Canada

IV: Here and Now

The Great Canada Zoo: Animals At Risk and Their Habitats

Introduction:
The border between Canada and the United States crosses all sorts of terrain, from the forests and seashore of the west coast, across prairies. mountains, farmlands and wetlands, through four of the five Great Lakes, over rivers, lakes and streams, and finally the rocky shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Though the border may divide people and land politically, the ecosystems and organisms of border regions pay it little attention. Many of the animals and plants that are common in Canada are also found in the United States. But Canada is enormous and encompasses many ecosystems, and therefore organisms, that do not live south of the border. In addition, differing patterns of development and exploitation of the lands and waters between the two countries have affected species differently in one country than in the other.

Resources:
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Species At Risk and other Animal links

Hinterland Who's Who has a great deal of information about wildlife and habitat in Canada, including fact sheets for dozens of species—many of them at risk. It also spotlights important issues.

Environment Canada's Species at Risk (Especes en Peril) site has a wealth of information and links. (Part of the Canadian government.)

The Web site of the Committeeon the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), part of the Canadian government, has a searchable database of endangered species and a good links page.

The Canadian Wildlife Service

Parks Canada has a Species at Risk page, with information, photos, and more.

The Canadian Biodiversity Web site has a section on the species of Canada

Canada's Aquatic Environments covers aquatic plants, animals (fish, invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals), habitats (lakes, oceans, rivers and wetlands) and more.

Space for Species is a website for students that tracks migratory animals in Canada (eider, caribou, peregrine falcon, polar bear and leatherback sea turtle) using satellites. It was developed by the Canadian Space Agency, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing.

The Québec Wildlife Museum has a number of photos of taxidermied animals.

The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a good resource for animals and issues in Canada. It has several pages about endangered species.

Wild Education, the educational arm of the Canadian Wildlife Federation

The Ecomuseum, from the Saint-Lawrence Valley Natural History Society

The Codex Canadiensis is a manuscript, from about 1700, with illustrations of (among other things) many animals and plants of Canada. It is exhibited online by Library and Archives Canada.

Environment Canada's Youth and the Environment page

Zoo Links

ZooAction is a site for kids, and focuses on Canadian species at risk and what zoos in Canada are doing to help.

The Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums

North American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)

Zoos Worldwide has links to zoos, aquariums and animal sanctuaries around the world, zoo cams, and more.

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums has virtual exhibits and many good links.

Biodome de Montréal

Parc Aquarium du Québec

The Calgary Zoo

Toronto Zoo

The Minnesota Zoo

Chicago Zoological Society and Brookfield Zoo

Shedd Aquarium (Chicago)

Canada, Canadian Geography, and other useful sites

The Nature Conservancy in Canada has a page on the Canadian boreal forest.

Canadian Geographic Magazine has maps, articles, photographs, links and more.

The Canadian Geographic Kids Atlas Online

Canadian Geographic's Canadian Atlas Online has a wealth of useful features, including maps, games, a kids atlas, a glossary and more.

The Atlas of Canada has all sorts of maps and information about Canadian geography.

The Canadian Museum of Nature

Canadian Wildlife Service / Service canadien de la faune Environnement Canada

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

Canadian Weather