Forests, Lakes and Prairies

The evergreen forests of Canada consist of dense areas of spruce, pine, and fir trees. These forests are marshy underfoot, with many lakes. Farther south, forests of oak, hickory, and chestnut trees once spread across the eastern part of North America, but today, vast areas have been destroyed for lumber or farming. Some forest animals, such as the raccoon and the opossum, have adapted to this new environment, but many have declined in number or retreated to the hills. The prairies once formed a huge sea of grass. Millions of bison and pronghorn antelope once grazed there, but they were almost wiped out by hunters in the 19th century.

Sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) Length: up to 30 in (76 cm) Big cheeks

The least chipmunk has large cheek pouches, which it uses to carry food back to its underground burrow. Inside the burrow are chambers used for storing food, living, and nesting. During winter, the chipmunk hibernates in its home.

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Body length: up to 2 ft (62 cm) Tail: up to 14 in (36 cm)

Trash raider

The raccoon has long, sensitive fingers that it uses to search for food. It often comes into cities and raids trash cans for leftover food scraps. The raccoon’s thick fur coat keeps it warm during cold winter months.

Sage smells

The sage grouse feeds on the leaves of the sagebrush plant. Eventually its flesh takes on a strong sage flavor. During the spring, the male puts on a special display to win a mate. He puffs out his chest feathers, opens and closes his tail, and inflates the air sacs on his neck, which make loud booming, popping noises.

Two-spotted ladybug (Adalia bipunctata) Length: up to 0.25 in (6 mm)

Pest control

The two-spotted ladybug is common throughout North America and can be found in forests, fields, and gardens. It feeds on small insects and helps keep down the number of pests in gardens and fields. The ladybug’s hard, red wing cases protect its soft wings and body underneath.

Least chipmunk (Tamias minimus) Body length: up to 4.5 in (11.4 cm) Tail: up to 3.3 in (8.5 cm)

Yukon

BALD EAGLE MOOSE

R

Moose (Alces alces) Height at shoulder: up to 6 ft 10 in (2.1 m) Length: up to 10 ft 4 in (3.2 m)

Heavyweight deer

The moose is the largest deer in the world. In the fall, a male may weigh more than 1,000 lbs (450 kg). The moose’s broad hooves and long legs help it travel through deep snow, bogs, or lakes. Its overhanging top lip enables the moose to tear off leaves and branches. The male uses his antlers to fight other males and win mates.

The forest lakes are home to many water birds, including gulls, ducks, and swans.

Bugle bird

Named for its bugle-like call, the whooping crane nests only in a remote area of northwest Canada.

By the 1940s it had been almost wiped out by hunting. It is now a protected species.

P

A

C

I

F I C O C E A N

Whooping crane (Grus americana) Height: up to 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) Wingspan: up to 7 ft 6 in (2.3 m)

Barking burrower

The prairie dog is a type of squirrel that lives in networks of tunnels under the prairies. Its name comes from the barking noise it makes when it is alarmed. Before people started to farm the region, prairie dog colonies covered vast areas with millions of inhabitants.

Black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) Body length: up to 15 in (38 cm) Tail: up to 3.5 in (9 cm)

White head

The bald eagle gets its name from its white head—an old meaning of the word “bald” is “white.” Bald eagles have spectacular courtship displays, in which the male and the female bird lock talons in flight and somersault through the air. Pairs build a huge nest of sticks, weeds, and soil and add to it each year.

Dam builder

The beaver has powerful jaws and strong front teeth, which it uses to gnaw through tree trunks. The beaver then builds a dam across a river, and a lodge of sticks and mud in the pond that forms.

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Wingspan: up to 4.9 in (12.5 cm)

Terrific traveler

In fall, the monarch butterfly migrates from Canada to California, Mexico, or the Caribbean—flying more than 2,000 miles (3,200 km). It travels north again in the spring, but stops on the way to mate and then die.

Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Length: up to 3 ft 2 in (96 cm) Wingspan: up to 8 ft (2.4 m)

North American beaver (Castor canadensis) Body length: up to 2 ft 11 in (90 cm) Tail: up to 12 in (30 cm)

Great Bear Lake

WOLVERINE

Great Slave Lake

TWO-SPOTTED LADYBUG Aerial view of fall trees in the deciduous forests of New England.

HUDSON BAY

K N O R T H

RACCOON BLUE JAY

Mis s ouri Lake Winnipeg

MONARCH BUTTERFLY

LEAST CHIPMUNK

A M E R I C A

St.

Lawrence

SAGE GROUSE P

Great Salt Lake

Colorado R A I R BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG Red ArkansasI E S

s is s ippi M is GREAT LAKES

VIRGINIA OPOSSUM

APPALACHIAN MTS

NORTH AMERICAN BEAVER

ATLANTIC OCEAN

KILOMETERS 0 400 800 1200 Wolverine (Gulo gulo) Height at shoulder: up to 17 in (43 cm) Body length: up to 3 ft 5 in (105 cm)

Blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) Length: 11.8 in (30 cm)

Crushing bite

Known to kill animals as large as a caribou, the fierce wolverine is strong for its size, with a powerful, crushing bite. Its widespread toes help it bound across snow chasing its prey. A wolverine can travel over 40 miles (65 km) without resting.

Tree planter

The blue jay often buries acorns and other tree seeds to eat later. Some survive to grow into new trees, helping the forest spread. In spring and fall, large flocks of blue jays migrate south to warmer climates.

Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)

Body length: up to 19.6 in (50 cm) Tail: up to 18.5 in (47 cm)

Baby pouch

The opossum is North America’s only pouched mammal. The young climb into the mother’s pouch after birth and stay there for several months, feeding on her milk. To escape an enemy, opossums can “play dead,” and may stay in a trancelike state for hours.