5 Animals Only Found in Canada

Vancouver Island Marmot:
The Vancouver Island Marmot is a small gopher like creature with a face that resembles that of a beavers and is only the size of a house cat weighing about 6 pounds. This animal is a uniquely Canadian species that can only be found on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. There are many different Marmot species but this one differs from others s in behavior, genetics and ecology and their maximum age limit is only ten years. Its believed that there's only a little over 200 still alive today but in 2005 only 29 could be found. The Vancouver Island Marmot is one of the rarest and most endangered mammals in the world!

Arctic Fox:
The Arctic fox resembles a small collie dog that's totally white and weighs as much as a small house cat. This animal can be found in the far north, mainly in the arctic circle. The Arctic fox lives in a den or burrow dug into the side of a hill, cliff or river bank and several families can live together and hunt in groups. Although the Arctic fox is not a endangered species yet, it is largely hunted for its beautiful white coat.

Polar Bear:
The polar bear is an amazing creature that can only be found in the Arctic. The shear size and mass of this bear makes it the biggest of all the bears in the entire world weighing in the area of 650 pounds to 1100 pounds. A polar bear is white and yellowish in color and they don't stay in one place but instead travel all the time in search of food. They have been known to come up to cabins and dumps to go through garbage and people feed them all the time but they seem to forget these animals are wild and can turn at anytime causing severe bodily damage or death. Polar bears and the Arctic fox both have one thing in common and that is because of climate change, poachers and lack of food they are both in serious threat of being totally wiped out. Both species are heading for the endangered species list which is sad.

North American Elk:
A North American Elk is a large horned animal that is found in British Columbia, Yukon Territories, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Unlike the average deer the Elk is much larger but not as big as a moose. Elks are good swimmers and can run up to 50km an hour. They live in groups of 6 to 20 and mainly eat grass, leaves and branches. Males usually live to the age of 14 where as the female live ten years longer maxing out at 24 years old. North American Elk are now mainly raised on ranches due to over hunting through the decades. After all the North American Elk was the early settlers and natives main food supply decades ago.

The Lemmings:
There are many different species of lemmings and they all pretty much have the same characteristics and habits. A lemming kind of looks like a fat hamster with a thick furry coat. There are Collared Lemmings and Brown Lemmings. The habitat of the lemming is fairly basic, living in the tree areas of Northern Canada it mainly lives in burrows built in snow which contains a sleeping area and separate bathroom. Female lemmings usually give birth up to 8 babies every 5 weeks. Lemmings eat only plants, berries and lichens and many die by drowning every year while migrating for food. When they come to cliffs, hills or rivers and lakes they just keep running never stopping causing the population of lemmings to decrease every 3 to 4 years.