Do you know where water in the Beaver River watershed goes? Every drop of rain or snowflake that lands in our watershed will eventually make its way to the Hudson Bay! That’s why it’s so important that we protect our water here, as it will affect our friends in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Beaver River Watershed is home to many different types of wildlife, some of which you can even see from your backyard! Check out the list below to learn more info about some of the animals found within our watershed.

Wildlife: Birds, Mammals, and Reptiles/Fish/Insects

Birds

Did you know that Canada is home to 462 bird species?

Great Blue Heron-This bird species is the largest subspecies of heron in the world and will try to swallow its prey in one giant gulp!

Black-capped Chickadee-This little bird can remember where it hid its food for up to 28 days and can drop its body temperature to 10°C during the evening to preserve energy! Chickadees are given their name after their distinctive chickadee-dee-dee call.

Mammals

Did you know that mammals are the only type of animals that can grow hair?

Moose-This mammal is the largest member of the deer family and is an incredibly powerful swimmer that can dive up to 5.5 metres in search of food!

Striped Skunk-This mammal’s habitat distribution ranges all the way up into Nunavut!

Reptiles/Fish/Insects

Before humans or other mammals appeared on our planet, reptiles were the dominant species on Earth. They were even the first animals with a backbone (vertebrates) to live entirely on land, over 250 million years ago.

Common Garter Snake-Female Common Garter Snakes can give birth to nearly 80 young in a single litter!

Of the 230 different fish species found in Canada, 63 species of fish live within the province of Alberta, yet only 18 species are consumed by humans.

Walleye-Walleye are strictly carnivorous fish, meaning that they only eat other animals. Walleye have been known to even consume snails and frogs!

Insects, which are known as invertebrates, are some of the oldest living species on the planet, with fossils dating back to over 600 million years ago. Did you know that there over 5,000 different species of lady bugs all over the world?

Lady Bug-Lady bugs have gone where most people have never been before…outer space! In 1999 NASA sent lady bugs and aphids into space to see how aphids would escape their predators in zero gravity conditions.