The

Fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

include several diverse land and aquatic

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. From the multiplicity of

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

s and

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () ( chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, ...

s, two have been chosen as

symbols of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is one of Canada's provinces, and has established several provincial symbols. Symbols References {{Canada topic, Symbols of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, ...

Cenozoic The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configura ...

vertebrate

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

s reveal the geological evolution of the

interior plains The Interior Plains is a vast Physiographic province, physiographic region that spreads across the Laurentia, Laurentian craton of central North America, extending along the east flank of the Rocky Mountains from the Gulf Coast region to the Arcti ...

and its prehistoric biogeography. Today, Saskatchewan's ecosystems range from the sub-arctic

tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...

of the

Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield (french: Bouclier canadien ), also called the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), the anc ...

in north Saskatchewan to aspen parkland, the

Mid-Continental Canadian forests The Mid-Continental Canadian forests are a taiga ecoregion of Western Canada, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system. Setting This ecoregion extends from south of the Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories throug ...

in the centre of the province and grassland prairie. Fauna inhabit areas unique to their own specific and varied breeding, foraging and nesting requirements. With a large land and water area, and small population density, the ecoregions of Saskatchewan provide important habitat for many animals, both endangered and not. Naturalists observing wildlife have enumerated shrinking and growing wildlife populations. They advocate programs and methods to preserve or re-introduce

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

and identify programs of control for outbreaks of wildlife populations. A broad diversity of wildlife habitats are preserved as parks and reserves protecting the feeding and breeding grounds of protected and indigenous fauna of Saskatchewan.

Provincial symbols

The

sharp-tailed grouse The sharp-tailed grouse (''Tympanuchus phasianellus''), also known as the sharptail or fire grouse, is a medium-sized prairie grouse. One of three species in the genus ''Tympanuchus'', the sharp-tailed grouse is found throughout Alaska, much of N ...

(''Pedioectes phasianellus jamesi'') was declared the symbol of Saskatchewan in 1945. As of 2001, the provincial

is the

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

(''Odocoileus virginianus'').

Ancient fauna - paleontology

Fossils have been uncovered which have dated back to the

Paleocene The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 mya (unit), million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), E ...

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

, and

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

periods. These

vertebrates include mammals, amphibians and reptiles. There have been fossils of birds unearthed as well which have dated back (55.8±0.2 to 33.9±0.1 Ma) to the

and 23.03 to 5.33 Ma to the

period. Historically mammoths and mastodons which migrated across the Bering land bridge from Eurasia roamed the plains. Black bear, ''

Bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...

antiquus'', ''Bison latifrons'',

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

, ''Bos bison'',

caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

, cheetah, Columbian mammoth,

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

grizzly bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

elephant, llama,

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

, one-hump

camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...

, pronghorn,

saber-toothed cat Machairodontinae is an extinct subfamily of carnivoran mammals of the family Felidae (true cats). They were found in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Europe from the Miocene to the Pleistocene, living from about 16 million until ...

steppe bison The steppe bisonSeveral literatures address the species as ''primeval bison''. or steppe wisent (''Bison'' ''priscus'')
– Y ...

(''Bison priscus''), white-tail and mule deer, woolly mammoth populated the plains in pre-historic eras.

American bison The American bison (''Bison bison'') is a species of bison native to North America. Sometimes colloquially referred to as American buffalo or simply buffalo (a different clade of bovine), it is one of two extant species of bison, alongside the ...

, commonly known as "buffalo" is the largest and most notable mammal found in Saskatchewan dating back to its ancestors ''Bison antiquus'', and ''Bison latifrons''. Large reptiles such as

mosasaur Mosasaurs (from Latin ''Mosa'' meaning the 'Meuse', and Greek ' meaning 'lizard') comprise a group of extinct, large marine reptiles from the Late Cretaceous. Their first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on th ...

plesiosaur The Plesiosauria (; Greek: πλησίος, ''plesios'', meaning "near to" and ''sauros'', meaning "lizard") or plesiosaurs are an order or clade of extinct Mesozoic marine reptiles, belonging to the Sauropterygia. Plesiosaurs first appeared ...

ichthyosaur Ichthyosaurs (Ancient Greek for "fish lizard" – and ) are large extinct marine reptiles. Ichthyosaurs belong to the order known as Ichthyosauria or Ichthyopterygia ('fish flippers' – a designation introduced by Sir Richard Owen in 1842, altho ...

s and sea turtles lived in the seas which covered Saskatchewan, ''Triceratops'' fossils were also unearthed. A scampering non-hopping

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

Palaeolagus ''Palaeolagus'' ('ancient hare') is an extinct genus of lagomorpha, lagomorph. ''Palaeolagus'' lived in the Eocene and Oligocene epochs of North America, Taxonomy The fossil remains of rabbits are scanty and those specimens that have been found ...

