k_dawg, just buy some of the animal field guides and they will have the range/distribution of all the animals listed in the guides, most commonly shown in distribution maps. The basic Peterson Field Guides are good for North America. You can get better resolution by getting field guides for the particular state(s) in which you will be traveling.
panzer426 offered to let folks test his knowledge. I had a good laugh about the challenge. Given that the challenge isn't in person, we would have no way to know if we were actually testing his knowledge or his ability to use sources like field guides.
I found it interesting, k_dawg, that you asked about animal threats and panzer426 responded by saying "mammals." A lot of folks will interchange the terms "mammals" and "animals." I have even caught park rangers describing the local fauna as containing "a variety of animals and birds" and then go on to list mammals and birds.
It was suggested that there are only a few dangerous mammals in the lower 48 (wild boar, javelina/peccari, black bear, grizzly, and mountain lion) that pose a threat to people. This isn't exactly right and there was no definition of what "threat" actually meant. While the listed taxa can pose a threat to people, many others can as well. Bucks in rut have been known to attack and kill humans. Bighorn rams have attacked people when young bighorn were present. Other potentially dangerous mammals include wolves, elk, moose, and bison. Lessor threats come from smaller animals such as various small carnivores. While the smaller animals might not be able to do much harm to you or kill you, you may still die from the attack if they are carriers of rabies. Marine mammals such as walrus and seal can be quite aggressive if in rut, protecting young, or simply feel threatened. A skunk may not do physical harm to you, but the spray may make you wish you were dead if you get sprayed.
Aside from mammals, poisonous reptiles can be dangerous as well. Also, you can't forget alligators (mostly in the south) and crocodiles (southern tip of Florida). A variety of birds can be quite agressive if you approach the area in which their nests are located. There have been incidents of wildlife biologists gathering data for a nest/egg census who have been knocked out of the tree they were climbing (to get to the nest) by the parent hawks. Getting hit by a large hawk traveling anywhere from 50-100 mph can ruin your day.
More often than not, when people get hurt by animals, it is because the humans screwed up in some manner. Screw ups can range from something as simple as poor situational awareness out in the wild to doing intentionally stupid acts like trying to pet a bison or fight a bear over a salmon hooked on your line, but now also in the bear's mouth. It is hard to blame the animals for doing what they do naturally in their 'hood.' As the interloper, it really is the human's job to be aware, prepared, and smart about dealing with animals. Having a knowledge about animal behavior before encountering a potentially dangerous animal will go a long way toward having no encounters or uneventful encounters.
