The Animals
Polar Bear
(Ursus Maritimus–Sea Bear)
Status: Vulnerable/COSEWIC: Special Concern (2017)
Habitat: Arctic Circle (Canada, U.S.-Alaska, Greenland, Russia, Norway-the Svalburg archipelago. Polar Bears live and hunt on the ice; they need ice to survive.
Food: Polar Bears are carnivorous, their main food source are ringed seals; however, they also eat whales, walruses, narwhals, geese, bird eggs, and sometimes even vegetation.
Description: Polar Bears are the largest terrestrial carnivores in the world. Their fur is white, sometimes yellow, they have a long, narrow head and snout, and small ears. Males can weigh up to 800 kg and can reach up to 2.8 m in length, from nose to tail. Females weigh up to 400 kg and may reach 2.5 m in length.
Peary Caribou
(Rangifer Tarandus Pearyi)
Status: Endangered/SARA: Endangered
Habitat: Arctic Canada-Queen Elizabeth Islands, north-west coast of Greenland.
Food: Peary Caribou are herbivores. They feed on the available vegetation: grasses, lichen, mushrooms…
Description: Peary Caribou are smaller and lighter than other species of caribou. On average they weigh 60 kg and stand about 1 m tall. In winter, their coats are completely white; in summer the top of the coat turns a light shade of gray. Both female and male caribou have antlers. When they first grow in, the antlers are covered in velvet. Males grow their antlers from March to August, while females grow theirs from June to September. In both cases the velvet is gone by October.
Eastern Cougar
(Puma Concolor Couguar)
Status: January 22, 2018 Declared Extinct in U.S. and removed from the endangered list by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. 😢
Habitat: Eastern North and South America ?
Food: Eastern Cougars were carnivores. Their diet consisted of white-tailed deer, beaver, snowshoe hare…
Description: There is a debate whether there ever was an Eastern Cougar, or if this subspecies was mistakenly classified. What is the difference between the Eastern and other cougars? Cougars are the second largest North American cat (jaguar is larger). They can range in weight from 36 kg to 103 kg, and including the tail they can be anywhere from 150 cm to 275 cm in length. They have long slender bodies and small, broad, round heads. Ears are short, erect, and rounded. Their fur is tawny, more tan in the summer and grayer in winter, while their muzzle, chin and underparts are a creamy white.
Swift Fox
(Vulpes Velox)
Status: Least Concern (WWF 2018) 😊
Habitat: Western grasslands of North America (U.S.-Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma; Canada-Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan)
Food: Swift Foxes are omnivores. Their diet includes grasses and fruits as well as small mammals, carrion, and insects.
Description: Swift Foxes are smaller than Red Foxes. They measure approximately 80 cm in length (including their 28 cm tail) and are about 30 cm high at the shoulder. A male fox can average 2.5 kg, while a female is about 2.25 kg. They are yellow, with a dark tail tip, but their throat, chest and belly can range from pale yellow to white in colour. Their ears are relatively large and pointed, and there are dark marks around their muzzle.
Whooping Crane
(Grus Americana)
Status: Endangered/COSEWIC: Endangered (2010)
Habitat: Whooping Cranes are migratory birds. They can be found in Canada-Alberta, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan; U.S.-Wisconsin, Gulf coast of Texas, Arkansas National Wildlife Refuge (near Rockport), Sunset Lake in Portland, Matagorda Island, Isla San Jose, and portions of the Lamar Peninsula and Welder Point.
Food: Whooping Cranes are omnivores, foraging and hunting in shallow waters or in fields. They eat blue crabs, fish, molluscs, aquatic plants, berries, small reptiles,…
Description: At approximately 1.5 m tall, Whooping Cranes are the tallest birds in North America. They stand on dark long legs, have fat bodies, long necks, red crest, and dark masks around their bright yellow yes. When their wings are outstretched, one can see their black tips.
Greater Prairie Chicken
(Tympanuchus Cupido)
Status: Vulnerable/COSEWIC: Extirpated (2009)
Habitat: Tall grass prairies; natural grasslands open to fairly bushy. Though considered extirpated in Canada, during migration some birds can still be seen in Canadian Prairies. Their territory ranges from Canadian Prairies to Texas and Louisiana.
Food: Greater Prairie Chicken’s diet consists mainly of seeds and fruit, but during the summer they may also eat small insects and green plants.
Description: The Greater Prairie-Chickens are of medium size. They have barred plumage, a short round tail, and feathered toes. Males have elongated feathers on their neck. As a mating display, a male would lift these feathers to reveal inflatable orange-purple sacks on his neck.
Black-Footed Ferret
(Mustela Nigripes)
Status: Endangered/COSEWIC: Endangered (2019) according to IUCN; Toronto Zoo is helping to reintroduce the species into the wild.
Habitat: Central North America, the prairies. Black-footed ferrets use prairie dog burrows to raise their young.
Food: Black-footed ferrets are carnivorous. Their main pray are the prairie dogs, but sometimes they would eat squirrels, mice, and other rodents.
Description: Black-footed ferrets have long tan bodies, with dark-brown (black) mask, feet, and tail tip. They are nocturnal, sleeping up to 21 hours every day, and go hunting mainly at night.
Kirtland’s Warbler
(Dendroica Kirtlandii)
Status: Near Threatened/COSEWIC: Endangered (2008)
Habitat: Kirtland’s Warblers breed in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario and Quebec. During winter they migrate to Bahamas, Turks, Caicos Islands, and the Dominican Republic.
Food: Kirtland’s Warblers eat insects, berries, and fruit.
Description: They are medium-sized birds. Males have bluish-gray upper parts, and a yellow belly, with black streaks on their flanks and sides. Females have similar plumage, but duller in saturation; they have pale yellow underparts, with more black steaks on their breast, and grey cheeks.
Spotted Owl
(Strix Occidentalis Caurina)
Status: Near Threatened/COSEWIC: Endangered (2008)
Habitat: Spotted owls can be found from southwestern British Columbia to Mexico, in old, dense, coniferous forests.
Food: Spotted owls are nocturnal; they hunt at night or in the late evening. They feed on small mammals (such as bats, mice, flying squirrels) and insects.
Description: They have brown plumage, with characteristic off-white spots, cross-checked marking on their underparts, and large luminous dark eyes. They are about 43 cm long, with a wingspan of 114 cm, and weigh about 600 g.
Pigmy Short-Horned Lizard
(Phrynosoma Douglasii)
Status: Least Concern/COSEWIC: Extirpated (2007)
Habitat: This lizard is associated with the mixed grass prairie and is frequently found at the edge of habitat types, particularly coulee and canyon rims. It can be found in extreme south of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest U.S..
Food: They feed on ants, small grasshoppers, other small invertebrates, and their larvae.
Description: They are small, flat-bodied lizards, with large oval shaped body, and horns on their head, back and sides. Their colour ranges depending on the colour of the soil and rocks; gray, yellowish, brown, black… They have dark spots edged at the rear. Their belly is white or cream in colour with smooth scales.