Wildlife
Learn more about the creatures we share the lake with.
The Kasshabog area is rich in wildlife, both in and around our beautiful lake. Whether it’s listening to a haunting loon call at night, glimpsing a fox rustling through the undergrowth, catching sight of a basking turtle or admiring a monarch butterfly as it sips from a flower, there are many occasions to observe and appreciate the range of wildlife in our area. Take the opportunity on these pages to learn more about the creatures that call Lake Kasshabog home.
Click on the links to learn more.
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS
Reptiles and amphibians are certainly not boring like many people might believe! Keep reading to learn some fascinating information about this group of animals. One trait that unites all reptiles and amphibians is that they are “cold-blooded” meaning they cannot regulate their own internal body temperature like we can by sweating or generating heat. Instead, they bask in the sun to get warm or seek cool, shaded areas to cool down. Because of this, reptiles and amphibians cannot remain active in the winter (they would freeze!) so they must spend the winter in a dormant state similar to hibernation, called brumation, to survive.
Turtles
Help the Turtles Survive
Turtles are essential to our ecosystem, especially for our lake's water quality. They are the hunters, scavengers, and cleanup crew of the bogs and lake, scarfing up millions of mosquito larvae, eating what has died, and checking the overgrowth of vegetation, thereby maintaining a perfect balance.
The marshes and wetlands in the Kawarthas and around Kasshabog support most of the eight turtle species that exist in Ontario. But all eight are considered at risk, and at least two of the species are endangered, often due to man-made causes.
Roads are one of the most serious threats to turtles. Many that are injured or killed on our roadways are females on their way to lay eggs. Having taken many years to get old enough to reproduce, the killing of a pregnant female takes a toll on the population for years to come. While a turtle will never run out in front of your car, they require a different kind of vigilance to help them avoid being hit.
Help a turtle get to the other side.
Please keep an eye out for turtles on roads. If you see what looks like a large rock on the road, or the sun glinting off a possible shell, slow down and steer around it, or if you can do it safely, help it get across. Here are some tips to ensure you and the turtle make it across safely.
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Make sure it is safe for you to pull over and help the turtle in need.
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Always move an uninjured turtle in the direction it is headed – even if that is away from the nearest water. Depending on the season, it may be on its way to a nesting or hibernation area.
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Smaller species can be picked up by the shell and placed out of harm’s way. (Watch out! They may pee, but that’s just a defensive reaction!)
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A snapping turtle can be moved across the road using a shovel or board, or by allowing it to bite a long stick and pulling it across. A small snapper can be picked up by holding the shell at the back, on each side of the tail. You can also slide one hand under the belly shell. Be careful, as it may squirm vigorously!
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Never pick up a turtle by its tail; you could damage its spine.
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If you have handled a turtle, wash your hands thoroughly.
If you find a turtle that has been injured:
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Place it in a dry container.
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Record the location (to release the healed turtle or its offspring)
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Call the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (OTCC) (705-741-5000) (open 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. and located in nearby Peterborough)
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If you can’t take the turtle to the OTCC, they will contact willing drivers.
If you find a turtle that has died:
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Please call and/or take it to the OTCC.
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The eggs from a female can often still be incubated and hatched. (Every year, the Centre hatches several thousand baby turtles whose mothers died!)
Want to know more about turtles?
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Here is a link to the nearby Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre: https://ontarioturtle.ca/. It is worth a visit and/or tour.
Turtle Research - the more you know...
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Ontario researchers from the University of Toronto studied vocalizations in turtles. Scientists heard painted turtles making noises such as chirping, hissing and squawking depending on which sex was “talking” and when. And baby snapping turtles in their eggs “speak” to each other to coordinate when they will hatch together from their nest!
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Turtles basking on logs are often in family groups and help each other spot predators more easily.
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Wood turtles are among the rarest turtles in Ontario and spend much of their time in the forest away from water. They are highly susceptible to habitat loss from logging. Scientists are now determining the optimal boundary size between a logged area and known Wood Turtle habitat.
Check out The Wildlife Wonders column in the Kosh Lake E-news for interesting information about turtles and some of their behaviours.
Where do Turtles Winter?
Have you ever wondered where our turtles go in the winter and how they survive? Did you know that the babies of our most common turtle, the Painted Turtle, spend the winter in the ground? It is the only time in their lives that they can freeze solid without being harmed. Adult turtles head to the bottom of ponds/lakes, often going deep in the mud. When they do this, their body temperature drops and their heart rate slows down to almost nothing: so much that they don’t need to eat anything. But turtles have lungs and breathe air! No worries, they have adapted and can absorb oxygen from the water through body surfaces: the best one is the cloaca (just under their tail). To put it simply, they breathe through their butts. While many turtles overwinter at the bottom of lakes like Kosh, and some dig into the mud in marshes and shallow ponds, both places can be very risky. Turtles hibernating in shallow wetlands can experience severe freezing-related injuries to the top of their shells and the bone underneath. And small areas of shell sticking up above the ice can be gnawed on by rodents looking for a calcium source. It can take years for a turtle to heal from these injuries. Nesting deep in a lake avoids that, but if an otter family inhabits the lake that year, they can spend the winter feasting on dormant turtles. A cold-blooded turtle moves much too slowly in the winter to be able to defend itself.
Snakes
While all snakes share features — for example, they have more than 200 vertebrae, are covered in scales and are carnivores (they eat animal prey rather than vegetation) — there are large variations among different species. Their size, colouring, preferred habitat, behaviour, eating habits and reproduction practices can vary widely even among the snakes all found in the Kasshabog area.
Are there venomous snakes on the lake?
The good news is that the Massasauga rattlesnake, Ontario’s only venomous snake, is not found in this area. While some snakes will nip if threatened, most are afraid of humans and will do their best to get away from you. Many snakes in Ontario are at risk. They are suffering from habitat loss, an increase in road deaths and the overly fearful reactions of some people. Learning more about snakes will hopefully help you lose your apprehension and appreciate what remarkable animals they are.
To Learn more about any snake you encounter, click here to use Ontario Nature's Guide.
Here are some things to consider when identifying a snake: What is its skin colour? Does it have blotches, stripes or no pattern? If possible, can you see the belly colour? Are there any distinctive markings around the head area e.g. a ring or spot? Is it small or large? Where has it been found e.g. in or around water? What is its behaviour? Learning more about snakes will hopefully help you lose your apprehension and appreciate what remarkable animals they are.
Eastern Hognose Snake
The Kasshabog area hosts one of Ontario’s most fascinating but elusive snakes – the eastern hognose. This up to four-foot snake has an upturned snout, which it uses to dig in sandy soil. When a hognose snake is threatened, it puts on quite an act! First it hisses, flattens its neck and raises its head like a cobra. If that doesn’t scare away the potential predator, it will then roll onto its back and play dead, even lolling its tongue out of its mouth. If the “dead” snake is turned over, it will often roll right back! This timid snake is all bluster, however. It doesn’t bite, isn’t venomous and prefers to hide away in sandy leaf litter where it eats toads, insects and eggs.
The Wildlife Wonders column in the Kosh Lake E-news featured the Eastern Hognose Snake.
Click on Read More to learn more.
Skinks
Five Lined Skink is the only lizard species native to Ontario. While they are elusive, they are native to the Kasshabog area. They are currently an Endangered Species.
They are important for many reasons; among those are that they eat spiders and slugs. Their natural habitat is woody debris so help them by leaving some old wood undisturbed and letting it decay naturally.
Other sources of information:
https://www.thelandbetween.ca/five-lined-skink/
https://www.rsenviro.ca/saving-skinks/
Five cool facts about skinks:
https://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/5-cool-facts-about-skinks/
Frogs, Toads and Salamanders
Frogs, toads and salamanders all belong to the group of animals called Amphibians. Amphibians live a "double life," spending the early part of their lives in water and the later part on land. Amphibians generally lay their eggs in large masses in ponds. In the eggs, small tadpoles develop and break free. They then begin their larva stage where they begin to develop and gain size while living fully in the water and breathing through gills. They then slowly begin to grow legs. Once this happens, they start to absorb their tail and gills until they have fully developed into their final form, whether that be a frog, toad, or salamander. Other key features of amphibians include moist, sensitive skin and a reliance on humid environments for survival.
We see many frogs around Kosh. Sometimes, if you are very lucky you will see a blue frog. The presence of blue-coloured Green Frogs is surprisingly widespread throughout Ontario but they are still very rare with fewer than one in a thousand.
Have you ever wondered why, on late summer rainy nights, there are frogs all over the roads? Hint: it has to do with the dating pool. Or more specifically, the gene pool. The frogs take advantage of the warm, wet nights to move to new ponds away from where they grew up. This prevents inbreeding and ensures a healthy population. So keep dodging (safely) those leapfrogs!
