North America's Largest Land Mammals

North America’s Largest Land Mammals American Bison Bison bison, king of North America’s mammals, is a magnificent bovine, or wild cow, which is widely called the “buffalo,” although true buffalo belong to a different genus restricted to the Old World. American bison, which famously nearly went extinct in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but have gradually recovered through devoted conservation efforts, come in two subspecies: the wood bison of northern Canada and Alaska and the plains bison, which once roamed the Great Plains in the millions. While both types are titans, the wood bison -- reintroduced to historic United States range in Alaska in 2015 -- is the bigger of the two, and also the heftiest land mammal in the Americas: Bulls may exceed 2,000 pounds in weight. Wood bison also have a more forward-pointing hump, whereas the plains bison’s peaks directly over the front legs. Moose Alces alces has a number of subspecies of moose, the biggest member of the deer family, inhabit the animal’s vast Northern Hemisphere range, which stretches from Scandinavia to New England. The United States and Canada claim the very largest moose: the Alaska-Yukon subspecies, the bulls of which may weigh in excess of 726 kilograms (1,600 pounds). Besides its sheer bulk, the moose impresses with its lofty stature -- it may stand 1.8 meters (6 feet) at the shoulder -- and its striking appearance, which includes a bulbous nose, a shoulder hump, and in bulls, a magnificent rack of palmate antlers. Bears Alaska can lay claim to the two biggest land carnivores in the world: the POLAR BEAR (Ursus maritimus) and the KODIAK BEAR (Ursus arctos middendorffi), a subspecies of brown bear restricted to the Kodiak Archipelago of southeastern Alaska. Polar bears may weigh 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds), the largest wild specimen on record being a 1,002-kilogram (2,210-pound) male killed in Alaska’s Kotzebue Sound. Kodiaks may weigh at least 680 kilograms (1,500 pounds), though some have allegedly tipped the scales at better than 1,134 kilograms (2,500 pounds). Mainland North American BROWN BEARS (Ursus arctos), or grizzlies, tend to be somewhat smaller, although grizzlies in particularly rich habitats -- such as coastal Alaska and British Columbia and, historically, California -- can certainly weigh more than half a ton. The more numerous and widespread AMERICAN BLACK BEAR (Ursus americanus), while substantially smaller than the biggest polar and brown bears, is no slouch in the size department: A boar, or male, killed in North Carolina in 1998 weighed 400 kilograms (880 pounds), and even bigger bears are known in captivity. Roosevelt Elk Cervus elaphus roosevelti, the wapiti is often called elk, which confusingly, may also refer to the Eurasian moose. It is the second-largest deer in the world, and historically ranged from East Asia through much of North America. The closely related and smaller red deer -- sometimes taxonomically lumped together with the wapiti -- is widespread from central Asia westward through Europe. North America harbors the biggest wapiti subspecies in the world: the Roosevelt elk, named for U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt established Mount Olympus National Monument -- now Olympic National Park -- on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula mainly to preserve these dark-coated, shaggy-maned giants. Roosevelt elk, which inhabit the rugged temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, may attain 590 kilograms (1,300 pounds). Despite their greater mass, Roosevelt elk support proportionately smaller and narrower antlers than other North American wapiti -- perhaps because broader racks would ob- struct them in the heavy timber forests they favor. The canidae family has 34 living species, with four of those species commonly known as wolves. Wolves tend to be pack animals, living and hunting in groups. In most of their range, they are classified as a top predator. Several species of wolf, because of hunting and habitat loss, are considered endangered and are protected by law. Gray Wolf Canis lupus once ranged throughout the Northern Hemisphere but today ranges only in few places in the northern U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. It is the largest of all wolf species, growing to 51 inches in length and up to 176 lbs. Worldwide, a number of subspecies of gray wolf can be found such as the Arctic wolf, Italian wolf, Indian wolf and the Russian wolf. The domestic dog is also a subspecies of the gray wolf, as is the Australian dingo. Red Wolf Canus rufus is one of the most endangered wolf species. At one time it lived throughout the southeastern U.S., but is now only found, in the wild, in a small range in North Carolina. It is similar to