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North American Wildlife and Common Pets

  • Animal Classification
    • Amphibia (amphibians)Phylum Amphibia (amphibians)Amphibians developed with the characteristics of pharyngeal slits/gills, a dorsal nerve cord, a notochord, and a post-anal tail at different stages of their life. They have persisted since the dawn of tetrapods 390 million years ago in the Devonian period, when they were the first four-legged animals to develop lungs. During the following Carboniferous period, animals from the amphibia phylum also developed the ability to walk on land to avoid aquatic competition and predation while allowing them to travel from water source to water source. As a group they maintained the status of the dominant animal for nearly 75 million years. Throughout their history they have ranged in size from the 15 foot long Devonian Ichthyostega, to the slightly smaller 6 foot long Eryops, and down to the tiny 1 centimeter long (24.7⁄64 inches)   Psyllophryne didactyla, commonly known as the Brazilian Gold Frog. Amphibians have mastered almost every climate on earth from the hottest deserts to the frozen arctic, and have adapted to climatic change with ease. Amphibians are taken to include all tetrapods that are not amniotes.Class: Amphibia (6184 sp.) Order: Anura (5453 sp.) Family: Alytidae (11 sp.) Family: Amphignathodontidae (58 sp.) Family: Aromobatidae (96 sp.) Subfamily: Allobatinae…
    • Arthropoda (bugs, crabs)Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods or ‘jointed feet’)Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda, comes from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, “joint”, and ποδός podos, “foot”) are the largest phylum of animals and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others. Arthropods are characterized by the possession of a segmented body with appendages on at least one segment. They have a dorsal heart and a ventral nervous system. All arthropods are covered by a hard exoskeleton made of chitin, a polysaccharide, which provides physical protection and resistance to dehydration. Periodically, an arthropod sheds this covering when it grows, in a process called molting.Arthropods have an open circulatory system. Haemolymph containing haemocyanin, a copper-based oxygen-carrying protein (the copper makes the blood blue, unlike humans that use hemoglobin which uses iron that makes blood red). The blood is propelled by a series of hearts into the body cavity where it comes in direct contact with the tissues. The arthropod body is divided into a series of distinct segments, plus a pre-segmental acron which usually supports compound and simple eyes and a post-segmental telson. These are grouped into distinct, specialised body regions called tagmata. Each segment, at least primitively, supports a pair of appendages.Arthropods also have a complete digestive system with both a…
    • Aves (birds)Class Aves: Birds Birds are bipedal, endothermic (warm-blooded), vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) Bee Hummingbird to the 2.7 m (9 ft) Ostrich. The fossil record indicates that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period, around 150–200 Ma (million years ago), and the earliest known bird is the Late Jurassic Archaeopteryx, c 155–150 Ma.Modern birds are characterised by feathers, a beak with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton. All birds have forelimbs modified as wings and most can fly, with some exceptions including ratites, penguins, and a number of diverse endemic island species. Birds also have unique digestive and respiratory systems that are highly adapted for flight. Some birds, especially corvids and parrots, are among the most intelligent animal species; a number of bird species have been observed manufacturing and using tools, and many social species exhibit cultural transmission of knowledge across generations.Many species undertake long distance annual migrations, and many more perform shorter…
    • Brachiopoda (Lamp Shells)
