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The field notes of biologist

Dr. Kat Wulfe
Welcome to the Ambleside 2022-2023 term 2 Nature study!
I have studied throughout the world and found some very interesting
specimens to present for you. I have compiled my notes in an
organized fashion with the help of the lovely people at National
Geographic Kids to give you a start on learning about some of the
fascinating mammals around us. Remember these are wild animals
and not our pets! If you go looking for them outside, make sure to
keep a respectful distance and you may get the opportunity to see
these amazing creatures in action!
Remember that these sheets are just a jumping off point for you to
investigate nature, now go outside and watch nature!

Dr. Katrina Wulfe

P.S. A note about nature sketching: It does not matter if your

drawing is a perfect likeness of the creature. There are cameras
for that. What I try to capture in my pictures is my impressions of
the animal. The spikiness of the hedgehog's quills for example or
the way the light was hitting the Przewalski's Horse. The drawings
are a tool to aid in observation. Have fun!
 American Bison

American Bison

Bison checking a car

SCIENTIFIC Adult with young
NAME Overview
Bison bison Despite their hefty size, bison are quick on their feet. When the
need arises they can run at speeds up to 40 miles (65 kilometers)
an hour. Their curved, sharp horns can grow to be 2 feet (61
centimeters) long.
LIFESPAN Females (cows) and adult males (bulls) generally live in small,
separate bands and come together in very large herds during the
summer breeding season. Males wage battles for mating rights,
12 to 20 years
but such contests rarely turn dangerous. Females give birth to
one calf after a nine-month pregnancy.
Bison once covered the Great Plains and much of North America,
SIZE and were critically important to Plains Indian societies. During
Head and body: 7 to 11.5 the 19th century, settlers killed some 50 million bison for food,
feet; tail:19.75 to 23.5 sport, and to deprive Native Americans of their most important
inches natural asset. The once enormous herds were reduced to only a
Weight: 930 to 2,200 few hundred animals. Today, bison numbers have rebounded
pounds somewhat, and about 200,000 bison live on preserves and
ranches where they are raised for their meat.

HABITAT
The American Bison is the
Grassland prairies heaviest land animal in North
America!

FOOD
Herbivore
 Beaver

Beaver
Beaver collecting wood

SCIENTIFIC Beaver

NAME Overview
Castor canadensis Beavers are powerful swimmers that can swim underwater for up
to 15 minutes. As the beaver dips underwater, the nose and ears
shut to keep water out. Transparent inner eyelids close over each
eye to help the beaver see.
LIFESPAN Second only to humans, beavers alter their environment more
than any other organism on the planet. These tireless animal
engineers face the challenges of predators and the full fury of the
Up to 24 years
elements.
Beavers are the second largest rodents in the world, behind the
South American capybara.
SIZE
Head and body: 23 to 39
inches; tail: 7.75 to 12
inches
Weight: 60 pounds

HABITAT
waterways A group of Beavers is called
a colony.

FOOD
Herbivore
 Beluga Whale

Beluga
Baby Beluga

SCIENTIFIC Beluga

NAME Overview
Delphinapterus leucas The beluga, or white whale, is one of the smallest species of
whale. Their distinctive color and prominent foreheads make
them easily identifiable.
Unlike most other whales, the beluga has a very flexible neck that
LIFESPAN enables it to nod and turn its head in all directions.
Belugas generally live together in small groups known as pods.
They are social animals and vocal communicators using a
35 to 50 years
diversified language of clicks, whistles, and clangs. Belugas can
also copy a variety of other sounds.
These whales are common in the Arctic Ocean's coastal waters,
SIZE though they are found in subarctic waters as well. Arctic belugas
13 to 20 feet migrate southward in large herds when the sea freezes over.
Weight: 1 to 1.5 tons