Want to learn more about frogs? Check out Ontario Nature's Guide! You will find a comprehensive list of reptiles and amphibians in Ontario with an interactive range maps for frogs, snakes, turtles, salamanders and skinks.
Fun Hint: Select Learn More. There you can hear the sound any frog in Ontario makes.
The Wildlife Wonders column featured amphibians. Click the links to read more.
Spring Peeper Frog
Sleigh bells in spring? No, the jingling, chirping sound you hear from local wetlands marks the awakening of the spring peeper. This tiny 3-cm frog with the notable “X” on its back is one of the first amphibians to emerge once the ice melts. In fact, during below-zero spring nights, it can survive more than half of its body freezing! The males then get to work calling for mates. Did you know that a chorus of spring peepers can be heard up to a kilometre away? Females are attracted to males that are the loudest and fastest callers. After mating and laying eggs, the now-silent nocturnal treefrogs can be found amid leaves and debris on the forest floor.
American Toad
Just as we return home from the cottage every weekend, some toads do the same. They use visual cues, an internal geomagnetic compass like a GPS and even sky cues to guide them. Researchers put toads into opaque boxes and moved them in different directions on a beach, and a day later the toads found their way home even from a distance of 500 metres away. For a five-cm toad, that is quite amazing! This has interesting implications for attempting to reintroduce species in new areas. Even though we may think a new area is suitable, the animals might not agree and may die trying to find their way home.
Have you ever gone walking in the woods or around your cottage property, turned over a rotting log and found a salamander? Congratulations! These little amphibians are all around us but can be hard to spot because of their need to live in moist areas. Like frogs, most spend the first part of their life in water and the remaining part on land. We have more than eight species in Ontario and they mainly eat insects, worms and slugs. Did you know that salamanders have been on Earth for more than 300 million years? They were here BEFORE the dinosaurs! Another amazing fact about salamanders is that many species can regenerate a lost or damaged body part, such as a leg or tail! But despite their ability to regrow body parts, salamanders are delicate. Their absorbent skin is highly sensitive to pollution and the chemicals that we may put on ourselves, such as insect repellant and sunscreen. So if you find one, no hands please!
Spotted Salamander
BIRDS
Birds are everywhere! Whether you are on the water, in the woods or even inside your Kasshabog dwelling, chances are you can see or hear many of our feathered friends.
Unique Characteristics of Birds
Feathers are unique to birds, which can help you appreciate their special adaptations. Did you know that feathers are one of the things that distinguish birds from all other animals? Birds’ feathers help with flight, warmth and displays – for both protection and mating.
The other things that make birds unique are laying hard-shelled eggs, possessing beaks, and having wings and a strong yet lightweight skeleton adapted for flight. They also share a strong reliance on keen eyesight (being able to see colors and even ultraviolet light beyond human capabilities) and good hearing.
The Wildlife Wonders column in the Kosh Lake E-news features interesting information about a wide range of birds and some of their behaviours.
Click on Read More to learn more.
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Loons in Winter
Did you know that every fall, once the loons leave our lake, they fly to the ocean where they spend the winter on salt water? We can’t drink salt water so how can they? When Common Loons start to consume ocean prey and water that is higher in salt, a special gland is activated that removes the excess salt from their bodies. This gland, however, burns a lot of calories. Having babies does too! So some scientists think that loons may nest on fresh water lakes so they don’t need this gland and can save their energy for raising chicks. To learn more about loons, visit BirdsCanada.org/loons
Owl Eyesight
Do you know whooooo in nearby forests has the best night vision in the animal kingdom? The owl! But owls don’t have eyeballs. They have eye tubes. This means their eyes can’t roll from side to side within their sockets. To look around, owls use incredible neck flexibility to turn their heads an amazing 270 degrees (humans can only manage 180). They also have exceptional distance vision but can’t see up close. Instead, they have hair-like feathers on their feet to “feel” out their prey. Finally, owls have three eyelids – one for blinking, one for sleeping and one that cleans their eye tubes. Next time you feel you’re being watched in the woods, you’ll know whooooo’s the culprit.
