© Alan Briere photo VOL. 2, issue 1 Great blue heronblue Great Green darner Green

© Geoffrey Niswander photo , butitcaneasilybecomeamealfor a snakeorgreat plant parts. can, buttheyalsoeatalotofberries,, nutsandother the watergatheringmosquitoes. your lawnsearchingforworms.Oradragonflydartingover . Arobinon catch andeatother of aspredatorsalso you mightnotthink other animalsasprey. catch, killandeat predators. They of theseanimalsare to strikeamouse.All openingitsjaws blue . Some predators,suchasbobcats,red-tailedhawksand But manyanimals barred owlflyingsilentlythroughthewoods,oragarter icture abobcatsneakinguponsnowshoehare, include ,bigcats andbirdsofprey. Mostare Some predatorsplayadoublerole.Afrogpreys on strict meat-eaters, arerelativelylargeandusually need lotsof space. aren’t preyeduponby otheranimals.They tendto Top predatorsoftencome tomindfirst.These weasels, eatonlymeat.Butotherssuch animals catchandeatpreywhenthey

© Alan Briere photo part timepredators.These as ,bearsandfoxes,are background image©Alan Brierephoto Bullfrog vegetables in one place, it’s difficult to remember FFFOODOODOOD CCCHAINSHAINSHAINS that we are all part of a food chain. What did you have for dinner last night? Or, Imagine a chain, such as a necklace, bracelet for breakfast and lunch today? or bike chain. Think of how this chain is made Nothing beats cereal and juice to get up of many links, each connected to the next in going in the morning. Pizza, tacos and ham- line. This is how a food chain works. Sunlight burgers are other favorites. With modern gives energy to plants so they can grow. Small grocery stores that offer meat, fruit and animals, such as , eat some of the plants.

MMAKEAKE AA Pick an symbol on the right. Draw a line between that animal and something that animal might eat, or to an animal that might eat it. Make as many connections as you can think of, creating a food chain. CluesClues toto WhatWhat EatsEats WhatWhat CARNIVORS eat mainly animals. ▲ ▲ ▲ prefer GARTER RED-TAILED small , like to eat small eat snakes, and porcupine. mice and insects. rodents and snowshoe .

OMNIVORS eat plants and animals.

▲ BLACK BEARS love ▲ DEER MICE prefer berries and seeds, berries and seeds, as well as bugs and and lots of bugs. small rodents.

HERBIVORS eat mainly plants.

▲ PORCUPINES like ▲ CHIPMUNKS ▲ to eat berries, seeds really love berries like to eat many and grasses. and seeds. kinds of grasses. ▲ ▲ ▲ WHITE-THROATED HERBACIOUS WHITE-TAIL DEER SPARROWS like to INSECTS (plant eaters) eat lots of grasses, eat berries and eat grasses, seeds berries and seeds. seeds. and berries.

PLANTS need the sun, earth, water and air to make food. ▲ ▲ ▲ SEEDS - these BERRIES - wild GRASSES - wild include acorns, fruits like grasses, and beech nuts and raspberries and . other wild seeds. blueberries. A predator, such as a red-tailed , might kill for answers. A lot seems to depend on the type of one of the rabbits and eat it. When the hawk dies, and the predators involved. In some tiny organisms turn its body into soil. The soil areas, the loss of predators has resulted in a provides nutrients that plants need to grow, and population explosion of prey animals. Too many the food chain begins again. prey can damage a habitat and throw the whole Predators are an important link in the food food chain out of whack, and animals may end up chain. What happens to a food chain when preda- starving or dying of disease. tors are removed? Researchers are still searching

fisher garter snake red-tail hawk

porcupine black bear deer mouse chipmunk snowshoe hare

seeds white-throated berries insects grasses sparrow

white-tail deer snapshots snapshots snapshots snapshots

© Alan Brier Photo © Alan Brier Photo © Alan briere Photo © NHF&G Photo American robin sharp-shinned hawk garter snake bullfrog

snapshots snapshots snapshots snapshots

© Alan Brier Photo © Bill Siliker Photo © Alan briere Photo © NHF&G Photo bobact fisher praying mantis American Robin Eats: , insects and wild fruits Eats: snowshoe hare, cottontail rabbits, and berries squirrels, small , birds and their , © NHF&G Photo Habitat: wide variety of fields, forests, © NHF&G Photo white-tailed deer parks and yards Habitat: mixed hardwood and softwood forests, brushy, rocky woodlands Fast Facts: Fast Facts: • the most widespread breeding found in • solitary and secretive • song is not associated with any particular part of the bird’s life • active year-round mostly at night • returns each evening to large shared roosts • strong enough to pull down and kill a deer • robins from here migrate further south, those from further north • ears slightly tufted may migrate here and spend the winter • short tail with black on top

Sharp-shinned Hawk Fisher Eats: small birds, , moles, mice, Eats: snowshoe hare, porcupine, rabbits, , insects songbirds, moles, shrews, mice and squirrels Habitat: evergreen or mixed woods Habitat: mixed hardwood and softwood, © Alan Briere Photo © Alan Briere Photo , dens in hollow trees, logs, ground holes Fast facts: Fast Facts: • adapted to forests with short, rounded wings and long tail • member of weasel family • maneuvers quickly through trees and brush, to dart out after prey • travels widely in search of prey • migrates to points further south for the winter • active year-round, mostly at night • returns to the same nesting area • eats whatever is available • female larger than male • good tree climber

Garter Snake Coyote Eats: earthworms, wood frogs, American Eats: snowshoe hare, beaver, deer fawns, toads, red-backed salamanders, caterpillars, small mammals, mice, berries, apples and insects, small birds, rodents insects Habitat: found throughout New Habitat: wide variety of forest and field Hampshire, especially in moist areas habitats, can live in urban areas Fast Facts: Fast Facts: • often hibernates in groups • appeared in New Hampshire in the 1930s • most common of the snakes • interbred with wolves and are larger than the western coyote • mostly active during the day • most active in the early morning • quite tolerant of the cold • eats whatever they can find • females have shorter tails than males • commonly exhibit pack behavior

Bullfrog Praying Mantis Eats: small , other frogs, salamanders, Eats: other insects , young turtles, snakes, small birds, Habitat: fields and forests mice, , insects, snails and spiders © Alan Briere Photo Habitat: near shorelines of large bodies of water with plants growing along the edge and in the water Fast Facts: Fast Facts: • two-to four-inches long • lay 12,000-20,000 eggs • specially adapted front legs that can reach out and capture other insects • takes 2 to 3 winters for tadpoles to transform into adults • make a large, hardened foam casing around their eggs • males make a “jug-o-rum” call • well-camouflaged and remain still, so are hard to see • spend the winter in the mud and letter of the lake bottom • young nymphs hatch in late spring, by fall are full grown and winged startstart

Complete the maze to help this hungry argiope spider find her prey - a blue bottle fly!

Wild Times for Kids is published twice a year by the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department, Public Photo credits from page 2: Affairs Division, 2 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301. © Alan Briere photos - fisher, black bear, porcupine, white-throated sparrow, chipmunk. Multiple copies are available for school and youth © NH Fish & Game photos - grasshopper, seeds, berries. groups upon request. ©2001 N.H. Fish & Game Dept. © Hannah Clements photo - white-tail deer www.wildlife.state.nh.us.

This program receives Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The U.S. Department of the Interior and its bureaus prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion or sex (in educational programs). If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you desire additional information, please write to: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Office for Diversity and Civil Rights Programs – External Affairs 4040 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 130 Conserving New Hampshire's wildlife Arlington, VA 22203 and their habitats

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