Description: As an adult, this is the largest member of the Lagomorph family. It measures 55 to 64cm long and weighs 2.7 to 4.1kg. It is characterized by black-tipped ears and long hind legs. In summer it is grayish-black, in winter it is all white except for the tips of the ears. Females may be slightly larger than males.

Distribution: Quite common in the south half of Alberta in Grassland areas.

Intersting Notes: The more common name for the White-tailed Prairie Hare is the Jackrabbit. Despite this name, this is a true hare. Hares have long ears and long legs and can run great distances and young are born fully furred with their eyes open and are able to hop. Rabbits have shorter ears and legs and young are born naked, blind and helpless. Hares also nest in clumps of grass above the ground, rabbits use burrows dug by other animals.

Members of the Order Lagomorpha have two sets of front incisors, one pair directly behind the other (Rodents have only one pair). Like rodents however, these teeth grow throughout their lives and must be continually sharpened by gnawing. Lagomorphs geneally have a very short or no tail and well developed ears.

Intersting Notes: Red Squirrels are born naked and blind and are weaned at eight weeks of age. Red squirrels nest undergroung in the Rockies and in trees elsewhere in the province. Pine and spruce seeds make up the bulk of the squirrel's diet, but they also eat nuts, berries, mushrooms, meat, sap, young birds and bird eggs. Squirrels often cache food in large quantities. They have favorite feeding spots where they eat spruce and pine seeds, discarding the cone stems and scales which are piled up at the base of a tree. This pile is called a midden. Red squirrels do not hibernate, but stay close to their stashed away food supply all winter and will venture out for short periods of time to feed.

Intersting Notes: The beaver is the nationl animal symbol of Canada. When it was first discovered by European settlers, it was a major economic resource and was hunted and trapped extensively for its fur. With reduced demand for its pelts the beaver has made a gradual comeback and is now considered a pest in some areas due to its propensity to cut down trees for its dams and food.

The beaver's most distinguishing characteristic is is wide, flat and muscular tail. Measuring as much as 50cm long, 18cm wide and 3cm thick, it is used as a rudder in the water, a sturdy support on land, and a counterbalance when the beaver is carrying branches in its forpaws. The tail is also used as a communication device to signal family members of impending danger by slapping its tail against the water making a loud sharp noise.

Intersting Notes: Contrary to popular belief, the porcupine can not "throw" its quills. The ends of these specialized hairs are barbed, which if touched, will pull out of the porcupine and stick into any potential predator. The porcupine does have some muscular control over its quills and will raise them if it feels threatened and it will lash its tail towards any predator. Porcupines are actually very laid back animals and move slowly throughout their environment without too much worry about predators.

Porcupines have short powerful legs with long curved claws which make them strong tree-climbers. In summer they feed on green leaves of shrubs and trees and in winter they feed on bark, buds and twigs of trees. Porcupines may eventually eat the bark all the way around the curcumference of a tree killing it by cutting off the flow of nutrients.

Intersting Notes: The red fox is a very efficient predator of rabbits, mice and other rodents. When hunting mice and ground squirrels the fox will slowly stalk the prey and pounce up to 4m trying to pin them with its front feet. If hunting rabbits it a pure chase. Foxes have a great ability to adapt to new environments and have succeded quite well in human-created habitats.

Foxes are not well adapted to digging, so they often use an abandoned badger or porcupine den and modify it for their needs. One to ten kits are born around May and the young are on their own the folling autumn.

Intersting Notes: The ermine is sometimes called the "Short-tailed weasle" or "stoat". They are constantly hunting, eating as much as one-third their weight daily. They mainly prey upon small rodents, birds, eggs, fish, frogs and insects and may even take down prey items several times their size scuh as hares. Ermines are in turn preyed upon by hawks, owls, and foxes. Humans are their most serious threat hunting them for their pelts.