the gray wolf, but much smaller. It is also similar in length, but is more slender weighing around 88 lbs. Its legs and ears are longer than those of the gray wolf. It has reddish brown fur that is shorter than its gray cousins. Wild Cats There are six species of wild cats native to North America: the bobcat, puma (also known as the mountain lion or cougar), Canada lynx, ocelot, jaguarundi and jaguar. Cats are in the family Felidae, which is part of the order Carnivora. Other families in Carnivora include the dog family Canidae and the bear family Ursidae. All members of Carnivora share a common ancestor, which is thought to be a small, weasel-like species that lived around 55 million years ago. Cats are skillful ambush hunters that approach their prey stealthily before pouncing. Cats have retractable claws and are excellent climbers and jumpers. They often lead nocturnal, solitary lifestyles. Of the six species of wild cats found in North America, only the jaguar is of genus Panthera, and therefore considered to be a ‘big cat’. Although the puma (also known as the mountain lion or cougar) is the world’s fourth-largest cat species (and larger, on average, than the leopard, a ‘true’ big cat), it is considered to be a ‘small cat’ as it a member of the small cat subfamily, Felinae. Of the six North American cats listed below, only the bobcat, puma, and Canada lynx are found in significant numbers in the United States and Canada Bobcats Lynx rufus live across North America from northern Mexico to Canada. They can be found living in forests, swamp- lands, deserts, scrublands and human in- habited areas. Bobcats are stealthy, nocturnal creatures, so humans rarely see them. All bobcats have black spots, but the number of spots changes. Some have spots only on their legs and tummy while others are covered in them. Male and female bobcats typically only interact when they are breeding. The territories of males can cover an area of 25 to 30 square miles (40 to 48 square kilometers) and overlap with other female and male bobcats, but smaller females territories of 5 square miles (8 square kilometers) don't tend to merge. Like house cats, bobcats can make hissing, purring, snarling, calling and growling noises. Puma Puma concolor is the second-largest cat in the Americas after the jaguar. This supple and muscular hunter has an enormous range -- from the Yukon to Patagonia -- which may partly explain why there are so many common or local names. Few large mammals enjoy so many common names as the puma. In popular usage, “cougar” and “mountain lion” are the most widespread alternate monikers for the cat, but many others exist. Although they’re closely related to and share many physical traits with small cats, pumas are more similar to the big cats -- species in the genus Panthera -- in size and ecology. Large males may weigh up to 113 kilograms (250 pounds) or more. Long, muscular hindlegs give pumas superb jumping ability: They've been documented making horizontal leaps of 14 meters (45 feet), and one cat was seen springing 3.6 meters (12 feet) into a tree while hoisting a deer carcass. They're at home in a staggering variety of settings, from desert scrub to tropical rainforest to rugged subalpine forest. They favor as prey medium- to large-sized mammals, such as deer, elk and guanacos, but across their range pumas have a very broad diet: They’ll also eat raccoons, hares, birds, snakes and other small creatures. Canada lynx Lynx canadensis a lankier, taller, grayer, bigger-pawed cousin of the bobcat, and it also once roamed the northeastern U.S. with southern New England forming the southeastern limit of its historic range. Large males may weigh up to 17 kilograms (37.5 pounds) or more. Primarily an inhabitant of boreal and northern hardwood forest in the region, Canada lynx prey heavily on a single species: the snowshoe hare, which particularly in winter, often composes the bulk of the cat’s fare. Snow covers the ground for much of the year in the cold boreal forests of Alaska and Canada in which the Canada lynx is found. The species has a number of adaptions for living in this harsh environment. These include long legs and broad paws for walking across snow. More dependent on forest than the bobcat and more retiring in the face of human development, the lynx was apparently already rare in southern New England by the mid-19th century. Ocelot Leopardus pardalis, primarily from Mexico through northern South America, with very few specimens in southernmost Texas and Arizona. The ocelot has short, tawny or reddish-brown fur with black spots and rosette-shaped markings. Their faces have two black stripes down each side (running from the muzzle and eyes back toward the neck) and their tails have black bands. The ocelot is sometimes called the “Painted Leopard” or "Dwarf Leopard".

Load more