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CANADIAN ANIMALS
of Southern Ontario

Here are some of the common Canadian animals that are found in this area of Southern Ontario. For more information on each animal, just click on the highlighted word to take you to a new page.

As an immigrant from England’s industrial north-west, I have always delighted in the Canadian animals that I found here in Ontario, especially in seeing the Squirrels that are common in this area.

We see lots of Grey Squirrels, which have both Black and Grey types, and there is occasionally the smaller Red Squirrel.

The Flying Squirrel is found in the Carolinian forest in Southern Ontario and because of the shrinking of its habitat of mature hardwood (oak, maple & beech) it has been designated as a Rare Species.

These shy, nocturnal, creatures have a membrane stretched between their wrists and ankles, and a tail that acts as a rudder.

Have any of our readers seen the elusive White Squirrels of Southern Ontario?

If you have, let us know when and where you spotted one - you can tell us about it by clicking on the link above.

When I first came to live here in Southern Ontario, I saw the strange sight of millions of Monarch Butterflies as they slowly flew past me in a swirling cloud of orange and black.

I was mesmerized and hoped to see the phenomenon again, however, it was several years before I witnessed a similar sight.

These butterflies were gathering in large groups on the north shore of Lake Erie, as they waited for the right weather conditions to begin their fall migration to their wintering grounds.

In this area of Elgin County there seems to be an over-abundance of White Tailed Deer and I am assured by my son-in-law, Dave (the intrepid Hunter) that they are not endangered Canadian animals!

This doe with her twin fawns was photographed in our orchard at dusk one evening. She was really curious and didn't seem concerned at all that we were watching them.

On our hobby farm we see them frequently and I am always pleased to see the graceful does making their way across our garden to the river to drink.

Canadian animals Raccoon My hubby, on the other hand, is not quite so delighted to see them! Apparently they have eaten vast quantities of corn and green beans from our vegetable garden and destroyed large numbers of branches from our apple trees!

Nevertheless, I enjoy seeing them in the mornings and it is a wonderful way to start my day!

Before I came to live in Ontario, and learned more about Canadian animals, I thought that Raccoons were cute little bandits, and truth be known, I still do.

However, I have learned that they can be destructive and have been known to tip our garbage cans over and party late into the night, spreading refuse as they go!

They will also damage houses as they try to find a cozy attic or garage in which to spend the winter, so many people resort to trapping and killing them.

One of the Canadian animals that is not very popular with humans or other animals, is the Skunk - there are lots of them in this area and the main thing to remember is Don’t tangle with ‘em! Stay away!

Canadian animals Skunk family If you, or your pet, does get sprayed by a skunk, try using Tomato juice to get rid of the smell – you don’t drink it, you bathe in it!

In this picture you can see a mother Skunk out with her babies.

Occasionally we see skunks around our farm and now and again we suspect they are around because our lawn has been dug up.

Apparently they like to eat the grubs that infest lawns and gardens.

Canadian animals Flying bats Some of my favourite Canadian animals in this area are the Bats which entertain us with their acrobatic displays in the evenings during late spring and summer.

Just as the sun begins to set, the Bats come out to play - they swoop and dive around us as they feast on mosquitoes and other flying insects.

To be honest, they don't ever keep still, so it is impossible to identify the species of bat that we are seeing near our home!

In this area of Southern Ontario the most common are the Small Brown Bat , the Eastern Pipistrelle, the Hoary Bat and the Big Brown Bat.

The Big Brown Bat is the most widespread in this area of Ontario, however, we do see some of the other species also.

Canadian animals Coyote Some of these bats hibernate during the winter, although some of these cute Canadian animals are known to migrates to the southern part of their range for the winter.

We know that there are Coyotes in this area, but I have only seen two in the St Thomas area in the past ten years.

They seem to stay away from populated places and confine themselves to rural areas.

Canada animals Wolf My daughter, who lives north of London, hears them too and occasionally sees small packs of them on the farm where she lives.

In the past couple of years my daughter tells me that, in addition to hearing Coyotes howling at night, they have started to hear Wolves.

Although Wolves are more common in the North, there are Wolves living and thriving in Southern Ontario.

There are sightings now and again, of Wolves around the London area as a few individuals or small packs have made their way into Southern Ontario in recent years.

