The Surprising Hudson Valley Animals That Actually Climb Trees

There are many amazing animals in the Hudson Valley, and some of them are hiding a very special skill.

New York State is covered with millions of trees that not only help keep our air clean, but provide food and homes for countless species of birds, reptiles, insects, and mammals. A few tree-dwellers, however, are completely mind-blowing.

Tree-Climbing Animals in New York State

While certain animals like squirrels or bears are commonly know to climb high up in the tree branches, there are also a few very unexpected guests. Recently, visitors at Mohonk Preserve were excited to catch one such animal on camera (below).

Porcupine Spotted Climbing Tree in the Hudson Valley

The impressive mammal, a porcupine, was seen scaling the upper branches of a tree in search of tasty leaves. Porcupines are so at home in trees, in fact, that many are known to build their nests in them as well. But that's not all...

Unexpected Tree-Climbers in New York

While porcupines are a surprising tree resident, the idea of the spiky critter scaling a trunk isn't totally implausible. The same can't be said, however, about another New York State animal.

Gray Foxes Are the Only Canid to Climb Trees in New York

"Did you know gray foxes, which can be found across New York State, are the only North American canid that regularly climbs trees?", the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently asked on Facebook. As the video shows below, the animals are quite skilled.

The video explains that gray foxes use trees to escape danger, hunt for food (think birds' nests) or even to have some uninterrupted relaxation. Now back to the usual suspects...

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As mentioned earlier, there might not be a more classic tree climber than New York black bears, who use their sharp claws to expertly scale branches across the state. Check out what happened at SUNY New Paltz below.