Childrens Illustrated Animal Atlas

13

Washington, D.C.

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.

This shrub’s

flower spikes

provide food

for mammals

and nectar

for insects.

American black bear

Good swimmers and climbers, black

bears feast on fruits, nuts, and roots, and

sometimes ants and grubs. There are

twice as many of them in the world as

there are all other bear species combined.

Despite their name, gray squirrels

can also have white or reddish fur.

Gray fox

As big as a medium-sized dog, gray

foxes live in broad-leaved forests. They

make their dens in hollow trees, and

both parents care for the cubs.

Gray squirrel

Double-jointed ankles help gray

squirrels scamper up and down

trees. Their teeth never stop growing,

so they have to wear them down on

nuts and tree bark.

Location

Most of the continent’s

eastern forests stretch

from the Mississippi River

Valley eastward, all the

way to the Atlantic Ocean.

La

ke

M

ic

hi

ga

n

Lake^ Superi

or

Ohio

Raccoons are highly

intelligent. They can

live in towns or the

country and will eat

almost anything!

Northern raccoon

White-

tailed deer

Only male deer grow

antlers. White-tails

often escape predators

by swimming across

lakes or rivers.

Striped

skunk

If threatened, the

skunk sprays a horrible-

smelling musk from

glands under its tail.

Northern

cardinal

This is North America’s

only marsupial. It can

outsmart danger by

playing dead for up

to four hours.

Virginia

opossum

Great

horned owl

Sugar

maple

SCALE

250 kilometers

0

0

250 miles

This bright-red bird can

sing more than 24 songs.

When courting, males offer

females the best seeds.

Sugar maples provide sap

for maple syrup. Their

leaves turn orange-gold

and red in the fall.

Lak

e^ Superior

Mississippi

Eastern

forests

Deciduous and coniferous forests cover eastern

North America. There are mountains and river

valleys here, too. Animals have to be smart to

survive in areas densely populated with humans.

HABITAT KEY

Mountains

Cold desert

Hot desert

N

S

W E

This large owl’s feathery

“horns” look like ears,

but its real ears are much

farther down on its skull.

AT

LA

N

T

IC

O

CE

A

N

HABITAT KEY

Temperate

grasslands

Tropical

grasslands

Mountains

Coniferous

forests

Deciduous

forests

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