Owning pure wolves in the US is illegal. This is because pure wolves cannot ever be truly domesticated. Even if they are raised from the time they were pups, they are not tamed in any capacity.
In December 2022, the Big Cat Public Safety Act was signed into action making it illegal to own lions and other big cats across the continental US.
In a law one might find surprising, it is illegal to own squirrels in 26 states and even if you do have one, you often need permission if you ever wanted to release them back into the wild.
But just because you can own an alligator in many states doesn’t mean you should. They can reach up to 11 feet in length when fully grown and inflict serious bodily harm.
The Asian Arowana is an exotic and expensive fish. They sell for extortionately high prices due to being a critically endangered species.
Regardless of species, deer are illegal to own in most of the United States. Even in the states they are allowed such as Colorado and New Hampshire, their ownership is subject to licenses and permits.
If they aren’t given that high volume of food, they become malnourished and aggressive. The previously mentioned Big Cat Public Safety Act has outlawed owning tigers since 2022.
Even if you defang snakes, it is illegal to own venomous snake species in 19 states. In the case of cobras and vipers that have not had their venom removed, anti-venom is not readily available in case the owner gets bitten.