    • Cephalaspidomorphi (Lampreys)Cephalaspidomorphs are a taxon of jawless fishes named for the cephalaspids, a group of osteostracans. Most of the members of this group are extinct; however, it interests modern biologists because it may include the lampreys. If so, the lampreys extend the known range of the group from the Silurian and Devonian periods to the present day.In the 1920s, the biologists Kiaer and Stensiö first recognized the Cephalaspidomorphi as including the osteostracans, anaspids, and lampreys, because all three groups share a single dorsal “nostril”, now known as a nasohypophysial opening.Since then, opinions on the relations among jawless vertebrates have varied. Most workers have come to regard the agnatha as paraphyletic, having given rise to the jawed fishes. Because of shared features such as paired fins, the origins of the jawed vertebrates may lie within the Cephalaspidomorphi. Some biologists no longer use the name Cephalaspidomorphi because relations among osteostraci and anaspida are unclear, and the affinities of the lampreys are also contested. Others have restricted the cephalaspidomorphs to include only groups more clearly related to the Osteostraci, such as Galeaspida and Pituriaspida, that were largely unknown in the 1920s.LampreysMany reference works still regard Cephalaspidomorphi as a Linnean class whose sole living representaties…
    • Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish)
    • Mammalia (mammals)The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals primarily characterized by the presence of mammary glands, which in females produce milk for the nourishment of young; the presence of hair or fur; and which have endothermic or “warm blooded” bodies. The brain regulates endothermic and circulatory systems, including a four-chambered heart. Mammals encompass more than 5,000 genera, distributed in 425 families and up to 46 orders (the number depends on the classification scheme adopted).Subclass Prototheria Order Monotremata Family Tachyglossidae(echidnas) Family Ornithorhynchidae (platypus) Family Kollikodontidae (ancient, extinct monotreme somewhat similar to platypus) Subclass Theria Infraclass Metatheria Order Didelphimorphia Family Didelphidae Order Paucituberculata Family Caenolestidae Order Microbiotheria Family Microbiotheriidae Order Dasyuromorphia Family Thylacinidae Family Myrmecobiidae Family Dasyuridae Order Peramelemorphia Family Peramelidae Family Peroryctidae Order Notoryctemorphia Family Notoryctidae Order Diprotodontia Family Phascolarctidae Family Vombatidae Family Phalangeridae Family Potoroidae Family Macropodidae Family Burramyidae Family Pseudocheiridae Family Petauridae Family Tarsipedidae Family Acrobatidae Infraclass Eutheria Order Xenarthra Family Bradypodidae Family Megalonychidae Family Dasypodidae Family Myrmecophagidae Order Insectivora (insect eaters) Family Solenodontidae Family Nesophontidae Family Tenrecidae Family Chrysochloridae Family Erinaceidae Family Soricidae Family Talpidae Order Scandentia Family Tupaiidae Order Dermoptera Family Cynocephalidae Order Chiroptera Family Pteropodidae Family Emballonuridae Family Craseonycteridae Family Rhinopomatidae Family Nycteridae Family Megadermatidae Family…
      • Euarchonta (primates, man)
      • Marsupialia
      • Placentalia (rodents)
    • Molluscs
    • Myxini (Hagfish)
    • Osteichthyes (bony fish)
    • Reptilia (reptiles)Class: Reptilia (reptiles: Crocodiles, Aligators, Snakes,Turtles)
  • African / Eurasian Wildlife
    • Antelope
    • Apes / Monkeys
    • Cheetahs
  • Australian Wildlife
  • North American Wildlife
    • Alligators
    • AntelopeAntelopeScientific classification: Antelopes belong to the family Bovidae of the order ArtiodactylaAntelopeScientific classificationKingdom:AnimaliaPhylum:ChordataClass:MammaliaOrder:ArtiodactylaFamily:BovidaeGeneraAepycerosAlcelaphusAntidorcasAntilopeCephalophusConnochaetesDamaliscusGazellaHippotragusKobusMadoquaNeotragusOreotragusOryxOurebiaPantholopsProcapraSylvicapraTaurotragusTragelaphusand othersThe Pronghorn Antelope of North America, while commonly called an antelope, is not a true antelope. No North American mammal is more native to the North American continent than the pronghorn, which was mistakenly identified as an antelope by early explorers, but it is actually the last survivor of a group called the antilocaprids, that has inhabited this continent for 15 million years. True antelopes belong to the family Bovidae of the order Artiodactyla. Both the pronghorn and antelopes are related to sheep, goats, and cattle. About 5 million years ago at the beginning of the Pliocene Epoch, antelopes were widespread throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. Today they live only in Africa and in central and southern Asia, with Africa having the greatest number of species. Antelopes have never lived in the Americas, although the pronghorn looks very much like an antelope and shares a similar way of life. Today, Americans use the terms “antelope” and “pronghorn” interchangeably.Antelope is a common name applied to a diverse group of hollow-horned mammals. About 100 species of antelopes live in Africa and Asia, including some of the world’s fastest and most graceful hoofed mammals, as well as…
