The forest is home to a great number and variety of plants, insects, birds and mammals. There are four basic levels of this environment:
- Tree
- Shrub
- Herbaceous
- Floor
Birds, squirrels and similar small mammals and some insects inhabit the tree and shrub area. The herbaceous layer is home to mainly insects. Animals living on the floor include snakes, reptiles, rodents and larger mammals, such as deer, raccoons, bears, wild cats and wolves. Many types of plant life are found here, including moss, lichens and mushrooms.
Raccoons
These masked mammals can easily weigh 50 pounds in adulthood. They typically live near bodies of water, where they catch frogs and fish. They also like fruit and will eat insects, too. In fact, they will eat just about anything. Raccoons living near urban environments will raid domestic pet food bowls. They are particularly fond of cat food. Raccoons are expert climbers and are clever and highly intelligent. Contrary to popular belief, they do not dip their food in water to wash it or because they need the extra moisture. They do this as a way of examining their food before eating it.
Woodpeckers
These red-headed birds peck at tree trunks to find food and to make holes for nesting. They eat insects and worms living inside the tree and tree bark. Some species migrate; some do not. Woodpeckers incubate their eggs for about two weeks and then care for their young for about a month before the young birds can fly and leave the nest.
Lynx
Lynx are big cats ranging anywhere from 18 to 66 pounds, depending on the area in which they are found. The Eurasian lynx is the biggest; the Canada lynx is the smallest. A similar species, the bobcat, tends to be smaller than a Canada lynx. These cats have distinctive black tufts of fur standing atop each ear and short tails. Thick fur and large feet help them survive the cold climate and walk easily across the snow. They eat hares, rabbits, squirrels and rodents. The larger lynx will hunt deer and larger mammals.
Deer
This family of large herbivore mammals includes elk, moose and reindeer. The males, the bucks or stags, have magnificent sets of antlers. Females are called does or hinds. Deer chew their cud just like cows do. They can jump as high as 10 feet and are good swimmers. Deer are typically gentle, placid animals. The young, called fawns, are born with spots to help camouflage them among the brush as a protection against predators.
Owls
There are many species of owls, such as the barn, great horned, snowy and barred. Some are as tall as nearly three feet with a wingspan exceeding five feet. They can live as long as 60 years. Owls are known for their excellent eyesight, but this is only partly true. Owls do have excellent distance vision, but they cannot see well up close. They detect nearby objects with whisker-like facial projections. They are excellent hunters and eat rabbits, rodents, birds and squirrels. Owls are nocturnal, and their loud, haunting calls can be heard as far away as one mile. The female lays up to 6 eggs and incubates them while her mate brings in prey to support the growing family.
Foxes
Foxes are wild canines that mostly live in burrows. Unlike their dog cousin, they don’t have the facial muscles necessary to bare their teeth as a sign of distress or aggression. There are 27 species, including the red, fennec, arctic, kit and gray. Sly, clever, intelligent and cautious, the nocturnal animals eat fruit, seeds, carrion, frogs, rodents, crabs, birds, reptiles and fish.
Bears
Bears inhabit the forests of North America, Europe and Asia. There are several species, including the brown bear, American black bear and grizzly bear. Sloths and pandas, except for the red panda, are also related species. A koala bear is not a true bear. Brown bears hibernate during the winter months. Young stay with their mothers for about 18 months after birth. Bears eat fruit, berries, roots, insects, fish and carrion. Bears living close to cities or campgrounds will also break into homes and tents and raid dumpsters in search of food.
