CANADIAN ANIMALS
of Southern Ontario

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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