Rabbits live all over Canada. They live in burrows, under bushes and in hollow logs. In winter they tunnel into the snow. Some kinds of rabbits live in groups and others live alone. The jackrabbit has very long legs and ears. It is really a hare. The long ears are very important because they help the rabbit hear and keep cool in the summer. The snowshoe hare has very big back feet to help them get through very deep sow. In the winter the snowshoe hare has a thick, white coat to keep it warm and to help camouflage it. In the summer its coat turns brown. Rabbits come out to look for food at night when it is safe. They are herbivores and eat plants.  

The red fox has a long thin body and a bushy tail that is almost as long as its body. It has a pointed nose and ears. It is related to the dog. the Red Fox is mostly red or sandy in colour with a white chest and white on its tail but they can also be silver or black or brown. The Red Fox hunts at night because its prey is out at night. The fox eats almost anything but it likes eggs, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, voles, mice and also insects and snails. It also eats fruit. Red Fox live all over Canada. They don't like to build their own dens or burrows so they find abandoned dens that has been used by woodchucks or badgers. The female fox is called a vixen. In March or April 4 to 9 cubs are born in a litter. When they are first born they can not hear or see. During this time the father fox or dog hunts for food and brings it back to the mother. When the cubs open their eyes the father looks after them while the mother looks for food. When the cubs are one month old they are old enough and strong enough to go outside. At first the cubs must eat meat that is first chewed and swallowed by their mother. When they are hungry the mother brings the food back up and the cubs eat it.

The Prairie Dog is a small rodent. It has sharp claws, big eyes, small ears, short tail, and strong teeth. It has short legs and a fat body. Its fur is light brown. The Prairie Dog digs its burrow in the ground. The entrance to the burrow is protected by a pile of soil. The Prairie Dog uses this pile  as a lookout for enemies. When the guard dog sees an enemy it barks a warning. The burrow has many rooms. Prairie dogs live together as a family. They visit their family in the day. Baby Prairie Dogs are born in the spring. There are usually 4 babies in a litter. When they are born the babies have no fur. The babies stay in the burrow for 6 or 7 weeks. The Prairie Dog usually sleeps in its burrow or in the sun during the day. At night it looks for food. Prairie Dogs eat plants or small insects. The Prairie Dog gets their water from the juicy leaves. When an enemy frightens the Prairie Dog it runs into its burrow. In the winter the Prairie Dog usually hibernates but sometimes it comes out on a good day.

There are many kinds of bat and they live all over the world. They are the only animals that can fly. The wings are made of skin that is stretched over their arm and finger bones. The wings are attached to the tail, back legs and the body. On the end of each wing there is a claw. It has brown fur. It has long ears, a small, flat nose, a large mouth with sharp teeth, and small, brown  eyes. Bats use their tail to climb up things but they usually fly. They can fly very quickly. His enemy is the owl. Bats don't make nests. They hang upside down from beams using their claws. Bats sleep most of the day and come out at night to catch their food. They like to eat flies, beetles, moths, gnats and other large insects. Bats have 1 baby every summer. The babies open their eyes after 10 days. The babies hold their mother's fur with their teeth and claws and they get milk from the mother. After 2 weeks the baby stays alone and the mother goes to hunt. when the baby is 2 months old it can fly.  Bats hibernate in the winter. Bats use their own radar to catch food. 

Polar bears live in the Arctic. They travel across the snow and ice and sometimes go far out in the ocean to get food. Polar bears are larger than any other bear and the male is bigger than the female. It has white or yellow fur. They run very fast on ice. The big feet and claws help them run fast on the ice and snow. They are like snowshoes. The bear has 2 kinds of fur. The fur close to the skin helps to keep its body warm and the outside fur is long and keeps the bear dry when it swims. There is a big layer of fat under the fur that keeps the bear safe from drowning. Bears eat plants and berries in the summer. They also eat fish, seals, dead whales and walruses, lemmings, arctic foxes and birds. Bears swim with their front feet and they are good at going fast in the water. The female has 2 babies called cubs. When the cubs are born they are very small and they have no fur. They can not see or hear. The babies are born in a den. They stay here for 3 months. The mother bear keeps them in her front paws to keep them warm and safe. She also feeds them milk.  The mother and the cubs leave the den in the spring. They stay together for 2 years. Bears look nice and the white fur is warm and if an enemy goes into the den the mother bear will kill it. 

Mice live everywhere. Mice are rodents and they have teeth that never stop growing. It has gray, brown or white fur and it has good eyesight, sense of smell, and hearing. Each mouse has their own home or nest. The nests are made mostly of grasses and twigs and the inside is hollow. It is soft for their babies. Mice hide their nests to be safe. Mice eat grass, leaves, flowers and seeds. Mice have 5 to 7 babies each time and they have 15 or 16 litters a year. When they the babies are born they are deaf, blind and they have no fur. The eyes will open in probably 8 or 9 days. Babies stop drinking their mother's milk after 2 weeks and then they eat grass seeds. The father mouse keeps the babies warm by snuggling up to them and he keeps them clean. He fixes the nest and he goes and brings back babies that get lost. He takes the babies out hunting when they grow older. He has lots of enemies - hawks, owls, snakes, bobcats, crows, badgers, skunks, wolves and weasels.

Mammals of Ontario