Fauna of Canada facts for kids
Canada is a huge country with many different types of land, from forests to mountains and coasts. Because of this, it's home to an amazing variety of animals! These animals are called the fauna of Canada.
Canada has about 200 types of mammals, over 460 kinds of birds, 43 types of amphibians, 43 types of reptiles, and 1,200 kinds of fish. There are also many smaller creatures like insects, mites, and spiders. Scientists estimate there are around 55,000 types of insects and 11,000 types of mites and spiders!
Sadly, some of Canada's wildlife species are "at risk," meaning they might disappear. This happens because humans have changed their habitats. Canada has laws and special protected areas to help keep these animals safe and help their populations grow again. About 65% of Canada's animals are considered "secure," but over 500 animal species are at risk.
Contents
Vertebrates
Vertebrates are animals with a backbone. This group includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
Mammals
Canada is home to many different kinds of mammals. You can find them in all parts of the country. These include bats, meat-eating animals (like bears and wolves), hoofed animals (like deer), whales and dolphins, insect-eating animals, rodents (like mice and squirrels), and rabbits. Interestingly, a type of marsupial called the opossum can now be found in southern Canada too.
Because Canada has so much wild land, it's a great place for large mammals. Some of these, like the grey wolf and the brown bear, are harder to find in places with more people. Animals that are well-known in Canada often live in the colder northern areas. These include the polar fox, large herds of caribou, the huge moose, the tough wolverine, and herds of muskoxen.
Two other very famous Canadian mammals are the Canada lynx and the North American beaver. The beaver is so important that it's a major symbol of Canada!
Over time, some mammals from other parts of the world were brought to Canada by European settlers. This happened either on purpose or by accident. These include farm animals like horses, pigs, sheep, dogs, cats, and cattle. Wild animals like the brown rat and the house mouse also arrived this way.
Birds
Canada has 462 different types of birds! The most common types are songbirds and shorebirds. Some of the most easily recognized Canadian birds are the Canada goose, the beautiful snowy owl, and the smart common raven.
Another very special Canadian bird is the whooping crane. These tall, white birds are very rare. Their only place to breed and raise their young is protected in Wood Buffalo National Park.
Reptiles
Canada has 43 different types of reptiles. This group includes turtles, lizards, and snakes. The only major type of reptile not found in Canada is crocodiles.
There are 25 types of snakes in Canada. Most of them belong to the colubrid family, which includes several kinds of garter snake. In the western provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, you can find pit vipers like the western rattlesnake. British Columbia is also home to Canada's only type of boa, the rubber boa.
Canada has six types of lizards, all living near the southern border with the United States.
You can also find 12 types of turtles in Canada. A common one is the painted turtle, which lives in all ten of Canada's southern provinces, except Newfoundland and Labrador. Interestingly, the northern territories (Nunavut, Yukon) and Newfoundland & Labrador do not have any native reptiles.
Amphibians
Canada has 43 different kinds of amphibians. This group includes salamanders, as well as frogs and toads.
Salamanders live in all ten of Canada's provinces, but not in the three northern territories. Some well-known Canadian salamanders are the common spotted salamander in eastern Canada and the rare pacific giant salamander in British Columbia's coastal rainforest.
Frogs and toads can be found in every region of Canada, though more live in the warmer southern areas. Canada has five families of frogs and toads. These include "true frogs," "true toads," and "tree frogs," which are found in almost every province and territory. You can also find "spadefoots" in the prairie provinces and the "tailed frog" only in British Columbia.
Fish
Canada's rivers are famous for their yearly runs of Atlantic salmon on the east coast and Pacific salmon on the west coast. Canada's many freshwater lakes and streams are also home to fish like rainbow trout, Arctic char, and brook trout.
Sometimes, new species of fish or other water creatures are introduced and can harm the native ones. These are called "invasive species." For example, the lamprey and zebra mussel have caused problems in the past. People are working hard to stop these invaders and prevent new ones, like the Asian carp, from spreading from the United States.
Canada also has a big fishing industry for ocean fish like Atlantic cod, haddock, and halibut. However, the numbers of some of these fish have been going down.
Invertebrates
Invertebrates are animals without a backbone, like insects, spiders, and worms. It's thought that there are about 33,000 types of arthropods (a group that includes insects and spiders) in Canada.
Because Canadian winters are so cold and harsh, Canada does not have any native poisonous insects.
Here are some lists of specific invertebrates found in Canada:
