Fauna in the United States

The United States of America, especially the northern part of the country has a diverse array of flora and fauna. It is the home for an approximate of 457 mammals, 914 birds, and over 300 amphibians. These unique animal species have made their homes in the country and have also adapted themselves for their survival. Some species typical to the country are:

Arizona Bark Scorpion

A fully mature Arizona Bark Scorpion is about 3 inches long with light brown or yellowish coat which helps camouflage it in deserts. Arizona Bark Scorpions have two fore-claws and one rear claw, in their bodies and also have two pairs of legs on either side. Unlike most scorpions that live alone, Arizona Bark Scorpions live in groups or packs. For attacking its prey, the Arizona Bark Scorpion stings it from behind to paralyze it with venom. It majorly eats crickets, cockroaches, and beetles.

Jaguar

The jaguar is the third largest cat in the world after the tiger and the lion. Its fur is yellow and tan in colour but may also range from reddish brown to black. They also have solid and dark spots on its head and neck. Its weight is between 100 and 250 pounds on an average but certain male could also be heavier. A jaguar usually hunts on the ground only but may sometimes go up trees to catch its prey. It eats deers, capybaras, peccarys, tapirs. It also eats fish, turtles, and caiman alligators since it can swim well. It is mainly found in deciduous and rain forests, swamps, pampas grasslands, and mountain scrub areas.

Canadian Goose

The Canadian goose has a unique physical structure. It has a black head and neck and a white patch on its throat. Its body size is between 30 and 43 inches, with a wingspan of between 4.2 and 5.6 feet. The weight is roughly between 6.6 and 19.8 pounds. It can be found all over North America and can adapt itself to multiple habitats. It feeds on grasses, grains or berries. It can be found in lakes, rivers, ponds, farms, and even park lawns, Interestingly, Canadian geese live in flocks that are noisy and rowdy, can be a nuisance to humans in public places like parks, golf courses or areas under development, and even on roads in cities.

The North American Beaver

The North American Beaver is essentially a rodent that’s 120 centimeters long, and weighs from 35 to around 70 pounds. It is the largest among all North American rodents. They typically have grey-brown fur which is rough to touch coupled with a long tail and four brown incisors which are conspicuous. It uses its forefeet to facilitate the digging of burrows and handling of food and its webbed hind feet and scaly tail to swim and dive into the water. Its diet comprises leaves, bark, twigs, roots and water plants. It is more active during the winter season and can even swim in ponds even in icy conditions.

America Bison

Notably, the largest mammal in North America is the America Bison. Its height ranges approximately from 1.5 to 2 meters, and its length from head to rump is approximately 2.1 to 3.5 meters. The length of its tail is 50 to 60 centimetres. It weighs roughly about 930 to 2200 pounds. Its natural habitat in the United States of America is grasslands, meadows, and boreal forests, particularly those found in states such as Montana and Colorado. These areas have plain grasses, herbs, shrubs, and twigs which the America Bison can eat. Amazingly, it can run up to speeds of 60 kilometres per hour!

The Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle has been synonymous with the United States of America since 1782. Its body length is roughly 86 to 109 centimetres, and it has a wingspan of 6 to 8 feet. Although the average weight range of the bald eagle is between 6.5 and 14 pounds, the largest Bald eagle ever recorded was 6 meters in height, 3 meters in width, and weighed over two tons! Physically, the mature bird has a white head and tail, a dark brown body and wings, and its legs and bill are bright yellow. Its typical habitat is near water bodies, coasts, and lakes, where fish are found in plenty, although it does eat smaller mammals as well. It even steals other animals’ kills for its food. In the United States, the bald eagle is more commonly seen in Alaska, Canada, Florida, Michigan, and California.

Cougar

The cougar is native to the United States of Americas. It is so wide spread in the country that it is called by many names such as mountain lion, puma, red tiger, and catamount. It is the second-heaviest cat after the jaguar. The cougar is properly considered both nocturnal and crepuscular due to its solitary nature. Very rarely do daytime sightings occur. The cougar is largely an ambush predator that chases a wide variety of prey. Its primary sources of food are ungulates, particularly deer. It also hunts small species such as insects and rodents. The cougar cat prefers habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking, but can also live in open areas. Territorial by nature, the cougar can also survive at low population densities. However, their individual territory sizes depend on terrain, vegetation, and abundance of prey.

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly bear is the traditional name given to brown bears of North America. Ursus arctos is their scientific name. Grizzlies are massive animals in size with humped shoulders and an elevated forehead that contributes to a somewhat concave profile. Their fur is brownish to buff, and the hairs are usually silver- or pale-tipped which gives them the grizzled effect for which they are named. Large adult grizzly bears may be about 2.5 metres or 8 feet long and can weigh about 410 kg or 900 pounds. The Kodiak bear is the largest living land carnivore and may attain a length of more than 3 metres and a weight of 780 kg. It lives only on Kodiak Island and neighbouring islands. Because of their bulky and long straight claws, these bears rarely climb, even as cubs and stay largely on the terrain itself. They are omnivorous animals, and can feed on berries, plant roots and shoots, small mammals, fish, calves of many hoofed animals, and carrion.

Elk

Elk which has the scientific name- Cervus elaphus canadensis. It is also called wapiti which is the largest and most advanced subspecies of red deer that is found in North America and in high mountains of Central Asia. It is exceeded in size only by the moose which is the large male elk from Alberta. It weighs an average 380 kg or 840 pounds in early winter. Its body mass varies considerably within and between populations and increases from south to north. Almost all members of the elk family have well-developed neck manes that are dark in colour and contrast sharply with their tan or light brown body colour. The Elk are classic red deer in their biology. Elks are more highly adapted to living in the open plains and grazing there in the cold and long winters. They evolved as runners that are very difficult to catch even with the best of horses, particularly in broken terrain and so they are fast endurance animals. Nevertheless, they get their chief protection from predators by staying in large groups.

Wolverine

The wolverine is called by many names such as glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, or quickhatch. In the family called Mustelidae, the wolverine is the largest land-dwelling species. It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids. It is a powerful but dangerous wild animal and the largest members of the weasel family. The wolverine is the largest land-dwelling species found primarily in remote area of US state of Alaska. Its legs are short, its soles are hairy; the semi retractile claws, long and sharp; the ears, short; and the teeth, strong. Its coarse, long-haired coat is blackish brown with a light brown stripe extending from each side of the neck along the body to the base of the tail. Wolverines are known to have anal glands that secrete an unpleasant-smelling fluid.