American Robin
Many get excited at their first robin sighting of the year... it means spring is really here! The orange-breasted thrush (named “robin redbreast” in old English before the word “orange” existed), can eat up to 14 feet of earthworms a day! They also love fruit and berries in colder weather. Did you know that after eating fermented berries, robins have been known to get drunk and fall over while walking? They are also one of many birds to rub ants on themselves to help control parasites. Robins are talented singers and the lovely melodies of the males are often the last to be heard as the sun goes down.
American Woodcock
Did you ever wonder what animal in our forest has the best moves? It surely must be the American Woodcock! This small shorebird already has some of the funniest nicknames in the animal world: the timberdoodle, bogsucker or hokumpoke. The woodcock, which prefers moist woods and brushy swamps, uses its long bill to probe for earthworms. It also has excellent vision due to its large eyes in the middle of its head. The shy ground bird can be hard to spot on the forest floor but it definitely stands out for its rhythmic boogie. Scientists think that it may be for courtship, a way to rustle up worms or to deter predators. Google "woodcock dance" to see their funky dance moves! https://youtu.be/ne6nj9AgY7M
Hairy Woodpecker
Knock, knock ...Who’s there? It might be a woodpecker boring holes into a dead or dying tree to find insects. In the forests around Kosh, they can be as small as a sparrow (Downy) or as large as a crow (Pileated). Ever wonder why they don’t get a pounding headache? They have a special bone that wraps around their entire skull and acts like a shock protector (like a built-in helmet). And the long story about woodpeckers is that their tongues are usually about twice the length of their bills! When not in use, it curls around the back of their head between the skull and the skin. A woodpecker’s tongue is sticky business. “Ha-ha-ha-HA-ha!”
Black-Capped Chickadee
Do they really call out their name (chick-a-dee-dee-dee)? Yes, but only as an alarm call (the more ‘dees’, the higher the threat). Their normal call is a simple “fee bee” (listen here https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/sounds). These tough little birds don’t migrate so, like some Boggers, they spend winters at the lake. They hide their food to eat later and can remember thousands of hiding places. Every fall, Chickadees allow brain neurons containing old information to die, replacing them with new neurons so they can adapt and store fresh information! They can also gain 10% of their body weight in one day and then lose it all on a cold winter’s night. So keep those feeders full and enjoy the black-capped cuties.
Osprey
Ospreys, also known as fish hawks, are currently migrating back to their summer breeding grounds. Ospreys eat only fish and their bodies have perfectly adapted to catching their prey in the water. They have dense, oily feathers that repel water, special valves to prevent water from going up their noses and a reversible outer toe to grip slippery fish. After diving feet-first up to a metre deep to grab a fish, their super-strong wings lift them back up off the surface. Once airborne, they always carry the fish facing forward to decrease wind resistance. They strangest thing about ospreys? Even though they spend their whole lives around water, they never need to take a drink. Their fishy diet supplies all the liquid they need.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Hummingbirds, the tiny acrobats of summer, are the only birds that can fly backwards and upside down, and hover. While flying, they need the most oxygen of any animal and their hearts beat an astounding 1,200 times per minute! They are so evolved for life in the air that they can’t hop or walk, only perch, which they do for 80% of each day to conserve energy. Even still, they need to refuel every 15 minutes. They can also remember every flower they visit so they don’t waste time where the nectar is gone. They also eat insects and spiders for protein. If you have a hummer feeder, remember to change the sugar water every 2-3 days in the hot weather so it doesn’t go bad.
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Wild Turkey
The fall season definitely brings turkeys to mind. Yum! But we’re talking wild turkeys here. After being almost eliminated from Ontario, turkey numbers have rebounded. The large birds form flocks of up to 30, usually females and young. And while we see them mostly on the ground, turkeys can fly up to 90 km/hr and spend their nights roosting in trees. That’s because they have excellent daytime vision (three times better than ours) but their night vision is poor. Did you know a turkey’s gobble can be heard 1.5 km away? And how would you like to have caruncles, a wattle, and a snood? Caruncles are bumpy skin ridges on a turkey’s bald head, the wattle is the fleshy triangle drooping from the chin and a snood is the dangly bit that grows from the face. Those parts can all change colour in seconds – to red, pink, blue or white – depending on how excited the turkey is. Gobble, gobble!
American Crow
You probably think of a loud, mischievous bird that can be a bit of a nuisance. And you’d be right. But crows are also the Einsteins of the bird world — known for their brains if not their beauty. And they’re model family members, living in families of several generations where older siblings help their parents with the newest chicks. Crows will eat anything, as you’ve probably seen, and can be incredibly resourceful, making and using tools to help them acquire food. Did you know that crows are estimated to have the intelligence of a five to seven-year-old human child? And they can recognize and remember individual humans, especially those that have wronged them. In one study, researchers wore caveman masks to capture and band young birds. Ten years later, half the local crows still cawed and dive-bombed anyone who wore the mask. That’s quite a bird-brain!
White Breasted Nuthatch
Have you ever wondered how a Nuthatch can walk down a tree? They do this because of their strong toes and legs. One of their four toes faces backward and is longer than the other toes and is shaped like a claw. They move only one foot at a time while the other is hooked into the tree bark. Walking down the tree gives them a different perspective while foraging so they find food missed by other birds. Clever, aye! Since they don’t migrate, they’ll be entertaining you at the feeder all winter.
Whippoorwill
There are not many animals that announce their presence by calling their own name but whippoorwills do. These ground-nesting, nocturnal birds are seldom seen but their call can be heard at dawn and dusk and on calm, moonlight nights from spring into mid-summer. “Whip-poor-will” is sung only by the male and is used to attract a mate and to define his territory. Did you know that individual whippoorwills have been known to call more than 1,000 times in a row?! The other fascinating behaviour by these birds is to time their eggs so that they hatch about 10 days before a full moon. This means ample moonlight for the parents to hunt the night-flying moths and beetles they feed their chicks. Whippoorwills are getting ready to head south for the winter soon but they’ll return in the spring. Keep an ear out for this unique declaration that they’re back at Kosh! https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Whip-poor-will/overview
Bird Watching – and Listening
Bird watching is a great activity for summer as the woods abound with the colours and calls of our feathered friends. But did you know that birding can be just as rewarding during the winter months? In fact, depending on where you are, you could see different species than you do in the summer. Birds may be easier to spot when the branches are bare and a good pair of binoculars allows you to check out even those birds that are not easily noticed. There is another way to find out what birds may be nearby. This can work in the winter but is even better in the spring and summer when birds are vocally announcing their presence to potential mates or rivals. Start by downloading the free “Merlin Bird ID” app on your phone or tablet and set it up for your area. Once outside, open the app and tap the microphone button. Your app will pick up any bird sound near you, tell you what kind of bird it is and retain the recording for future reference.
INSECTS
Did you know that insects have been around for about 350 million years and they represent more than half of all animal species on the planet? There are more than a million known species and approximately 1.4 billion insects for every person on Earth! They all have a three-part body: a head with large compound eyes and antennae, a thorax with three pairs of legs, and a segmented abdomen.
As the most diverse group of animals, insects exhibit extraordinary adaptations, behaviors, colors, social structures, and more. We may not love all the insect species with whom we share our lake-side homes but they are all incredibly important to the environment. Some are pollinators, some are pest-eaters, some are nutrient recyclers and many are a food source for other animals. The great thing about having so many is that they surround us at all times, and there is always some fantastic little form of life ready to be discovered and explored.
Water Strider
How cool would it be to walk on water? Water striders (sometimes called water skippers or pond skaters) can! How do these insects do it? It’s all in the legs which have thousands of microscopic hairs scored with tiny grooves that capture air making them extremely buoyant. Rain or waves don’t push them under which is a good thing; if they do go down, they’re not likely able to get back up on the water's surface. Don’t worry, they don’t bite, but they do devour spiders, mosquitos, and other insects, so they’re handy to have around.
Dragon Fly
Dragonflies have been around for 300 million years. Prehistoric dragonflies were much larger and could have a wingspan of 2 1/2 feet: wow, imagine that landing on your dock! Their lifespan is short (1-8 weeks) and during that time they can eat from 30 to hundreds of mosquitoes a day. Dragonflies are expert fliers and each of their four wings can work independently. They can fly straight up and down, hover like a helicopter and even fly backwards. They are also known for their incredible vision – almost 360 degrees and the best in the insect world. These bug hunters don’t sting and generally don’t bite humans. In fact, having one land on your head is said to be good luck!
