There are some 4500 species of mammals in the world, including this Columbian Ground Squirrel. There are over 200 species in Canada and more than 400 in the United States. All mammals have hair and females nurse their young with milk.

After Africa's Cheetah, North America's Pronghorn is the second fastest land animal in the world attaining speeds of over 50 mph/80 k/h. Such great speed evolved to escape now-extinct predators.

When necessary, the American Bison can run up to 40 mph/65 km/h. Their horns can grow up to 2 ft/61 cm long.

The Raccoon’s English name comes from the Algonquian word arukan which means “he who scratches with his hand.”

The Grizzly Bear has poor eye sight but excellent senses of smell and hearing. Long hairs on its head and shoulders are often white-tipped giving the bear a grizzled appearance, hence its common name.

The squirrel’s bushy tail helps it when balancing and serves as a rudder when leaping and climbing.

Chipmunks are the smallest members of the squirrel family. They feed on nuts, berries, seeds and grains which they stuff into their cheek pouches and carry away to store. There are 25 species, 24 of which are found in North America.

The Musk Ox is able to stand frigid Arctic temperatures due to its coat of dense wool which is covered with thick hair. During blizzards circles are formed around the calves protecting them from snow and wind.

Jackrabbits are not rabbits but members of the hare family. They use their powerful hind legs to propel them on leaps of more than 10 ft/3 m.

The River Otter has specially adapted clawed, webbed feet which are handy in water and on land. It is able to hold its breath underwater for up to 8 minutes.

The White-tailed Deer is capable of making vertical leaps of over 2.5 m and horizontal leaps of nine metres. When sensing danger, raises its tail, a process called flagging.

Elk, also called Wapiti, are very large members of the deer family. A male’s antlers may tower 4 ft/1.2 m above its head. Antlers are shed each year.

The range of the Coyote is expanding in North America. In native folklore the Coyote is known as the trickster because of its cleverness.

Despite the fact that there are over 2.4 million Caribou in Canada, most people have never seen one in the wild but it is featured on the Canadian 25 cent coin.

The marmot is the largest member of the squirrel family of rodents called Sciuridae. Members of this family have 4 toes on the front feet and 5 on the back ones. This is the Yellow-bellied Marmot, Marmota flaviventris.