Intersting Notes: The striped skunk has made the use of chemical defense an artform. The skunk's scientific name, Mephitis, loosely translates from Latin as "noxious odor". The smell comes from a yellowish, oily liquid with a high sulfur content which is secreted from two small anal glands at the base of its tail. The smell is so potent it can be detected by humans in concentrations of less than one part per trillion. The skunk, however, only uses this chemical weapon as a means of last resort offering any potental predators several advance warnings including feet stomping and raising its tail in warning.

Intersting Notes: The cougar has a pletora of other common names including "mountain lion", "puma", "panther", and "Indian devil". Its long, thick tail is used as a counterbalance when running. It also lacks the tufted ears seen in Alberta's two other cats, the lynx and bobcat.

The cougar is a solitary cat and a very efficient predator. They use razor-sharp, retractable front claws and 5cm long canine teeth to hold and bring down prey. They use stealth to stalk their prey and pounce from a close distance rather than run it down. They prey primarily on members of the deer family, but will also take beavers, hares, bighorn sheep, coyotes, and grouse.

Intersting Notes: Lynx have very large paws which are well developed for foraging in snow. The paw, which is sometimes 10cm in diameter, has fur which grows between its toes and acts like a snowshoe. Showshoe hares make up about 75% of the Canada Lynx's diet and numerous studies have been done doucumenting fluctations in populations of both Canada Lynx and the Snowshoe hare. Other prey includes gouse and small rodents.

The Canada Lynx is quite common but chances of seeing it are rare as it, like its cousin the cougar, is very secretive and avoids human contact as much as possible.

Intersting Notes: Mule deer have a unique way of getting around. They can bounce away by pushing off and landing on all four legs at once and when frightened can jump 2m high and a distance of 6m. They can be found in a variety of habitats including coniferous forests, aspen parklands, meadows, and wooded areas. They eat a variety of vegitation including grasses, forbs, leaves and twigs.

Each autumn bucks grow a set of antlers - the size of the antles being indicative of the buck's age and state of health. Mule deer antlers form a branch, and each branch may branch again. Fawns are born in June with a spotted pleage that renders them almost invisible in the thick underbrush where the doe will leave it as she forages for food. Fawns are odourless, and will sit motionless where the doe leaves it making it very difficult for predators to detect it. Does may protect the fawn against predators by kicking at them with her sharp front hoofs.

Intersting Notes: Like the Mule deer, White-tailed deer are capable of great leaps -- reaching 2m high and 8m long -- although they tend run in a smooth flowing gallop. The white-tailed deer also has a very wide diet and can dine over 1000 different plants depending on availabilty. They tend to prefer buds, twigs, leaves and fruit from plants such as aspen, chokecherry and many other shrubs.

The White-tailed deer gets its name from its white tail that it holds erect and flared, wagging it from side to side when it is threatened. This display can be seen from a considerable distance. The antlers on White-tailed deer arise from a single main beam and individual tines arise from it. Antlers are grown and shed annually. Despite popular belief, the number of tines does not indicate the age of the buck.

Intersting Notes: The moose gets its name from the Algonquin Indian name for the animal - mongswa - meaning "eater of twigs". This huge deer also feeds on grasses, aquatic plants, lillies and other pond vegitation in shallow lakes and marshes. Bulls grow an enormous set of antlers each year which are shed around December or January. The antlers become more masive each year as the bull matures reaching their maximum size when the bull has reached the peak of sexual maturity at around seven to ten years of age. Bulls fight vigorously during the rut, repeated crashing into each other often wounding one another. A bull may lose up to 20 percent of his body wieght during mating season.

Moose calves are born in May, usually one or two per cow, but occasionally three. Moose calves grow very rapidly. At birth they weigh 11 to 15kg but gain from 0.5 to 1kg a day for the first month of life and later in summer up to 2kg per day. Unlike deer, the cow rarely leaves her young which follow her nearly everywhere. She will vigorously defend her calf from any predator kicking with both her front and hind feet. The main predators of moose are wolves, cougars, grizzly bears and black bears -- and of course, humans!