Black Fly
Can you think of a creature that loves us waaaaay more than we like it? A critter that we truly detest? One that may have you in its sights right now? It’s the black fly and it’s that time of year again. Did you know black flies will fly up to 16 km in search of blood? It’s only the females that bite us. They need a protein-rich blood meal to lay their eggs. Unlike mosquitoes, black flies are silent but deadly. They have serrated jaws that cut a chunk out of the skin and then lap up the blood. As she slurps, she injects both an anti-coagulant to keep the blood flowing and an anesthetic so you don’t feel anything – until you notice the dried blood on your neck! The good news is that the black fly’s life span is only about three weeks. Because they lay their eggs in fast-flowing water, they die after the spring run-off. And they are food themselves for fish, dragonflies, birds and bats.
Lady Bug
Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home. No wait, stay and eat all the aphids and spider mites (one ladybug can eat up to 75 aphids in a day!) Did you know ladybugs are actually members of the beetle family? And their bright colours are to warn birds and other predators that they don’t taste good. If that doesn’t work, they emit foul-smelling blood from their leg joints (the liquid is toxic to many ladybug predators such as birds and small mammals). The myth that you can tell their age by the number of spots; well, that is just a myth. The number of spots doesn’t change once they become an adult ... although they may fade a bit.
Mourning Cloak Butterfly
While most insects barely make an appearance in May, you can find the Mourning Cloak butterfly out on some pretty chilly days. Most other butterflies overwinter as eggs, caterpillars or in cocoons but the mourning cloak survives our entire winter as an adult butterfly. Those seen in early spring first emerged as a butterfly the previous July. That means their adult lifespan is a remarkable 10-11 months. That’s the longest lifespan of any butterfly in North America! Mourning cloaks have some unique survival tricks to allow this. They find sheltered spots such as under bark to spend the winter. Their blood contains substances that act as antifreeze to protect their cells. And they shut down their bodies similar to hibernating. When spring arrives, mourning cloaks feed on tree sap rather than scarce flower nectar. Finally, during those first nice sunny days, they shiver, absorb heat from the ground and bask their dark-coloured fuzzy wings to warm up enough to fly. Not only is it a beautiful sign of spring, that is one hardy butterfly!
Check out The Wildlife Wonders column in the Kosh Lake E-news for interesting information about insects.
Click on Read More to learn more.
MAMMALS
Mammals are the group of animals that are warm-blooded (they can maintain their own body temperature through such things as sweating or shivering), have hair or fur, produce milk to feed their young and breathe air using lungs. The vast majority of mammals give birth to live young, which develop inside the mother's body. Mammals are also known for their strong parental care, providing nourishment, protection, and teaching survival skills to their young. Humans are mammals and so are diverse species like deer, whales and bats. There are many different species of mammals around Kasshabog. You can see them in the nearby forest, around your cottage and along your shoreline.
The Wildlife Wonders column in Kosh Lake E-news shares intriguing facts about various mammals and their behaviors. Check out some fun facts below.
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We’ve all seen our friendly local chipmunks gathering food in their cheek pouches — which can stretch to three times the size of their heads. These roombas of the forest can collect up to 165 acorns in a single day! But did you know that a chipmunk can actually pack away enough food for an entire winter in only 2-3 days? These super-hoarders stockpile far more food than they need as they wake up every week to nibble at their cache. By over-storing, they help seeds, nuts and fungi get established in the soil to nurture other creatures of the forest.
Chipmunk
One of the biggest animals you’ll see around Kasshabog is the white-tailed deer, named for the tail it flips up when alarmed. Only the male has antlers which start growing every spring and get shed every winter. A buck’s maturing antlers are covered with fuzzy skin called “velvet” and beneath this – the fastest growing bone tissue in the world! Antlers can grow two cm a day! And as they increase to a final weight of three to eight pounds, the neck muscles also bulk up. The male deer uses his antlers to fight other males during mating season. Once that’s over, the antlers fall off to the ground where they get gnawed by other animals as great sources of calcium and minerals.
White-tailed Deer
A bird feeder swinging late at night, seemingly by itself, would spook most people. But a flashlight soon reveals a small creature with enormous bright eyes playing hide and seek in the dark. Northern flying squirrels are plentiful in our forest. The nocturnal animals evolved big eyes to collect more light for better night vision. But it isn’t hard to guess the coolest thing about flying squirrels! They don’t really fly, of course, but glide between trees. They have furry, parachute-like membranes between their front and back legs that catch air as the squirrel falls, letting it propel itself forward. And a cartilage spur at each wrist can be extended, stretching out the skin flap even further. They can glide up to 50 meters – half a football field! And they can even make sharp turns in flight. Scientists have only recently made another amazing discovery: flying squirrels glow! The fur on their bellies gives off a pink hue when exposed to ultraviolet light. We don’t know why yet, but gliding and glowing is pretty unique!
