The Pontchartrain Basin supports animal life including muskrats, mink, otter, raccoon, nutria, fox, bobcats, squirrels, wild boar, beavers, deer, rabbits, snakes, turtles, frogs, coyotes and alligators.

The birds of the basin include quails, marsh hens, geese, osprey, eagles, falcons, kites, hawks, cormorants, loons, owls, woodpeckers, egrets, terns, ducks, herons, blue birds, warblers, coots, yellow-bellied sapsuckers and cedar wax woods.

The marine life includes shrimp, oysters and several species of sharks, remora, manatees, catfish, mullet, bass, menhaden, sturgeon, sunfish croaker, red fish, speckled trout, alligator gar, rock fish, perch, eels, crawfish, frogs, crabs, drum and sheepshead.