    • BadgersThe American Badger belongs to one of three sub-families of badgers, the other two being the Eurasian Badger and the Honey Badger. The American badger is a member of the Mustelidae, a diverse family of carnivorous mammals which also includes the weasel, ferret, and wolverine. Recognized sub-species include: Taxidea taxus jacksoni, found in the western Great Lakes region; Taxidea taxus jeffersoni, on the west coast of Canada and the US; and Taxidea taxus berlandieri, in the south-western US and in northern Mexico.American BadgerAmerican Badger Conservation statusLeast ConcernScientific classificationKingdom:AnimaliaPhylum:ChordataClass:MammaliaOrder:Carnivora Family:Mustelidae Genus:TaxideaSpecies:T. taxus Waterhouse, 1839Binomial nameTaxidea taxus Schreber, 1777SubspeciesT. t. jacksoniT. t. jeffersoniT. t. berlandieri Badger Articles IndexAmerican Badger Description:The American Badger has most of the general characteristics common to badgers; stocky and low-slung with short, powerful legs, they are identifiable by their huge foreclaws (measuring up to 5cm in length) and distinctive head markings. Excluding the head, the American Badger is covered with a grizzled, silvery coat of coarse hair or fur. The American Badger’s triangular face shows a distinctive black and white pattern, with brown or blackish “badges” marking the cheeks and a white stripe extending from the nose to the base of the head. In the subspecies T. t.…
    • Bears
    • Bighorn SheepBighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) is one of three species of mountain sheep in North America and Siberia; the other two species being Ovis dalli, that includes Dall Sheep and Stone’s Sheep, and the Siberian Snow sheep Ovis nivicola.The taxononomy continues to be modified as new genetic and morphologic data becomes available but most scientists currently recognize the following subspecies of bighorn:Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae), formerly California Bighorn Sheep, Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) In addition, there are currently two federally endangered populations:Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae), recognized as a unique subspecies Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, a distinct population segment of Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) Big Horn Sheep Buy at AllPosters.comFramed   MountedWild sheep crossed the Bering land bridge from Siberia during the Pleistocene (~750,000 years ago) and, subsequently, spread through western North America as far south as Baja California and northern mainland Mexico. Divergence from their closest Asian ancestor (Snow sheep) occurred about 600,000 years ago. In North America, wild sheep have diverged into two extant species — Dall sheep that occupy Alaska and northwestern Canada, and bighorn sheep that range from southern Canada to Mexico. However, the…
    • Bighorn Sheep
    • Birds of Prey
    • Bison / BuffaloCommonly called the buffalo, the animal of the romantic old west that once populated the great plains, is actually a bison, which is not the same thing as a buffalo. Still a symbol of the wild west, the American bison is the heaviest land mammal in North America. Buffalo Articles IndexBison Description: American Bison VariationGeorge ShawBuy this American Bison fine art printAlso called the American buffalo, the bison has a large head with relatively small, curving horns. It has a shaggy coat of brown hair on its shoulders and legs, while its body has shorter, finer hair. Bison have very poor eyesight, but a keen sense of smell.BISON SIZE: American Bison or Buffalo (Male)John James AudubonBuy this American Bison Art PrintBison are 5 to 6½ feet long and weigh 900 to 2,200 pounds. Males are larger than females on average. BISON POPULATION: Historically, bison numbered an estimated TWENTY MILLION to SIXTY MILLION as recently as the early 1800s. In less than a century (most of the killing occured during a twenty year period), this number was reduced to FOUR documented wild bison. Today, approximately 250,000 bison remain in the United States. Of those, only 16,000 roam in the wild. Yellowstone…
