Engaging Ways to Learn About Canada’s Mammals

What do fox, bear, moose and squirrel have in common? They are all mammals and they all live in Canada! When we think of mammals, often these and other common mammals come to mind. But what about the marten, wolverine, musk ox or narwhale? Do those come to mind? Not usually, but they are also Canadian mammals! Read on and discover more about how you can learn about Canada’s mammals in your homeschool through engaging resources and hands-on projects.

First off, do you remember what a mammal is? Mammals are animals that give live birth, have hair/fur, and nurse their young. But wait- are you confused? What about the platypus and the echidna? True…those two are exceptions and lay eggs yet are still classified as mammals. However, they don’t live in Canada. Still confused about which type of animals are mammals verses other types, or your kids aren’t clear on this topic? It might be time to break out an Animal Classification Matching Game and learn about animal classification before learning more about mammals!

Resources for Learning About Canada’s Mammals

First, let’s talk about specific resources for learning about Canada’s mammals.

Books

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Lone Pine Mammals of Canada
By Tamara Eder

This is an excellent resource for studying Canada’s mammals.  It covers 188 species and includes information about habitat, food, young, den, range and similar species. This book is quite in-depth.

Mammals of Canada
By Tamara Einstein

This book has a suggested age-range of ages 6-8 but I think any child would love to have it read to them or read it on their own.

National Geographic Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Mammals
By National Geographic Kids

National Geographic Kids books never disappoint. Although this book is not Canadian-specific, it has lots of engaging information, full colour photos and lots of interesting facts! Recommended age range is 8-12.

Online Resources

The website Wikipedia has a long list of all the mammals of Canada separated into type.

Nature Conservancy Canada has a section on featured Canadian mammals.

Hands-on Projects for Learning About Canada’s Mammals

Learning often happens best when its hands-on!

Field Trips

Museums, Science Centers, Zoos

Does your city have a museum, science center, aquarium or zoo? Sometimes museums and science centers have animal displays. At aquariums, they might have seals, otters or walruses (all mammals!) Zoos almost always have some form of mammals, although maybe not specifically Canadian ones. It might be neat to have a list of all of Canada’s mammals to take with you to the zoo, and see how many you can find there! Zoos can be a fascinating way to get up close to animals that you wouldn’t normally get close to in nature. My kids are always surprised by how big animals are up close rather than seeing them from a distance outdoors or through the pages of a book or video screen!

Whale Watching or other Marine Mammal Sighting

If you live somewhere near the coast, it could be very fun to go whale watching or look for other marine mammals such as seals. It might even be a great project to also note other wildlife you find and why it is a mammal or not!

Mammal Activities for in your Backyard or Neighbourhood

Another great hands-on idea is to go outside and find any evidence of mammals that you can (you might even spot the actual animal- especially if you’re quiet!)

You’re not likely to find evidence of a wolverine or musk ox where you live, but I’m sure you could find evidence of mice, squirrels, or chipmunks! What about deer or maybe moose? It really depends on where you live in Canada. Rabbits are usually a good one to look for if you go to a forest. Don’t forget beavers! Their lodges, dams and knocked-down trees are usually easy to spot. Bats can be neat to watch for on a warm summer night after dusk. These are some of the animals that are more accessible to see. Often animals are more active (and therefore more easily seen) at dawn or dusk.

Below are some specific ideas for more commonly seen mammals you might be able to spot evidence for in your backyard or neighbourhood.

Squirrels, Chipmunks and Mice

For squirrels, chipmunks and mice, things to look for include chewed up pine cones (the piles of pine cone pieces that squirrels leave behind are called squirrel middens), empty nut shells, tracks in the snow (especially near bird feeders in the winter!) and squirrel nests (called dreys- some squirrels make nests out of leaves high up in trees).

Deer and Moose

For deer and moose, you might find some tracks in the snow or mud, or more likely, if they live in your area, you will find piles of droppings. The droppings are well-formed but appear like they are made from partly saw dust once opened (with a stick of course!).

You might even come across a flattened impression in the snow or on the ground with tracks leading to it, where a deer or moose has had a rest! If you live in an area where there are moose, it can be fun to go to a wetland area around dawn or dusk and quietly watch to see if you can spot one!

It is rare to spot a fawn (baby deer) in nature (I only have had that privilege once!) but if you do find one, don’t disturb it! Its mother will come back to it. The mother leaves the fawn alone to hide until it is strong enough to follow. It is not orphaned!

Rabbits

Rabbits can be a fun one to look for, especially in the winter if you are looking for their tracks. Sometimes we find their droppings in the snow (easier to spot in winter) and sometimes we find low branches on shrubs that have been chewed by rabbits. Depending where you live in Canada, you might have different kinds of rabbits to look for! Cottontail rabbits and snowshoe hares are two examples that might live where you are. I have never come across baby bunnies, but if you do, don’t disturb! The mother is coming back to nurse them.

Beavers

For beavers, go to a pond, small lake or wetland and look for beaver lodges and beaver dams as well as downed trees or trees that are in progress of being taken down! Its fun to look for the ways that beavers get out of the water as safely as possible with mini canals and to examine stumps and logs with large chewed sections.

Bats

I have fond memories of laying on my back outdoors watching the bats fly overhead. Bats are a fascinating study as they are the only true flying mammal! (Flying squirrels only glide!) You might be surprised to see bats in your own yard or neighbourhood at dusk if you look for them!