'' ''Temnodon'' and ''Megalagus'' were some of the Eocdene-Oligocene mammalian paleofauna uncovered at the Cypress Hills Formation of Saskatchewan. An abundance of Calf Creek Local Fauna has been unearthed at the Cypress Hills Formation.

Eastend Eastend is a town in south-west part of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, situated approximately north of the Montana border and east of the Alberta border. The town is best known for the nearby discovery of a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' s ...

is about southeast of this site. The following microvertebrates have been located ''Daphoenacyon dodges'', '' Daphoenus'', ''Daphoenine'' or

bear dog Amphicyonidae is an extinct family of terrestrial carnivorans belonging to the suborder Caniformia. They first appeared in North America in the middle Eocene (around 45 mya), spread to Europe by the late Eocene (35 mya), and appear in Asia, a ...

; '' Parictis parvas, P. Nimravid'' or small bear; '' Hesperocyon gregarious'' or small fox-dog; ''Hemipsalodon grandis'' or subjective synonym of Pterodon, and Hyaenodon horridus H. microdon or

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...

''hyaena''. Artiodactyls are even toed hoofed mammals such as deer, pigs, camels, goats and cattle. Among the 53 mammalian taxa of fossils from the Swift Current area are the ''Cypretherium coactatum'' or terminator pig; Ibarus storer, I. ignotus, or herbivorous fast running small

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

the size of a rabbit; '' Merycoidodon culbertsoni Leidy'' or camel type mammal that lived in herds; Limnenetes anceps or a cud chewing plant eating sheep sized hippopotamus; ''Hendryomeryx esulcatus'', ''

Leptomeryx ''Leptomeryx'' is an extinct genus of ruminant of the family Leptomerycidae, endemic to North America during the Eocene through Oligocene 38–24.8 Mya, existing for approximately . It was a small deer-like ruminant with somewhat slender body. ...

'' ''speciosus'' and ''L. mammifer'' or small hornless ruminant; '' Didelphodus serus'' or

meat eating Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chick ...

marsupial Marsupials are any members of the mammalian infraclass Marsupialia. All extant marsupials are endemic to Australasia, Wallacea and the Americas. A distinctive characteristic common to most of these species is that the young are carried in a po ...

about the size of a Virginia opossum or house cat; ''Thylacaelurus campester''; ''Wallia scalopidens'' is a fossilised proscalopid

insectivore A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores wer ...

bat; Auxontodon processus; Microparamys solidus The

Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary, formerly known as the Cretaceous–Tertiary (K–T) boundary, is a geological signature, usually a thin band of rock containing much more iridium than other bands. The K–Pg boundary marks the end of ...

marks the

Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction event (also known as the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction) was a sudden mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth, approximately 66 million years ago. With the ...

which saw the extinction of many of these prehistoric animals which remain only as fossil remnants.

Native species

Vertebrates

Mammals - Mammal fauna

Mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

species differ between the various ecoregions of Saskatchewan. Members of six orders of placental mammals which inhabit Saskatchewan. They are the

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

s, carnivores (''including the

pinniped Pinnipeds (pronounced ), commonly known as seals, are a widely distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammals. They comprise the extant families Odobenidae (whose only living member is the walru ...

s''), artiodactyls,

cetacea Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet. They propel them ...

ns,

insectivores A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores wer ...

, and

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

s (''including the lagomorphs''). There are fewer varieties of species as elevation increases which corresponds to the Taiga and

Boreal Shield The Boreal Shield Ecozone, as defined by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), is the largest Ecozones of Canada, ecozone in Canada. Covering 1.8 million square kilometres it covers almost 20% of Canada's landmass, stretching from n ...

and Cypress Hills Uplands econzones. Mammals which endure the harsh environment in the far north Taiga

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

Boreal Boreal may refer to: Climatology and geography *Boreal (age), the first climatic phase of the Blytt-Sernander sequence of northern Europe, during the Holocene epoch *Boreal climate, a climate characterized by long winters and short, cool to mild ...