    • Black BearsThe American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) is the most common bear species native to North America. It lives throughout much of the continent, from northern Canada and Alaska south into Mexico, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This includes 41 of the 50 U.S. states and all Canadian provinces except Prince Edward Island. Populations in the east-central and southern United States remain in the protected mountains and woodlands of parks and preserves, though bears will occasionally wander outside the parks’ boundaries and have set up new territories, in some cases on the margins of urban environments in recent years as their populations increase. Although there were probably once as many as two million black bears in North America long before European colonization, the population declined to a low of 200,000 as a result of habitat destruction and unrestricted hunting. By current estimates, more than 800,000 are living today on the continent.The Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus or Selenarctos thibetanus), also known as the Tibetan black bear, the Himalayan black bear, or the moon bear, is a medium sized, sharp-clawed, black-coloured bear with a distinctive white or cream “V” marking on its chest. It is a close relative of the American…
    • Bear Safety
    • CaribouThe reindeer, is known as a caribou when wild in North America. It is an Arctic and subarctic-dwelling deer (Rangifer tarandus). In North America it was originally found in Alaska, Canada and the northern States from Washington to Maine. During the late Pleistocene period, caribou were found far south as Nevada and Tennessee in North America. In the 19th century they  were still present in southern Idaho. Today, the caribou has all but disappeared from the southern portion of it’s north american range, although there are still huge herds in Alaska and northern Canada.
    • Caribou News
    • Coyotes
    • Deer
    • ElkThe elk, also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest animals in north america.
    • Game Fish
    • Insects
    • Marine LifeMarine Mammals
    • Rocky Mountain Goat
    • WolvesShop for wolf checks, wolves checkbook covers,address labels, cards, and more! Wolf Videos
  • Animal Genetics
  • Habitats, Ecosystems and biomes
  • Animal Classification
    • Amphibia (amphibians)Phylum Amphibia (amphibians)Amphibians developed with the characteristics of pharyngeal slits/gills, a dorsal nerve cord, a notochord, and a post-anal tail at different stages of their life. They have persisted since the dawn of tetrapods 390 million years ago in the Devonian period, when they were the first four-legged animals to develop lungs. During the following Carboniferous period, animals from the amphibia phylum also developed the ability to walk on land to avoid aquatic competition and predation while allowing them to travel from water source to water source. As a group they maintained the status of the dominant animal for nearly 75 million years. Throughout their history they have ranged in size from the 15 foot long Devonian Ichthyostega, to the slightly smaller 6 foot long Eryops, and down to the tiny 1 centimeter long (24.7⁄64 inches)   Psyllophryne didactyla, commonly known as the Brazilian Gold Frog. Amphibians have mastered almost every climate on earth from the hottest deserts to the frozen arctic, and have adapted to climatic change with ease. Amphibians are taken to include all tetrapods that are not amniotes.Class: Amphibia (6184 sp.) Order: Anura (5453 sp.) Family: Alytidae (11 sp.) Family: Amphignathodontidae (58 sp.) Family: Aromobatidae (96 sp.) Subfamily: Allobatinae…
    • Arthropoda (bugs, crabs)Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods or ‘jointed feet’)Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda, comes from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, “joint”, and ποδός podos, “foot”) are the largest phylum of animals and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others. Arthropods are characterized by the possession of a segmented body with appendages on at least one segment. They have a dorsal heart and a ventral nervous system. All arthropods are covered by a hard exoskeleton made of chitin, a polysaccharide, which provides physical protection and resistance to dehydration. Periodically, an arthropod sheds this covering when it grows, in a process called molting.Arthropods have an open circulatory system. Haemolymph containing haemocyanin, a copper-based oxygen-carrying protein (the copper makes the blood blue, unlike humans that use hemoglobin which uses iron that makes blood red). The blood is propelled by a series of hearts into the body cavity where it comes in direct contact with the tissues. The arthropod body is divided into a series of distinct segments, plus a pre-segmental acron which usually supports compound and simple eyes and a post-segmental telson. These are grouped into distinct, specialised body regions called tagmata. Each segment, at least primitively, supports a pair of appendages.Arthropods also have a complete digestive system with both a…
