Animals Of North America

[music] [music] [music] [music] >> Meet your wildest neighbors, the animals of North America. Some of them may be total strangers to you, while others may share your yard. Regardless of whether these creatures wear feathers, fur, or fins, they all make fascinating neighbors. For instance, consider the bison or buffalo. These massive beasts once roamed [music] most of the continent. Early pioneers reported that sometimes herds of millions of bison carpeted the earth for as far as the eye could see. However, when civilization spread across [music] North America, the bison nearly vanished with the wilderness. Today, fewer than 1% of the original numbers survive, mostly in parks and refuges. This nursing calf is part of a breed that is no longer common, but a breed that reminds us of the days gone by when North America had not yet been tamed. Prairie dogs still share parts of the western plains with bison. They may boast the continent's first towns. Prairie dogs live in sprawling settlements called dog towns which at times have had populations rivaling those of today's cities. Each prairie dog home is simply a burrow or hole in the ground with a bare dirt patio on top. Here the owners may watch for danger or look for fleas on their neighbors. These rodents fatten on summer's green plants. Then may hibernate or sleep in their burrows during winter's blizzards. Like the prairie dog, the pronghorn is a plains animal. Often called antelope, the pronghorn wears small forked horns and is not really an antelope. >> [music] >> However, the pronghorn displays an antelope's speed and can run a mile a minute. Females as well as males wear horns which are shed each year. Elk also sport [music] fancy headgear called antlers. Elk are one of the half dozen members of North America's deer tribe. Females and young elk, however, aren't equipped with antlers. Among elk, only the adult males wear antlers. These antlers are used in special courtship fights. In late fall, females collect together in herds. A big male will claim them. Should another male try to take the herd, a fight will result. The antlers are used in a pushing match. The strongest animal will take the herd for his prize. While the loser will have to go elsewhere. Moose are the largest of the continent's deer. Some males are big as a horse and grow antlers 6 ft wide. Moose love water but may venture far from it. Their favorite meals include shoreline salads. Moose have a number of natural enemies including wolves. Wolves sometimes form packs to overpower even the biggest deer. Researchers once found that one pack of 15 wolves killed an average of 10 moose per month. Stomachs filled wolves no longer hunt but sleep or play like farmyard hounds. Humans [music] sometimes consider wolves to be vicious. But in truth these intelligent beasts kill simply because they have to eat. Grizzly bears are truly fearsome because of their great size and fierce unpredictable nature. If they feel threatened they may charge or they may run off in the opposite direction. The black bear is smaller and more common than the grizzly, but like its big cousin, it needs wilderness [music] room. Bears and people generally do not make good neighbors. Bears are omnivorous, which means that they eat both plant and animal matter. >> The mountain lion is another wilderness dweller. Our largest cat, it often eats deer. The bobcat resembles an overgrown housecat. And catnapping [music] is a favorite pastime. Though it looks tame and gentle when resting, the bobcat is known for its aggressiveness. When angry, this spotted hunter is 20 lb of furious teeth and claws. Not all animals we fear flash long fangs. The skunk has glands near its tail that can spray a [music] strong-smelling liquid that burns the eyes of its enemies. Some say the only thing worse than meeting [music] a skunk in the woods is meeting a whole family of them. In the face of danger, opossums are noted for fainting and playing dead. Before moving to this hollow log, these young had an interesting home, a pouch on their mother's belly. This pouch makes the opossum a relative of Australia's kangaroos. Dozens of species of mice, including the meadow jumping mouse, live in North America. These small rodents feed mainly on seeds and berries. >> [music] >> The largest rodent on the continent is the beaver. Once trapped widely for its warm, waterproof fur, the beaver is especially famous for engineering skills displayed [music] in building dams. This powerful 50-lb animal is noted for its large flat tail and a mouthful of big teeth that can cut through wood like axes. A good worker can gnaw through a tree trunk 6 in thick in about 10 minutes. Beaver eat the bark and twigs of trees they cut down and use the wood for dams and [music] homes. Building a dam is heavy work. Beavers must drag or shove logs and branches to the dam, then plaster them in with mud. Many dams are a quarter mile long. To make matters worse, sometimes sticks get stuck and just won't [music] budge. The least shrew is one of North America's smallest, hungriest mammals. It weighs only about as much as two dimes and will eat half its weight in insects every day. To winged insects, [music] this mother red bat with two young must look like an awful flying dragon. Bats, shrews, and other insect-eating mammals are called insectivores. Some bats cluster together in caves during winter for hibernation. In any group, there's always an oddball. While flight among mammals is limited to bats, for birds, it is an everyday thing. Canada geese are graceful flyers. [music] In fall, they may make long migratory flights south. Though some winter as far north [music] as the Great Lakes. Most geese raise their young in northern Canada. >> [music] >> Herons, like geese, live in wetlands. Their long stilt-like legs are designed for wading. Herons often nest together in treetop colonies. Their bulky nests look in need of repair and much too small to hold the nestlings. The adult [music] hunts fish, frogs, and other water animals to feed its young. Tiniest of our birds is the hummingbird. It feeds mainly on flower nectar or sugar water. Its remarkable wings beat so fast [music] they hum and allow the bird to hover, fly backwards, and fly [music] back for more. Of the nearly 800 species of birds at home in North America, over 1/3 belong [music] to one group. They are commonly called the songbirds. Songbirds range greatly in size [music] and color, but nearly all sing and offer visitors nature's top tunes. Many of them also help people by feeding on insects. The crow [music] is pitch black and sometimes eats blackberries. But what its feathers lack in brightness, the crow makes up for in intelligence. Someone once said that if people wore feathers and were provided with wings, few would be clever [music] enough to be crows. >> [music] >> Birds and snakes don't get along. And when crow meets garter snake, it's a standoff. Many people dislike snakes more than birds do, though there's no logical reason for it. Most snakes spend their lives quietly hunting worms, mice, bird eggs, and other food. Some snakes are really quite attractive. But the poisonous rattlesnake is best left alone. Its shaking rattle says, "Stay away." Wise people understand [music] this message. Insects should stay away from toads or be eaten. In spring, toads go a-courtin' and become warty-hided musicians. Their various relatives also all try their voices in a lover's serenade. Salamanders of numerous kinds join frogs and toads in the family of amphibians. Bringing up the rear of North America's nature parade are turtles. These slow plodders are reptiles like snakes, but they resemble amphibians in some ways. The animals we've seen are just a few of the thousands of natural citizens sharing North America. Some make better neighbors for people than others, but each species adds its own special personality [music] to the wild community. Why not get acquainted with the creatures in your area and find out what's going on in your neighborhood. >> [music]