Other Mammals

Maybe there are even other mammals you can find evidence for (or actually see!) where you live. Depending on where you live in Canada, you might find bear prints (or even see a bear!) find mountain goats or bighorn sheep while driving or go even whale watching! Canada has a great diversity of mammals. Find out which ones live near you, look up what their tracks and droppings (or scat) look like, and go search for evidence or sightings!

Fun Hands-On Projects to Include

After learning more about Canada’s mammals, it can be fun to create a habitat diorama, an art piece, or put out some seeds to see if you can attract a squirrel or chipmunk to view up close. Black oil sunflower seeds are usually a good choice. What about making a bat house, to see if you can attract some bats to your yard? Masterpiece Society has a great Nature Journaling with Mammals art study you could include in your homeschool (affiliate link).

Six Canadian Mammals That You Should Know About!

As I stated before, most people are familiar with Canada’s mammals that are more commonly seen like deer, raccoons or squirrels. There are so many others to learn about- its hard to pick which ones to include! Here are six that you should know about!

Beaver

Even though beavers are fairly well known, I just had to include it on this list. The beaver is one that you simply have to know more about if you live in Canada! This is because the beaver is one of our national symbols. This industrious rodent was once almost hunted to extinction for its fur- which is hard to believe as it seems that everywhere I go near water I see evidence of beavers at work! Their lodges, dams and cut down trees are easy to spot while walking, canoe and hiking in my community.

The beaver is a mammal in the rodent family and is an incredible architect. Beavers choose an area where they want to live and make a dam in order to create an area of water that is deep enough to create their lodge. This alters the environment so much that they are known as a keystone species. The dams they build benefit other wildlife by creating a flooded area that is ideal for many other species to live in and thrive. However this altering of the environment can be a nuisance for towns and cities across Canada who sometimes have to trap and relocate them to a more suitable area.

Lynx

The lynx is also sometimes known as the Canada lynx. A member of the cat family, the Canada lynx lives in parts of almost every province and territory, in much of the boreal forest and taiga ranges. Some of the lynx’s most identifiable features are the tufts of fur on it’s ears and its giant feet that help it walk across snow. The Canada lynx is often mixed up with another mammal in the cat family, the bobcat. Canada lynx is a bigger cat with longer back legs. Canada lynx feed mainly on snowshoe hares, which are often abundant across the lynx’s range.

Wolverine

The wolverine is a seldom-seen member of the Canadian mammal family. That might be for the best, as this animal is known to be ferocious. Like the lynx, the wolverine has large feet that are designed to be used when walking across snow. Wolverines are known for eating whatever they can get!

Sea Otter

Sea Otters are a delightful marine mammal of the Pacific Ocean. These adorable marine creatures were once hunted heavily. Today, sea otters in Canada are protected. These cute marine mammals love to eat sea urchins. Sea urchins feed on kelp in the ocean. Therefore the kelp forest is kept in good health by having a balance between the amount of sea urchins eaten by the sea otter.

Walrus

Walrus are quite the awkward looking creature! Their long tusks make them look quite commical. The tusks are more than just an interesting physical feature- the walrus uses them to help get out of the water, get food off the ocean floor and to break ice! There are both Atlantic and Pacific walrus. There used to be even more walrus than we have in present-day, but they were heavily hunted in the past for their tusks, meat and blubber.

Porcupine

Porcupine are fascinating mammals. They are in the rodent family but they are covered with sharp, spiky quills that can be released when they are in danger.

This is only a fraction of the mammals (of around 200!) that live in Canada!

A Final Note and Where to Learn More

Do you want to do a unit study on Canada’s Mammals? We have created a resource just for this purpose! Its FREE to download! Included in this bundle is a notebooking page for a mammal of choice at 3 levels- early elementary, middle elementary and upper elementary. Other pages include an observation journal, story starters, acrostic poem and more! Pair this free bundle with some websites and/or books to learn from and you have a great Canadian mammals unit study for your animal-loving kids!

>>> DOWNLOAD THIS FREE CANADIAN MAMMALS ACTIVITY PACK <<<

Learning About the Fur Trade and Canada’s Mammals

No discussion of mammals in Canada would be complete without including some learning about the Fur Trade. Canadian mammals have long been hunted for their fur, blubber, tusks, and meat. This still happens to some degree today, although now there are laws in place that protect our mammals from over-harvesting. Its hard to believe that some of our mammals almost went instinct in the past from hunting practices. One of the most famous examples of this is the beaver. Imagine Canada without the beaver! In our shop we have a scavenger hunt game that can help add some hands-on fun to learning more about the Fur Trade. Download yours for free! Your kids will be fascinated learn more about which mammals played a role in this key Canadian historical event.

Other Canadian Animal Studies: Birds!

If you have kids who are keen on learning about mammals, perhaps they are also interested in learning about birds! There is also a Canadian Provincial and Territorial Bird post, where you can learn more about birds in Canada, as well as find the resources in our shop. You can even find FREE printables of colouring pages for Canadian birds and Canadian Provincial and Territorial Birds Fact Cards.

We also have a resource for each Provincial and Territorial bird across Canada- a 3-level research worksheet bundle for preschool, early and upper elementary- for only $4.99! This bundle includes a 3-level set for every province and territory in Canada!

So there you have it, a large amount of resources specific to studying Canada’s mammals (and birds if you so desire!) in your homeschool. Grab some books from the library, print out some of the worksheets, plan some projects, field trips or outdoor time and get learning!