    • Aves (birds)Class Aves: Birds Birds are bipedal, endothermic (warm-blooded), vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) Bee Hummingbird to the 2.7 m (9 ft) Ostrich. The fossil record indicates that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period, around 150–200 Ma (million years ago), and the earliest known bird is the Late Jurassic Archaeopteryx, c 155–150 Ma.Modern birds are characterised by feathers, a beak with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton. All birds have forelimbs modified as wings and most can fly, with some exceptions including ratites, penguins, and a number of diverse endemic island species. Birds also have unique digestive and respiratory systems that are highly adapted for flight. Some birds, especially corvids and parrots, are among the most intelligent animal species; a number of bird species have been observed manufacturing and using tools, and many social species exhibit cultural transmission of knowledge across generations.Many species undertake long distance annual migrations, and many more perform shorter…
    • Brachiopoda (Lamp Shells)
    • Cephalaspidomorphi (Lampreys)Cephalaspidomorphs are a taxon of jawless fishes named for the cephalaspids, a group of osteostracans. Most of the members of this group are extinct; however, it interests modern biologists because it may include the lampreys. If so, the lampreys extend the known range of the group from the Silurian and Devonian periods to the present day.In the 1920s, the biologists Kiaer and Stensiö first recognized the Cephalaspidomorphi as including the osteostracans, anaspids, and lampreys, because all three groups share a single dorsal “nostril”, now known as a nasohypophysial opening.Since then, opinions on the relations among jawless vertebrates have varied. Most workers have come to regard the agnatha as paraphyletic, having given rise to the jawed fishes. Because of shared features such as paired fins, the origins of the jawed vertebrates may lie within the Cephalaspidomorphi. Some biologists no longer use the name Cephalaspidomorphi because relations among osteostraci and anaspida are unclear, and the affinities of the lampreys are also contested. Others have restricted the cephalaspidomorphs to include only groups more clearly related to the Osteostraci, such as Galeaspida and Pituriaspida, that were largely unknown in the 1920s.LampreysMany reference works still regard Cephalaspidomorphi as a Linnean class whose sole living representaties…
    • Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish)
    • Mammalia (mammals)The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals primarily characterized by the presence of mammary glands, which in females produce milk for the nourishment of young; the presence of hair or fur; and which have endothermic or “warm blooded” bodies. The brain regulates endothermic and circulatory systems, including a four-chambered heart. Mammals encompass more than 5,000 genera, distributed in 425 families and up to 46 orders (the number depends on the classification scheme adopted).Subclass Prototheria Order Monotremata Family Tachyglossidae(echidnas) Family Ornithorhynchidae (platypus) Family Kollikodontidae (ancient, extinct monotreme somewhat similar to platypus) Subclass Theria Infraclass Metatheria Order Didelphimorphia Family Didelphidae Order Paucituberculata Family Caenolestidae Order Microbiotheria Family Microbiotheriidae Order Dasyuromorphia Family Thylacinidae Family Myrmecobiidae Family Dasyuridae Order Peramelemorphia Family Peramelidae Family Peroryctidae Order Notoryctemorphia Family Notoryctidae Order Diprotodontia Family Phascolarctidae Family Vombatidae Family Phalangeridae Family Potoroidae Family Macropodidae Family Burramyidae Family Pseudocheiridae Family Petauridae Family Tarsipedidae Family Acrobatidae Infraclass Eutheria Order Xenarthra Family Bradypodidae Family Megalonychidae Family Dasypodidae Family Myrmecophagidae Order Insectivora (insect eaters) Family Solenodontidae Family Nesophontidae Family Tenrecidae Family Chrysochloridae Family Erinaceidae Family Soricidae Family Talpidae Order Scandentia Family Tupaiidae Order Dermoptera Family Cynocephalidae Order Chiroptera Family Pteropodidae Family Emballonuridae Family Craseonycteridae Family Rhinopomatidae Family Nycteridae Family Megadermatidae Family…