In Ontario there are two types of Wolves - the Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) and the Eastern Canadian Wolf (Canis lycaon), both of which are only protected in 3% of their habitat.

According to the site Wolves-Ontario.com, there has only been one documented case of healthy wild wolves killing a human in North America.

It is believed that these animals had lost their fear of humans and were accustomed to them. By comparison, domestic dogs attack 3 million and kill 20 people each year.

Wild, non-socialized, wolves fear humans and are rarely seen and avoid human habitation.

When I first arrived here in Ontario from England in the 1970's, a neighbour of mine told me that she had Groundhogs in her vegetable garden.

Groundhog I had never seen one and envisioned a huge, pig-like animal roaming through the neighbourhood gardens, snorting and eating everything in sight!

Imagine my delight when I saw my first Groundhog!

They are cute, herbivores who look a little like a beaver without the flat tail.

These rodents, the largest members of the Squirrel family, dig burrows and live underground. They are found all across Canada, except Newfoundland.

For those people who live outside of North America, who may not know that this little rodent actually has a special day named after him - February 2nd is "Groundhog Day". Legend says that if the groundhog comes out of his burrow on that day and sees his shadow, then there will be six more weeks of winter! Well, here in Southern Ontario we don't need a rodent to tell us that!

Canadian animals Chipmunk I know that Chipmunks are delightful little Canadian animals, although they are not too common.

The little fellas are so cute, but, sadly, the only ones we see here are the ones caught by our cat.

If you know a way to attract Chipmunks to somewhere that cats can’t catch them, please let me know.

Rabbits are abundant here and they are prolific breeders. They have their babies in burrows underground.

Occasionally we find baby bunnies in a fur-lined depression in the ground and these are baby Hares.

Fox The Red Fox is alive and well and living very successfully in this area.

We have a small flock of hens and ducks and we always make sure that we lock our poultry in the barn at night, or else we’ll lose a few to either the Foxes, Coyotes or Raccoons.

Foxes seem to have also adapted well to urbanization and can sometimes be seen flitting silently around housing subdivisions when the unsuspecting residents are sleeping.

Here, in the countryside, we see them now and again, but our friends who live on the outskirts of town, tell me that they see them occasionally too.

Canadian animals Possum in a tree By all accounts, there should not be any Possums anywhere near Southern Ontario, as they are native to the Southern United States, and not Canadian animals at all.

However, in the past few decades, some poor unsuspecting Possums have taken a nap on a stationary train somewhere in the Southern States, and woken up on the Canadian side of the border, with no way to get back.

These reluctant immigrants settle close to the US border, breed and manage quite well in their first summer here – THEN WINTER COMES, that’s when times get really tough for these warmth-loving marsupials.

Canadian animals Garter snake The Garter Snake aka Grass Snake, is fairly common in this area and is harmless – no bite, next-to no venom (scarcely enough to slow down a mouse), so nothing to worry about.

Garter Snakes and cold blooded reptiles and love to bask in the sunshine, and they also seem to like the warmth of our composter (we try to compost whatever we can). A couple of times each summer I find a snake skin in there, that has been shed by a passing snake.

Occasionally, I am startled by a Garter Snake while I am gardening, but they seem to have a "live and let live" attitude, and we keep out of each others way!

A Field Guide to Snakes of North America: Eastern and Central Regions (Gulf Publishing Field Guide Series) has lots of information to help identify snakes in Ontario.

Canadian Beaver One of the animals which most people think of when they think of Canada, is the Canadian Beaver.

When the first European explorers and settlers came to this country, they found Beavers in abundance - up to 200 million of them across the continent!

Over the years of being hunted for their fur, their numbers dwindled, but are now back up to a healthy 10 - 15 million across North America, including Canada.

Its hard to believe today, but the Beaver was hunted so enthusiastically to satisfy the European fashion for Beaver Top Hats! Yes, the pelts were used for fashionable gentlemen to wear on their heads.

Thank goodness we no longer trap and kill these little animals for their fur.

One of the Canadian animals around here which is easily overlooked, yet is vital to our ecconomy, is the busy Honey Bee.

These little insects are important for the pollination of our crops - Apples & Pears, Squash & Potatoes, as well as supplying us with their delicious Honey.