Northern Flying Squirrel
Visitors to Canada during the winter love discovering “beaver tails”, the yummy fried pastry treat. Do you know who else loves beaver tails in winter? Beavers of course! An adult beaver’s one-foot tail is an important storehouse Deer & Batsof fat in cold weather, increasing its fat supply by up to 60 percent. The unique, black scaly appendage has other uses too. A beaver uses its tail as a brace when standing upright gnawing on trees, as a rudder when swimming and as a warning tool by slapping it on water to frighten predators and notify family members of danger. Tasty? Maybe not -- but definitely handy!
Beaver's Tail
River Otter
Otters are both fun – and fascinating! The semi-aquatic, largest members of the weasel family are one of the few animals that play as adults. It’s no wonder that a group of otters is called a romp! Otters can swim up to seven miles per hour (three times faster than us) and hold their breath for five minutes as they dive up to 60 feet searching for prey. All this activity means they must eat 20-33% of their body weight each day. That’s like a 160-lb human eating 40 lbs of food! And then what happens? Scientists say otters perform “scat dances” and leave their poop as a form of communication. And it supposedly smells like violets. Let’s… um… take their word for it.
What is it with bats and Hallowe’en? Well, like Hallowe’en, bats spook people, seem scary in the dark and can elicit squeals of fright. Yet, they’re actually amazing little animals. They are the only mammals that can fly. Their wings are thin membranes of skin that stretch between the elongated finger bones of their “hands” to their hind legs and tail. And did you know there is no such thing as blind as a bat? They can see quite well. Many bats also use echolocation to navigate in total darkness. They emit quick high-pitched squeaks that echo off their prey and other objects. They can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes an hour! They also eat moths, flies and beetles. Just 15-20 years ago, bats were plentiful in the night skies over Kasshabog. However, in 2006, a cave explorer carried a fungus from Europe to North America on their shoes. While European bats were immune, bats here were not. Called white-nose syndrome, the fungus infects the skin on their faces, ears and wings and the irritation can wake them up early from hibernation when there is no food. Millions of Ontario’s bats have died. Next time you see one, at Hallowe’en or on a starry summer night, give that little survivor a cheer instead of a shriek!
Bats
There are many tales in nature about large and powerful animals being felled by much smaller creatures. Size doesn’t always matter in the natural world. Such is the case with the largest member of the deer family and the tallest mammal in North America — the moose. Moose are in the Kasshabog area but they aren’t seen very often. That’s because this is the southern part of their range and they prefer a colder climate. But it’s also because there are many white-tailed deer here and they make co-existence difficult for moose. Deer carry a tiny parasite, called a brain worm, that has no effect on them. When it gets passed to a moose, however, it causes severe neurological symptoms and is usually fatal. Moose are huge! An average animal is nine feet long, eight feet tall and weighs more than a thousand pounds. But size is no defence against a parasite. As climate change brings deer and ticks (the other tiny creatures that make moose miserable) further into moose territory, we can only hope they do what they can: go north!
Moose
If you’re a large rodent that moves slowly and has poor eyesight, you’d make a pretty good target for predators. But not this guy! Porcupines come equipped with some serious defences – 30,000 of them! Each quill is hollow and 5 to 7 cm in length. Did you know that each quill is coated in a thick, hardened layer of keratin – the same material that makes up human hair and fingernails as well as rhino horns. Porcupines can’t shoot their quills but they are so lightly attached, they come off easily once in contact with an animal. With their super sharp tips and backward-facing barbs (like a fish hook), porcupine quills can easily become embedded in the skin. And they are brittle so once in an animal’s hide, the tip often breaks off. It can then work its way further into the flesh at a rate of 1 mm an hour and cause serious infection. Ouch! Best to leave these guys alone.
Porcupine
Opossums
These animals are relatively new to the Kawarthas but you may have seen them if you live a little further south. Despite its odd appearance, we should celebrate the arrival of this unique and fascinating critter. Here are some interesting tidbits: it is North America’s only marsupial (a mammal that gives birth to tiny, underdeveloped offspring that crawl into a pouch to finish their development – like a kangaroo); it has a long hairless tail that can be used to hang and grasp things; it has more teeth than any other N. American land mammal; and it is naturally resistant to rabies and snake venom. Plus, it is known for playing dead. Yup, opossums are cool! Did you know that they also eat ticks? One opossum can eat more than 5,000 ticks in a season! That’s why we should give them a warm welcome. They also eat cockroaches, crickets, beetles, mice, and rats. While southern Ontario is the northern-most edge of their range due to their difficulty surviving our cold winters, climate change may be bringing more common sightings of these new white wonders.