      • Euarchonta (primates, man)
      • Marsupialia
      • Placentalia (rodents)
    • Molluscs
    • Myxini (Hagfish)
    • Osteichthyes (bony fish)
    • Reptilia (reptiles)Class: Reptilia (reptiles: Crocodiles, Aligators, Snakes,Turtles)
  • African / Eurasian Wildlife
    • Antelope
    • Apes / Monkeys
    • Cheetahs
  • Australian Wildlife
  • North American Wildlife
    • Alligators
    • AntelopeAntelopeScientific classification: Antelopes belong to the family Bovidae of the order ArtiodactylaAntelopeScientific classificationKingdom:AnimaliaPhylum:ChordataClass:MammaliaOrder:ArtiodactylaFamily:BovidaeGeneraAepycerosAlcelaphusAntidorcasAntilopeCephalophusConnochaetesDamaliscusGazellaHippotragusKobusMadoquaNeotragusOreotragusOryxOurebiaPantholopsProcapraSylvicapraTaurotragusTragelaphusand othersThe Pronghorn Antelope of North America, while commonly called an antelope, is not a true antelope. No North American mammal is more native to the North American continent than the pronghorn, which was mistakenly identified as an antelope by early explorers, but it is actually the last survivor of a group called the antilocaprids, that has inhabited this continent for 15 million years. True antelopes belong to the family Bovidae of the order Artiodactyla. Both the pronghorn and antelopes are related to sheep, goats, and cattle. About 5 million years ago at the beginning of the Pliocene Epoch, antelopes were widespread throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. Today they live only in Africa and in central and southern Asia, with Africa having the greatest number of species. Antelopes have never lived in the Americas, although the pronghorn looks very much like an antelope and shares a similar way of life. Today, Americans use the terms “antelope” and “pronghorn” interchangeably.Antelope is a common name applied to a diverse group of hollow-horned mammals. About 100 species of antelopes live in Africa and Asia, including some of the world’s fastest and most graceful hoofed mammals, as well as…
    • BadgersThe American Badger belongs to one of three sub-families of badgers, the other two being the Eurasian Badger and the Honey Badger. The American badger is a member of the Mustelidae, a diverse family of carnivorous mammals which also includes the weasel, ferret, and wolverine. Recognized sub-species include: Taxidea taxus jacksoni, found in the western Great Lakes region; Taxidea taxus jeffersoni, on the west coast of Canada and the US; and Taxidea taxus berlandieri, in the south-western US and in northern Mexico.American BadgerAmerican Badger Conservation statusLeast ConcernScientific classificationKingdom:AnimaliaPhylum:ChordataClass:MammaliaOrder:Carnivora Family:Mustelidae Genus:TaxideaSpecies:T. taxus Waterhouse, 1839Binomial nameTaxidea taxus Schreber, 1777SubspeciesT. t. jacksoniT. t. jeffersoniT. t. berlandieri Badger Articles IndexAmerican Badger Description:The American Badger has most of the general characteristics common to badgers; stocky and low-slung with short, powerful legs, they are identifiable by their huge foreclaws (measuring up to 5cm in length) and distinctive head markings. Excluding the head, the American Badger is covered with a grizzled, silvery coat of coarse hair or fur. The American Badger’s triangular face shows a distinctive black and white pattern, with brown or blackish “badges” marking the cheeks and a white stripe extending from the nose to the base of the head. In the subspecies T. t.…
    • Bears
    • Bighorn SheepBighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) is one of three species of mountain sheep in North America and Siberia; the other two species being Ovis dalli, that includes Dall Sheep and Stone’s Sheep, and the Siberian Snow sheep Ovis nivicola.The taxononomy continues to be modified as new genetic and morphologic data becomes available but most scientists currently recognize the following subspecies of bighorn:Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae), formerly California Bighorn Sheep, Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) In addition, there are currently two federally endangered populations:Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae), recognized as a unique subspecies Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, a distinct population segment of Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) Big Horn Sheep Buy at AllPosters.comFramed   MountedWild sheep crossed the Bering land bridge from Siberia during the Pleistocene (~750,000 years ago) and, subsequently, spread through western North America as far south as Baja California and northern mainland Mexico. Divergence from their closest Asian ancestor (Snow sheep) occurred about 600,000 years ago. In North America, wild sheep have diverged into two extant species — Dall sheep that occupy Alaska and northwestern Canada, and bighorn sheep that range from southern Canada to Mexico. However, the…
