam in forested residential areas.

How to find them in Silicon Valley:

Mountain lions are extremely elusive, but present in almost all wilderness areas around Silicon Valley. Almaden Quicksilver County Park is known for a relatively large amount of sightings.

What they eat:

Mountain lions are carnivores, preying mainly on deer, but also on smaller mammals such as rabbits, raccoons, and coyotes.

Social structure:
Mountain lions are solitary animals, with males and females coming together only for mating. Females will raise kittens for around 2 years before leaving the kittens to fend for themselves.

Where they live:

Wild pigs are an invasive species in California, and their populations have grown in suburban areas. They are abundant in the foothills around urban areas, particularly in the oak savannah habitat. They also use creeks to move through residential areas.

How to find them in Silicon Valley:

They can be found easily in the grassland of Joseph D. Grant County Park. Additionally, they are present in the southern portions of Coyote Creek.

What they eat:

Wild pigs are mainly herbivores, feeding on grasses, roots, and fruits. They also will eat insects, and occasionally small mammals and carrion.

Social structure:

Male wild pigs are typically solitary, while females live with their young. Females with babies sometimes group together, making herds of up to 30 pigs.

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Where they live:

Jackrabbits occupy shrubby grassland areas - these include parks and golf courses. They use bushes as protection from predators, so any bushy urban area might have jackrabbits. Unlike most urban species, they are seldom found in creek corridors.

How to find them in Silicon Valley:

Jackrabbits are easily found in Stanford University and Baylands Nature Preserve. Dusk is best for spotting them.

What they eat: 

Jackrabbits feed on a variety of plants, such as grasses and shrubs.

Social structure:

Jackrabbits forage by themselves or in small groups. They are generally not social outside of mating season.