Childrens Illustrated Animal Atlas

Male prairie chickens

inflate their orange

neck sacs and raise

their feathers to

attract females.

Prairie rattlesnake

Though it is venomous,

the prairie rattlesnake

would rather flee than

fight. It rattles its tail

rings, making a sound

that warns, “Stay away!”

American bison

A coyote howls to alert others.

Location

The Great Plains stretch

from the Rocky Mountains

east to the Mississippi

River, and from southern

Canada to as far south

as Texas.

SCALE

250 kilometers

0

0

250 miles

Coyote

With excellent eyesight and

hearing, and a good sense

of smell, coyotes make great

hunters. They howl to claim

their territory and to tell other

coyotes where they are.

Black-tailed

prairie dog

These grass-eating

rodents live in underground

prairie-dog towns. They greet

family with a kiss, and have

different warning calls for

different predators.

White-tailed

jackrabbit

Often called “buffalo,”

these shaggy plant eaters

are North America’s

biggest mammal and

heaviest animal.

Greater

prairie chicken

This large hare changes

from brown to white

in winter, but its tail

stays white all year.

Swift fox

This shrub’s

flower spikes

provide food

for mammals

and nectar

for insects.

Prairie

shoestring

This cat-sized

orange fox lives up to

its name. It is a swift

nighttime hunter that can

run 30 mph (48 kph).

Pronghorn

This deerlike antelope

can see predators from

almost 4 miles (6 km)

away, and can run for

amazing distances.

Bald eagle

The national symbol of

the United States, this

powerful bird eats mostly

fish and water birds.

Only male deer grow

antlers. White-tails

often escape predators

by swimming across

lakes or rivers.

Lak

e^ Superior

Colorado

Arkansas

Missouri

Great Plains

The Great Plains are in the center of North America.

Made of high prairie about 3,000 miles (4,800 km)

long, they were once home to thousands of bison

and antelope. Today farmland has taken over much

of the area, and mostly cattle herds wander the

plains—but wildlife has found ways to survive.

HABITAT KEY

Temperate

grasslands

Coniferous

forests

Deciduous

forests

Mountains

Cold desert

Hot desert

M

iss

iss

ip

p

i

N

S

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