HABITAT
Beluga whales are related to
Northern oceans Narwhals

FOOD
Carnivore
 American Black Bear

Black bear napping

Baby Black Bear

SCIENTIFIC American Black Bear

NAME Overview
Ursus americanus Black bears live throughout most of North America, including
northern Mexico. They typically live in forests and are excellent
tree climbers, even sleeping in trees during the summer. They’re
also found in mountains and swamps. Despite their name, black
LIFESPAN bears can be blue-gray or blue-black, brown, cinnamon, or even
sometimes (rarely) white.
In addition to eating berries, roots, and salmon, black bears also
20 years
prey on deer, moose, insects, and sometimes even carrion (dead
animal flesh left behind by other predators). They’re not picky
eaters, since their goal is to store up as much body fat as possible
SIZE before their winter hibernation.
5 to 6 feet long Male black bears leave their dens around mid-March, but females
200 to 600 pounds stay a little longer. That’s because they give birth around January
and want to give their cubs time to nurse and grow bigger before
heading back outside in the early spring.
Black bear cubs stay with Mom for one to three years while she
teaches them how to live in the wild. Then, when they’re ready,
they head off to survive in the woods alone—until they start a
HABITAT family of their own.

Wooded areas throughout

Black bear cubs weigh less than
North America
one pound at birth. They gain 20
to 30 pounds in three months.

FOOD
Omnivore
 Fennec Fox

Fennec Fox
Baby Fennec Fox

SCIENTIFIC Fennec Fox

NAME Overview
Vulpes zerda Fennec foxes are sometimes called "desert foxes" because they
live in desert zones of North Africa and the Sinai and Arabian
peninsulas. They are nocturnal and avoid the daytime heat of the
desert environment. Their batlike ears radiate body heat and help
LIFESPAN keep the foxes cool. They also have long, thick, soft fur coats with
a wooly undercoat that insulates them during cold nights and
protects them from the hot sun during the day.
10 Years
They have been known to jump in the air 2 feet (.6 meters) high
from a standing position, and they are able to leap a distance of 4
feet (1.2 meters).
SIZE These foxes dwell in small groups of up to ten individuals. Like
Head and body: 9.5 to 16 dogs and other canids, male fennecs mark their territory with
inches; tail: 7 to 12.2 urine.
inches
Weight: 2.2 to 3.3 pounds

HABITAT
Desert areas of Northern
Africa

FOOD
Like most desert dwellers, the
Omnivore
Fennec fox can go long periods
without water
 Tasmanian Devil

Tasmanian Devil
Baby Tasmanian Devil

SCIENTIFIC Tasmanian Devil

NAME Overview
Sarcophilus harrisii Tasmanian devils are the largest carnivorous (meat-eating)
marsupials in the world. Tasmanian devils live in Tasmania, a large
island just south of Australia. In fact, Tasmania is the only place
where they are found in the wild. Adult Tasmanian devils are
LIFESPAN usually about the size of a small dog. They have coarse brown or
black fur and a pudgy appearance that makes them look like baby
bears. But don't let their cuteness fool you. They have sharp teeth
Up to 5 years
and strong, muscular jaws that can deliver one of the most
powerful bites of any mammal on Earth.
Tasmanian devils are nocturnal animals, spending their days alone
SIZE in hollow logs, caves, or burrows, and emerging at night to feed.
20 to 31 inches They use their excellent sense of smell and sight to avoid
Weight: 9 to 26 pounds predators and locate prey and carrion. They are voracious eaters
and will consume everything—including hair, organs, and bones.