FISH
As winter rages outside and our beloved lake is still frozen, not many of us are thinking about fish. But how do fish get through the winter? Let’s look at largemouth bass, one of several species that call Kasshabog home. Bass are cold-blooded animals so their body temperatures are the same as the water in which they live. But when winter comes, the biggest challenge is not the freezing water but the amount of oxygen. In the summer, there is plenty of fresh, dissolved oxygen for fish to breathe. Not so in the winter. Frozen lakes lose oxygen from the bottom up, so it should be better for fish to move closer to the icy surface. However, the water is colder there than in deeper parts of the lake so the fish risk hypothermia. To combat this, largemouth bass reduce their breathing rate, activity level, metabolism, and other body functions. However, they also do not process much food, so their bodies rely on their fat reserves to stay alive. As a result, if the winter is too long, fish can die of starvation before the welcome spring arrives.
More
In Wildlife Wonders we highlight more than just wildlife. Check out these other interesting facts about everything from Dock Spiders to Acorns.
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Dock spiders are Canada’s largest spiders. But they are not as scary as people think. In general, dock spiders are not aggressive and will flee when approached. They make their homes on or near docks because they love water! A dock spider can jump, walk and run on water. It runs easily and swiftly – 75 cm per second – thanks to tiny hairs on its legs that help keep them buoyant. It can also swim underwater and stay submerged for many minutes. Air bubbles trapped in its belly hair provide oxygen. All these features make dock spiders highly effective hunters of insects, small fish, and even tadpoles. When their front legs feel vibrations at the water’s edge, they are able to tell if it is a struggling insect or a fallen leaf. This is due to vibration-sensitive hairs on their legs and feet. They then run across the surface to subdue their prey. These vibration detectors also serve to warn of predators such as fish. Perhaps the best trait of dock spiders, at least as far as people are concerned, is that they are night-time hunters and usually only come out when we are snug inside.
Dock Spider
Snail
How slow can you go? As slow as a snail … whose speed is about 10 metres per hour or six inches per minute. While they don't move fast, they move at a very steady pace. Garden snails will often follow the slime trails of other snails, saving energy in the process. Snails are one of the slowest creatures on earth. Did you know that 90% of snail shells spiral in a clockwise or right-handed direction? This is important if you’re a snail because a right-spiraled snail can’t mate with a left-spiraled one. And since they rely on moisture to survive, they will hibernate during a dry summer and can actually sleep for up to 3 years.
Have you ever noticed little brown speckled balls scattered on the forest ground? You may have been mystified whether the cherry-sized, paper-thin balls are created by plant or animal. The answer is… both! They are oak galls. Oak galls are formed when a tiny female cynipid wasp (don’t worry, they can’t sting) lays her eggs into a growing oak branch. When the egg hatches, hormones stimulate rapid abnormal plant growth and cause the oak to grow a gall. The gall serves as both food and shelter for the young wasp larva. It develops into an adult and then chews a tiny hole to get out. Next time you find a dried, brown gall on the ground, check for the tiny hole. Mystery solved!
Gall
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Have you ever walked barefoot in the early fall and found yourself doing the acorn hop? Those pointy ends are sharp! While acorns are obviously not wildlife, their autumn abundance is critical to many species. This nut (or seed) of an oak tree, is full of nutrients. 25% of a deer’s fall diet is acorns! Squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, woodpeckers, blue jays, turkeys, crows, quail, raccoons, and even wood ducks and moose all eat them. But an acorn’s job is to grow more oak trees, not feed animals. So to deter eaters, an acorn contains tannin, a bitter chemical that can be toxic. But as often happens in nature, many animals have devised work-arounds. Some choose acorn species that contain fewer tannins. Others “cure” them by burying them until groundwater has leached out the tannins. Certain animals have special digestive systems that destroy the tannins. And some, like deer, eat so many that the acorns quickly pass through them and they don’t absorb all the chemicals. But just often enough, an animal forgets where it buried one and a new oak tree can start growing.
Acorns