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CANADIAN ANIMALS
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As an immigrant from England’s industrial north-west, I have always delighted in seeing the Squirrels that are common in this area of Ontario.
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.The Flying Squirrel does not actually "fly", however, it does glide for up to 50 meters, depending upon the wind and the height of the tree.
These shy, nocturnal, creatures have a membrane stretched between their wrists and ankles, and a tail that acts as a rudder.
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!
Of all the Canadian animals in this area, the deer are the ones that delight me the most.
I photographed this young White Tailed deer in our orchard at dusk one evening.
He was really curious and didn't seem concerned at all that we were watching him.
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.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!
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Before I came to live in Ontario, 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!
One of the Canadian animals that is not 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!
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.
Skunks (Kids Can Press Wildlife Series)
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 bats are the Small Brown Bat, the Eastern Pipistrelle and the Big Brown Bat.
The Big Brown Bat is the most widespread in this area of Ontario, however, it is likely
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.
They reappear each spring, either from their winter sleep or from milder climes, to delight us once again with their airborne acrobatic displays.
We know that there are Coyotes in this area, but have only seen two in the St Thomas area in the past ten years. They stay away from populated places and confine themselves to rural areas.
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 Canadian animals, according to the Ontario authorities, there are no Wolves in Ontario, south of the city of Barrie.
However, I wouldn't be surprised if a few individuals or small packs of Wolves have made their way into this area recently.
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 accustomized 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.
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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.
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.
Across North America members of the Groundhog family are known by various names - Woodchuck, Ground Squirrel, Marmot, Gopher, and Prairie Dog are all similar sub-species.
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!
I know that
Chipmunks
are delightful little Canadian animals, although they are not common – the little fella’s 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.
Hares are Canadian animals known as Jack Rabbits around here, and always appear longer and leaner than their Rabbit cousins.
The Red Fox is alive and well and living in this area. We do make sure that we lock our poultry in the barn at night or else we’ll lose one to either the foxes or raccoons.
Foxes seem to have also adapted well to urbanization. Here, in the countryside, we see them now and again, but friends who live on the outskirts of town tell me that they see them occasionally too.
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.
The Garter Snake, aka Grass Snake, is fairly common in this area and is harmless – no bite, no venom, so nothing to worry about.Garter Snakes seem to like the warmth of our composter (we try to compost whatever we can) as a couple of times each summer I find a snake skin in there, that has been shed by a passing snake.
A Field Guide to Snakes of North America: Eastern and Central Regions (Gulf Publishing Field Guide Series)
The Mississagua Rattler is a venomous snake which is unknown in this area, although they are often sighted in the Bruce Peninsula and closer to Toronto.
The photograph of the raccoon on this page is reproduced by kind permission of Ken Douglas
I will soon be adding a page about some of the rarer Canadian animals of Southern Ontario.
Links to Canadian Animals of Southern Ontario
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