HABITAT
Forests and coastal
woodlands of Tasmania as
well as the outskirts of
urban areas

FOOD
Carnivore
 European Hedgehog

European Hedgehog
Female hedgehog with young

SCIENTIFIC European Hedgehog

NAME Overview
Erinaceus europaeus Hedgehogs have prickly spines everywhere except on their face,
legs, and bellies. By curling into a tight ball and tucking in their
heads, tail, and legs, they protect the parts of their bodies that do
not have stiff, sharp spines. Often compared to pincushions,
LIFESPAN hedgehogs depend on their spines for defense—both while they
sleep and when they face enemies.
When hedgehogs are born—up to seven in a litter—their spines
3-10 years
are soft and short. Soon after birth, their spines harden, becoming
stiffer, sharper, and longer. Babies stay in the nest until they're
about three weeks old. By that time, their eyes are open, their
SIZE spines are effective, and they can safely follow their mother
Head and body: 5 to 12 outside the nest as she looks for food. ​
inches; tail: 1 to 2 inches ​Top on the hedgehog's menu are insects, followed by small mice,
Weight: 14 to 39 ounces snails, lizards, frogs, eggs, and even snakes. ​
Hedgehogs sometimes add extra protection to their spines by
"self-anointing." Immune to poisons in some plants, hedgehogs
sometimes eat those plants and then make a frothy saliva in their
mouths. The hedgehogs then lick their spines, spreading the saliva
HABITAT with the plant's poison all over the spikes.

Forest and hedgerows

Hedgehogs can swim and climb
trees but only if absolutely needed

FOOD
Carnivore
 Duck-Billed Platypus

Underwater Platypus
Platypus

SCIENTIFIC Platypus at SanFrancisco Zoo

NAME Overview
Ornithorhynchus Duck-billed platypuses are small, shy animals. They have a
flattened head and body to help them glide through the water.
anatinus
Their fur, dark brown on top and tan on their bellies, is thick and
repels water to keep them warm and dry even after hours of
LIFESPAN swimming.
Their most remarkable feature is their amazing snout. It looks like
a duck's bill, but is actually quite soft and covered with thousands
12 years in the wild up to 20
of receptors that help the platypus detect prey.
in captivity Males are also venomous. They have sharp stingers on the heels of
their rear feet and can use them to deliver a strong toxic blow to
SIZE any foe.
Head and body: 15 inches; Platypuses spend most of their time alone, sleeping or eating.
tail: 5 inches These mammals are bottom feeders. They scoop up insects and
Weight: 3 pounds larvae, shellfish, and worms in their bill along with bits of gravel
and mud from the bottom. All this material is stored in cheek
pouches and, at the surface, mashed for consumption. Platypuses
do not have teeth, so the bits of gravel help them to "chew" their
meal.
HABITAT
Rivers and river banks A platypus' snout is actually
quite soft and covered with
thousands of receptors that
help the platypus detect prey.

FOOD
Carnivore
 Przewalski's Horse

Przewalski's horse
young horse

SCIENTIFIC Przewalski's Horse

NAME Overview
Equus ferus These horses are smaller than most domestic horse species and
przewalskii have stocky bodies, large heads, thick necks, upright manes, and a
dark stripe down their backs. Their underbellies and muzzles have
pale white markings, and their legs are short and slender.
LIFESPAN Przewalski's horses can use their sharp hooves to get at water in
the ground. They eat mainly grass, as well as plants and fruit, and
20 years in captivity
sometimes bark, leaves, and buds. Horses are an important part of
Mongolian culture. However, Przewalski's horses have not been
seen in the wild since 1968. Excessive hunting by people and the
SIZE loss of grazing and watering sites to domestic animals like cattle
and sheep lowered the horses' numbers dramatically. In the late
Height at the shoulders 48 19th and early 20th centuries, several wild Przewalski's horses
to 56 inches were caught and bred in captivity. Thirteen of those horses are the
Weight: 440 to 750 original ancestors of today's captive population.
pounds Today there are about 1,200 Przewalski's horses living in zoos,
private preserves, and protected areas in Mongolia. Small groups
are gradually being reintroduced into the wild to once again roam
the grasslands of Mongolia.
HABITAT
to
a ble
are d from
Grasslands
s es n
e hor nd sou .
s a s
The smell istance
ct d
dete great

FOOD
Herbivore
 Mountain Lion

Cougar, Wampus Cat, Catamount,

panther, painter, puma, Mexican lion, young cougar
Cat of the mountain, mountain screamer

