Top Predators in the US
What are the top predators in the United States?
Predators in the United States
A predator is an animal that consumes other animals for food. There are lots of predators around the world, from the polar bear in the Arctic to the lions of Africa. Have you ever wondered what types of predators live in the United states? Have you ever wondered what theses predators eat? Did you ever wonder where exactly these predators live? Below, are six predators you might find living close to you. Go ahead and read the information on each animal, start with the wolverine, bobcat, and badger, then, click the images of the mountain lion, grizzly and black bear.
Wolverine
The wolverine may look like a bear but it is not. It is actually the largest member of the weasel family. Wolverines are solitary animals that lives in the Rocky Mountains and Cascade Mountains of the Northwest United Sates. They prey upon porcupines, hares, marmots, and ground squirrels. They will also take down larger animals when they can. There are around 200-300 wolverines in the lower United States. These solitary animals have territories high in the mountains. they do not hibernate, instead winter is the perfect time for them to hunt as their bodies are designed for snow (large feet, thick fur). Wolverines move a lot, up to 18 miles in one day.
Bobcat
The bobcat is the most common wildcat in North America. They mainly prey on rabbits and hares but will also eat other small rodents. Bobcats live in a variety of habitats across the United States including forests and semi-deserts. Once widely hunted for their fur, bobcats are making a come back. Today their are about 750,000 to 1,000,000 in the wild. These cats are medium sized and weigh about 10-30 pounds.
American Badger
The badger has a flat body and short legs that keep it close to the ground. These predators eat small animals such as gophers and squirrels. They will also eat insects and birds. Badgers are mainly found in grasslands in the United States but can also call mountains home. They can be found from the Northern United States border with Canada to the southern border with Mexico. Badgers are nocturnal digging machines that sleep in burrows underground.
Mountain Lion
This is largest cat in North America. The mountain lion is also known as the puma, cougar, panther or catamount. This feline can leap 15 high and as far as 40 feet. Found Found anywhere from Canada south to Texas these cats are solitary animals that have territories from 10 square miles to 400 square miles. Mountains lions eat large mammals such as deer and elk as well as small animals such as rabbits and mice. There are around 30,000 wild mountain lions in the Western United States. The Florida Panther, in Florida, is critically endangered with only around 100 left living in the wild.
Black Bear
This bear is the smallest of the three bears in North America (the grizzly and polar bear are the other two). Black bears have short non-retractable claws that are excellent for climbing trees. They prey upon deer and moose calves and salmon. These bears also eat plants and berries. There are around 600,000 bears in the united states. They live in forty of the fifty two states. Black bears are solitary animals except for mothers with cubs. They hibernate in the winter to avoid the cold temperatures and lack of food.
Grizzly Bear
A grizzly bear has a concave face, a distinctive hump on its shoulders and claws 2-4 inches long. they are excellent diggers. Grizzly bears eat deer, elk, small rodents, fish, and berries and plants. There are a lot of grizzly bears in Alaska where they are know as brown bears. In the lower 48 states you can find around 1800 grizzly bears living in five populations including those in Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Grizzly bears are normally solitary animals but will feed together when food is available. These bears hibernate in winter to avoid the cold temperatures and lack of food.
Your Project
Now that you have learned about a few of the predators lets see if we can discover even more information. Please choose one of the following three projects to complete.
- There are more than these six predators in the United States. Find one more, create an information sheet on that animal. Include the following; Where does the animal live, what does it eat, how many are there in the United States, three distinguishing traits and finally two pictures.
- Do some research on the area where you live. Are there predators that live in your state? Make a list of the predators you might find in Montana (at least five). Ask family members what predators they have seen and write a brief paragraph on their experience or your own when it comes to predators.
- Humans have effected most predators in some way, perhaps through habitat loss, hunting, or extermination. Pick one of the animals listed above. Look into how humans have created an impact on the survival of that predator and what may have been done to protect them. Write a paragraph on what you discovered.
Event Information
Studying predators
When?
Monday, May 9, 2016, 09:00 AM
Where?