Small Animals of BC
Published on Dec 07, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Pikas are small with short limbs and rounded ears. They are 15 to 23 centimetres in body length and weigh 150 to 350 grams. They have thick brown and black fur, coloured to camouflage with rocks, and have no tail.
Photo by shesnuckinfuts
Pikas are herbivores, feeding on plants like grass, shrubs, moss and lichen. Pikas are found in alpine terrain above the tree line, on mountains. They also live on rock faces and cliffs
Photo by shesnuckinfuts
Marmot
Photo by Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
A marmot is also known as a groundhog, in the same family as the squirrel. Marmots typically live in grassy pastures, small woodlands and forests.
Photo by Dusty J
Marmots are herbivores, commonly eating foods like grass, leaves, flowers, clovers, and herbs. Like the pika, Marmots have predators like foxes, coyotes, bobcats, eagles, owls and hawks.
Photo by Dusty J
Otter
Photo by Keith Marshall
Otters have long, slim bodies with muscular tails that allow them to swim through the water. The otter has insulated fur varying in colours like white, tan, and brown.
Photo by hehaden
Otters are typically carnivores, eating small fish, crayfish, crab, other shellfish and frogs. Otters predators include wolves, foxes and owls.
Photo by hehaden
Badger
Photo by Andrew 3457
Badgers have short, fat bodies, with short legs for digging. They have elongated weasel-like heads with small ears. They have black faces with distinctive white markings, grey bodies with a light-coloured stripe from head to tail, and dark legs with light coloured underbellies.
Photo by hehaden
The diet of the badger consists of earthworms, insects, grubs, the eggs and young ground-nesting birds. They also eat small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds, as well as roots and fruit
Photo by hehaden
Wolverine
Photo by Leo Reynolds
The wolverine is a stocky and muscular animal. It has short legs, a broad and rounded head, small eyes and short rounded ears, it resembles a bear. A badgers prey includes porcupines, squirrels, beavers, rabbits, mice, shrews, caribou, deer, sheep, moose, and elk.
Photo by USFWS Mountain Prairie
The wolverine has very few predators; wolves, bears and humans. The wolverine is found throughout Canada, parts of North America and the Arctic Circle, mostly in mountainous regions and dense forests.
Photo by USFWS Mountain Prairie
Porcupine
Photo by Carly & Art
The porcupine is distinguished by a coat of long spikes to protect itself from danger, the spikes are around 7 centimetres long and venomous. The porcupine is found inhabiting the forests of both North and South America.
Photo by Pinti 1
The porcupine is an omnivore, but its diet consists mostly of roots, berries and leaves. It's predators include wolves, eagles and owls.
Photo by Pinti 1
Muskrat
Photo by USFWS Mountain Prairie
They have thick brown fur and a long, furless, scaly tail. They grow up to around two feet long. Their rear feet are webbed for swimming, and their eyes and ears are very small. Muskrats live in marshes, or alongside ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams.
Photo by OliBac
Muskrats eat a wide variety of vegetables including: cattails, water lilies, pond weeds, wild rice, clover, willow, acorns, switchgrass, mussels, crayfish, frogs, snails, and fish. The muskrat has many predators including the raccoon, red fox, owls, hawks, bald eagles, snapping turtle, bullfrog, and snakes.
Photo by OliBac
Beavers have webbed feet and a broad, scaly tail. They have poor vision, but its senses of hearing, smell, and touch are much better. A beaver's teeth grow continuously so that they will not be worn down. Their four incisors are composed of hard orange enamel.
Photo by CatDancing
The beaver is a herbivore, mostly eating bark from trees, willow, and water lily. Beavers have three main predators: Wolves, lynx, and bears.
Photo by CatDancing
Also known as a Douglas Squirrel. In the summer, they are a grayish brown on their backs, and pale orange on the chest and belly, while their legs and feet are brown. In the winter, the coat is darker brown and the underside is more grey.
Photo by Franco Folini
Douglas squirrels eat seeds of coniferous trees like Douglas fir, spruce and shore pine. They also eat acorns, berries, mushrooms, the eggs of birds, and some fruit including strawberries and plums. They lack cheek pouches in which to hold food. Owls, martens, bobcats, and foxes all eat chickarees.
Photo by Franco Folini
Roughly the size of a cat, opossums have a pointed snout, and a long, scaly tail. They have dense fur, naked black ears with white or pink tips, and a white face with white or grey fur on the body. They den in underground burrows, rock crevices, hollow trees and is seen in forests, farmlands and urban areas.
Photo by Dawn Huczek
They are considered scavengers. Opossums eat trash, small rodents, snakes, grass, nuts, and fruit. Predators include dogs, foxes, and bobcats. When threatened, opossums flop onto their sides and lie on the ground with their eyes closed, they extend their tongues, appearing dead
Photo by Dawn Huczek
