NORTH AMERICA




RIVER OTTER


Scientific Name: Lutra canadensis

Habitat: Rivers, lakes, marshes and ocean bays throughout parts of the United States and Canada

Diet: Fish, frogs, clams, snakes, turtles, worms, birds and some smaller mammals

Life Span: Up to 19 years

Reproduction: Up to 4 pups at a time

Fact: Otters are good swimmers and can stay submerged for 3 to 4 minutes. They love to play in the water, and sliding is a favorite game. Otters are nocturnal but may be seen during the day.




GRIZZLY BEAR


Scientific Name: Ursus arctos horribilis

Habitat: Tundra (vast, level, treeless plains of the arctic regions), alpine meadows, coastlines and mountain woodlands. The home range of a single grizzly can vary between 10 and 45 square miles.

Diet: Omnivorous but preferring vegetation and berries. The Canadian and Alaskan grizzlies are exceedingly strong because their diet is high in protein grasses and salmon.

Reproduction: Sexually mature at 4-6 years but continuing to grow for 10-11 years. Mating may take place in May-July, but the fertilized eggs are not implanted in the uterus until October-November. The gestation period is 180-266 days with the birth usually occurring while the bear is still in hibernation.

Life Span: Average 25 years; up to 50 years in captivity.

Fact: A fully developed adult must eat 60 pounds of food a day during the summer in order to prepare for hibernation, the length of which is determined by location, weather and condition of the animal.




BLACK BEAR


Scientific Name: Ursus Americansus

Habitat:
Found from Alaska to northern Mexico in woodland areas.

Diet:
Primarily plant matter, such as grasses, herbs, fruits, berries, honey, nuts, with a small amount of their diet made up of animals, such as insects, fish, small mammals, and rubbish.

Reproduction:
Females bear young beginning at 4-5 years, breeding every other year. After a gestation period of about 215 days, a usual litter of 2-3 is born. The cubs remain with the mother for 2-5 years, watching and copying everything she does.

Life Span:
20-25 years

Fact:
Black bears do well in captivity.






SOUTH AMERICA




ALPACA

Scientific Name: Lama pacos

Habitat: 12,000' + altitudes in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and the Andes Mountains of South America.

Diet: Grasses

Life Span: 15 years

Reproduction: Females give birth every other year. Mating occurs from August to September with the birth occurring in 10 to 11 months.

Fact: Alpacas spit when annoyed, usually at other Alpacas. They are very vocal and hum or make a loud clicking noise with their teeth when they are nervous.



CAPYBARA


Scientific Name: Rodentia Hydrochaeridae

Habitat:
Panama to Rio de la Plata, and up the Amazon as far as Bolivia and Peru. They live in large groups near streams, ponds and rivers where they like to sun bathe.

Diet:
Land and water grasses, fruit, bark of saplings and shrubs

Reproduction:
Capybaras can breed anytime during the year. In the wild, the female only produces one litter a year. Litter size is usually five but can range from one to eight. The mother has five pairs of nipples.

Life Span:
10-12 years

Fact:
A capybara is the world's largest rodent.