Leaping Mountain Lion

SCIENTIFIC
NAME Overview
Puma concolor The mountain lion goes by many names, including cougar,
catamount (a colloquialism for "cat of the mountain"), panther, red
tiger, deer tiger, and puma. This cat can be found throughout much
of South and North America.
LIFESPAN These felines are comfortable in many different habitats and, aside
from humans, have the widest geographic range of any land
8-13 years
mammal in the Western Hemisphere.
In North America, mountain lions eat mainly deer, but they also eat
smaller animals, such as mice and rabbits. These cats have a poor
SIZE sense of smell, but have excellent vision and hearing that help
them hunt in the early morning and evening hours. Their powerful
Head and body: 3.25 to hind legs enable them to jump as far as 40 to 45 feet (12 to 13
5.25 feet; tail: 23.5 to 33.5 meters).
inches Females have an average of two to four cubs per litter and give
Weight: 136 pounds birth in a den. The cubs are born with spots, which usually
disappear by the time they are roughly nine months old. Their eyes
also change from blue to yellow by the time they reach 16 months
old. By 18 months, the young cats leave their mom to go fend for
HABITAT
themselves.
Mountains and forest,
This cat holds the record for
occasionally urban areas
mammal with the most names
including over 40 different
names in English alone.

FOOD
Carnivore
 Caribou

Caribou
young caribou
Caribou
SCIENTIFIC
NAME Overview
Rangifer tarandus These members of the deer family dig for food using their large
hooves. The underside of each hoof is hollowed out like a big scoop
and allows the caribou to dig through snow in search of food.
Caribou trek north in the summer in one of the largest animal
LIFESPAN migrations on Earth. They travel more than 600 miles (965
kilometers) along well-traveled routes. They spend the summer
15 years
feeding on grasses, mushrooms, and plants in the tundra. They
begin to move south in the winter and over one year they will have
migrated over 1,600 miles (2,574 kilometers). One adult caribou
SIZE eats about 12 pounds (5 kilograms) of food each day. Caribou are
hunted by Indigenous northern people throughout much of their
4 to 5 feet at the shoulder range. Woodland caribou are listed as endangered, but other
Weight: 240 to 700 caribou populations are stable.
pounds

Caribou and Reindeer are the

same creature! In Europe, they
are called Reindeer and in
HABITAT North America, Caribou.

Treeless tundra and

mountains moving in to
forested areas during the
winter

FOOD
Herbivore
 Guanaco

Guanaco
Chulengo
Guanaco
SCIENTIFIC
NAME Overview
Lama guanicoe Guanacos are related to camels, as are vicunas, llamas, and alpacas.
But they live in South America, while camels are found in Africa
and Asia. Guanacos and vicunas are wild animals, but llamas and
alpacas have been domesticated, like cats and dogs, and were
LIFESPAN probably bred from guanacos. They're slender animals with pale
brown backs, white undersides, short tails, large heads, very long
20-25 years
necks, and big, pointed ears.
They live in groups of up to ten females, their young, and a
dominant male adult. Unattached bachelor males form herds of
SIZE their own—these can include as many as 50 or more animals.
When a female guanaco gives birth, her newborn, known as a
chulengo, is able to walk immediately. Chulengos can keep up with
3 to 4 feet at the shoulder the herd right away.
Weight: 200 to 310 lb Guanacos live on land high in the Andes mountains—up to 13,000
feet (3,962 meters) above sea level—as well as on the lower
plateaus, plains, and coastlines of Peru, Chile, and Argentina.
Guanacos were once over hunted for their thick, warm wool. Now
they thrive in areas protected by law.
HABITAT
steppes, scrublands and For guanacos to survive in the
mountainous regions low oxygen levels found at high
altitudes, their blood is rich in
red blood cells. A teaspoon of
guanaco blood contains about 68
million red blood cells; four times
FOOD that of a human.

Herbivore