Without them our food supplies would dwindle and and crops would fail, so it is important that we protect these little fellas from pesticides and pollution.

North American Badger The North American Badger is an Endangered Species here in Southern Ontario, with only an estimated 200 individuals remaining.

These mammals, with their strong legs and long front claws, are expert diggers and often the only evidence of their existance, is when a farmer finds a sett (their burrow).

They are true Omnivores and will eat small mammals, ground nesting birds, amphibians, and also plants and seeds.


The photograph of the Raccoon on this page is reproduced by kind permission of Ken Douglas

The photographs of the Beaver and Bee on this page are reproduced by kind permission of Kaye Edmonds


Do you have a favourite animal of Southern Ontario?

Do you have a great story about an animal of this area? Have you perhaps spotted a rare animal in the area?

Are you an expert on the animals of Southern Ontario?

Share your knowledge - we would love to feature your information and pictures on our site!

Just think, the next animal featured on our site could be YOURS!

Enter Your Title

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Small white animal   starstarstarstarstar
I live in the Orangeville, Ontario, area and today, while driving down a country road, I spotted an unusual looking animal by the side of the road.

It ...

Four Flying Squirrels  starstarstarstarstar
We observed four Flying Squirrels recently, at 22:00 hours on August 11, 2009

They were congregated around my bird feeder - some feeding on the sunflowers ...

We saw a Possum!  starstarstarstarstar
One of our readers in Brampton, Ontario, recently spotted a Possum - here is their story!
A couple friends and I were outside at around 2:30am, when ...

Eastern Milk Snake  starstarstarstarstar
This item was submitted by one of our regular contributors - thank you Paul, from Barrie, Ontario!
With our backyard backing onto a wetlands, we have ...

Lynx in Winter  starstarstarstarstar
My family owns a cottage in the Lake of Bays area. A few years ago, in the late 1990's, I was outside walking on the frozen bay, watching to see if any ...

Possums - Barrie, Ontario  starstarstarstarstar
I have a Possum as a regular visitor to my bird-feeder. It comes out in day or evening and when I come out the patio door, it generally reacts by leaving ...

Otters & Possums  starstarstarstarstar
Location: South Barrie, Ontario.
We have lots of animals such as Coyotes , White Tailed Deer , Foxes , rabbits, and others like that. What is more ...

Eastern Fox Snake  starstarstarstar
My Grandparents have a hobby farm located in St Anns, Ontario, at this time the family is helping them fix up their barn.

Living in the walls is a ...

Another Possum In Brampton, Ontario!!  starstarstarstar
We have had visitors in our backyard since the green bin program has been implemented.

Frustrated with the mess, I now securely fasten the compost lid ...

Cougar Before Sunrise  Not rated yet
Colchester South Township, East Harrow, Essex, Ontario. I was on a bike ride early one July morning, I came across what appeared to be a short, stubby ...

Deer Along the Trails  Not rated yet
I like to walk the trails along the Grand River in Brantford, and I saw these deer in an open area beside the trail.

Thank you so much for the picture ...

Fox and Deer in the middle of Toronto  Not rated yet
Tina, from Toronto, sent us this report of her wildlife sightings - Yup, believe it or not, my husband and I were jogging in a pretty major park system,...

Links to Canadian Animals of Southern Ontario

Link to list of resources for Canadian Wildlife Photos
A list of on-line resources where photos of Wildlife can be found, and purchased inexpensively

Canadian Animals Information
Canadian Wildlife Information Services

Problems with Wild Canadian Animals?
Is there something living in your attic? A squirrel nesting in your chimney? This site can help you with your Wildlife problem!

Ontario-Nature.org
Lots of links for information about the environment and Canadian animals.

Wolves-Ontario site
Information about the wolf, one of the very special Canadian animals, special Wolf habitat and range, Wolf Myths, action to protect and preserve the two species of Wolves in Ontario. Please read and learn from this site, and encourage others to protect and preserve our unique Wolves.

Canadian Geographic for Kids
An interactive site for children that gives lots of information about Canadian animals, lots of facts about their habits and habitat

Wild Fox
A charming story about an injured wild fox and its relationship with a kind, caring human friend

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