North American fauna

The distribution of animal species in North America follows the pattern of the vegetation. In the Arctic tundra and northern coniferous forest there are caribou and wolves. Deer, skunks, and squirrels live in the eastern deciduous forests. The western mountains have mountain lions, bears, and porcupines. Coyotes and prairie dogs are typical examples of predator and prey in the western prairies. Kit foxes and burrowing owls live in the deserts of the southwest.

The north The northern tundra is characterized by the nomadic caribou that assemble in immense herds, and by musk oxen, bovids adapted to intense cold. Typical animals of the northern coniferous forests are the moose and the timber wolf, its principal predator. Beavers, by their compulsive construction of nesting lodges and the dams, lakes, and canals associated with them, are capable of transforming landscapes.

The Rocky Mountains Flanking the western prairie, the chain of mountains reaching from Alaska to Mexico supports a distinctive fauna, including grizzly and black bears, big horn sheep, Rocky Mountain goats, lynxes, mountain lions, mule deer, and whitetailed deer.

Prairie The dominant grassland species are the bison and pronghorn antelope, which once roamed the prairie in huge herds, and the prairie dog, a gregarious ground squirrel living in underground colonies that may contain millions of individual animals. Together with the pocket gopher, this little animal is the key species in the maintenance of the prairie. These small rodents, and the jackrabbit, are the principal prey of the coyote, kit fox, prairie falcon, and other grassland predators. Among the grassland birds is the prairie chicken, which hunting has reduced from abundance to a few small scattered colonies. Many native grassland species have been wiped out or severely reduced by human settlement and agriculture.

Desert A surprising number of animals manage to survive in the deserts of North America, more than 100 bird species and about 40 mammal species. Birds include the golden eagle and the burrowing owl, which lives in the abandoned burrows of small mammals. Small mammals include the ground squirrel and kangaroo rat; these spend the hottest part of the day underground, emerging to feed at dawn and dusk. Larger mammals include wild horses and the predatory kit fox, which hunts rodents and lizards. Desert reptiles include various rattlesnakes and the gila monster, one of the world's two species of venomous lizards.

Freshwater animals While many of the natural habitats of North America have been developed by humans - in particular the western prairies and the eastern broadleaf woodlands - and many of their associated species heavily depleted, the northern wetlands, reaching across the continent from the Pacific to the Atlantic, have remained relatively untouched. They are the breeding ground for immense numbers of migratory waterfowl, which arrive here to breed in spring and fly south again in the autumn.

Swamps The Florida Everglades are home to a unique variety of reptiles (such as alligators, crocodiles, and snakes), amphibians (including numerous frogs and salamanders), and wading birds (including flamingos, spoonbills, and herons). Much of the area is flooded, which makes human access difficult, and has been designated a national park.

Marine animals The temperate zone has a critical role in the life cycle of the salmon. The seasonal salmon run, when millions of salmon that have spent the greater part of their lives in the oceans fight their way upriver to their spawning grounds, is one of the wonders of nature. In the Arctic and North Atlantic there are walruses and grey seals, while sea lions and northern elephant seals live off the Pacific coast. Off the coast of California lives the sea otter, a mammal so completely adapted to a marine environment that it seldom sets foot ashore.

Though much of the native North American fauna has been heavily depleted, it is nevertheless true that more has been done for the effective conservation of the remnant than in any other continent.