    • Bighorn Sheep
    • Birds of Prey
    • Bison / BuffaloCommonly called the buffalo, the animal of the romantic old west that once populated the great plains, is actually a bison, which is not the same thing as a buffalo. Still a symbol of the wild west, the American bison is the heaviest land mammal in North America. Buffalo Articles IndexBison Description: American Bison VariationGeorge ShawBuy this American Bison fine art printAlso called the American buffalo, the bison has a large head with relatively small, curving horns. It has a shaggy coat of brown hair on its shoulders and legs, while its body has shorter, finer hair. Bison have very poor eyesight, but a keen sense of smell.BISON SIZE: American Bison or Buffalo (Male)John James AudubonBuy this American Bison Art PrintBison are 5 to 6½ feet long and weigh 900 to 2,200 pounds. Males are larger than females on average. BISON POPULATION: Historically, bison numbered an estimated TWENTY MILLION to SIXTY MILLION as recently as the early 1800s. In less than a century (most of the killing occured during a twenty year period), this number was reduced to FOUR documented wild bison. Today, approximately 250,000 bison remain in the United States. Of those, only 16,000 roam in the wild. Yellowstone…
    • Black BearsThe American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) is the most common bear species native to North America. It lives throughout much of the continent, from northern Canada and Alaska south into Mexico, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This includes 41 of the 50 U.S. states and all Canadian provinces except Prince Edward Island. Populations in the east-central and southern United States remain in the protected mountains and woodlands of parks and preserves, though bears will occasionally wander outside the parks’ boundaries and have set up new territories, in some cases on the margins of urban environments in recent years as their populations increase. Although there were probably once as many as two million black bears in North America long before European colonization, the population declined to a low of 200,000 as a result of habitat destruction and unrestricted hunting. By current estimates, more than 800,000 are living today on the continent.The Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus or Selenarctos thibetanus), also known as the Tibetan black bear, the Himalayan black bear, or the moon bear, is a medium sized, sharp-clawed, black-coloured bear with a distinctive white or cream “V” marking on its chest. It is a close relative of the American…
    • Bear Safety
    • CaribouThe reindeer, is known as a caribou when wild in North America. It is an Arctic and subarctic-dwelling deer (Rangifer tarandus). In North America it was originally found in Alaska, Canada and the northern States from Washington to Maine. During the late Pleistocene period, caribou were found far south as Nevada and Tennessee in North America. In the 19th century they  were still present in southern Idaho. Today, the caribou has all but disappeared from the southern portion of it’s north american range, although there are still huge herds in Alaska and northern Canada.
    • Caribou News
    • Coyotes
    • Deer
    • ElkThe elk, also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest animals in north america.
    • Game Fish
    • Insects
    • Marine LifeMarine Mammals
    • Rocky Mountain Goat
    • WolvesShop for wolf checks, wolves checkbook covers,address labels, cards, and more! Wolf Videos
  • Animal Genetics
  • Habitats, Ecosystems and biomes
  
Categories

Turtle Legends

animated turtle picture

The Big Turtle’s War Party

February 25, 2007

A turtle went on the warpath, and as he went along, he met Coyote, who said, "And where are you going Grandson?"

Turtle said, "I am on the warpath."

The Big Turtle’s War Party »»

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