Shield and Boreal Plain ecozones are American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), barren-ground caribou (''Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus''), western moose (''Alces alces anderson''), hoary bat (''Lasiurus cinereus''), wolverine (''Gulo gulo''), American marten (''Martes americana''), timber wolf (''Canis lupus occidentalis''), red fox (''Vulpes vulpes''), mink (''Neovison vison''), snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), and red-backed vole (''Myodes''). The Athabasca Plain ecoregion supplies lichen as winter forage for the woodland caribou. The Arctic fox as their predator is also found in this region. As well as the mammals of the Taiga Shield ecozone, little brown myotis (''Myotis lucifugus''), Canadian lynx (''Lynx canadensis''), timber wolf, Canadian beaver (''Castor canadensis''), muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') are found in the Boreal Shield ecozone The beavers dam small streams throughout Saskatchewan. The muskrat and beaver were exploited for their fur and beaver pelts. Beavers are still trapped for the fur trade industry and were almost extirpated in the first half of the 20th century. The Mid-Boreal Upland ecoregion within the Boreal Plains Ecozone features white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus''), big brown bat (''Eptesicus fuscus''), silver-haired bat (''Lasionycteris noctivagans'') and the other mammals of the northern boreal forests. There is a lower population of mammalian wildlife amidst the fens, marshes, bogs and swamps that demark the muskeg area of the Mid-Boreal Lowland. The large mammals of the northern Taiga Shield and Boreal ecozones can still be supported in this transitional area, however elk,

reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

, wolf are animals of the boreal forest. AmericanBadger

As well smaller mammals such as Keen's myotis (''Myotis keenii''), northern flying squirrel (''Glaucomys sabrinus''), fisher (''Martes pennanti''), ermine (''Mustela erminea''), North American river otter (''Lontra canadensis''), least chipmunk (''Tamius minimus'') and short-tailed shrew (''Blarina brevicauda'') are sighted along with snowshoe hares, and white-tailed deer in the Boreal Transition ecoregion. Carnivores which prey on these creatures such as lynx and wolves are also located in the area. The Aspen Parkland is agricultural land. The most prominent wildlife species which may be found are coyote (''Canis latrans''), hare, striped skunk (''Mephitis mephitis''), North American porcupine (''Erethizon dorsatum''), Richardson's ground squirrel (''Spermophilus richardsonii''), snowshoe hare, cottontail (''Sylvilagus floridanus''), northern pocket gopher (''Thomomys talpoides''), Franklin's ground squirrel (''Spermophilus franklinii'') and

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

. The Aspen Parkland is the environment of choice for the white-tailed deer. White-tailed Jackrabbit

The Moist Mixed Grassland ecoregion is characterized by white-tailed deer, pronghorn (''Antilocapra americana''), coyote, rabbit, American badger (''Taxidea taxus''), red bat (''Lasiurus borealis'') and

ground squirrel Ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents (Sciuridae), which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known ...

such as black-tailed prairie dog (''Cynomys ludovicianus''). Animal populations of the Mixed Grassland enumerate pronghorn, white-tailed and mule deer, long-eared myotis (''Myotis evotis''), small-footed myotis (''Myotis subulatus''), jack rabbit, coyote, Richardson's ground squirrel. The only Canadian site of black-tailed prairie dog is in the Mixed Grassland prairie ecoregion. The raised elevation of the Cypress Upland results in white spruce and aspen forests and an ecoregion more resembling the boreal forested areas than the prairielands. Moose, pronghorn, mule and white-tailed deer, elk, rabbit, and ground squirrel coyote are common in this ecoregion.

Birds - avifauna

Across Saskatchewan there are breeding, wintering, migration, breeding and wintering, and summering (''non-breeding'') grounds for 414 species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s.(''recorded 1998'') migrants follow flyways which can be determined by banding.

owls, grouse, and finches overwinter in the province. Bird species which can be found in the northern Taiga Shield ecozone, Selwyn Lake Upland ecoregion, include Harris's sparrow (''Zonotrichia querula,''), pine grosbeak, (''Pinicola enucleator''), grey-cheeked thrush, Catharus minimus, tree sparrow (''Passer montanus''), spruce grouse (''Dendragapus canadensis''), willow ptarmigan (''Lagopus lagopus''), sandhill crane (''Grus canadensis''),

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...

and

shorebirds 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

. As a part of the Tazin Lake Upland, prominent birds are

common loon The common loon or great northern diver (''Gavia immer'') is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. Breeding adults have a plumage that includes a broad black head and neck with a greenish, purplish, or bluish sheen, blackish o ...

, greater yellowlegs (''Tringa melanoleuca''), white-crowned sparrow (''Zonotrichia leucophrys'') and golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos''). The Athabasca Plain ecoregion in the

Shield provides breeding grounds for the Bohemian waxwing (''Bombycilla garrulus''), white-winged crossbill (''Loxia leucoptera), Cape May warbler (''Dendroica tigrina''), Canada goose (''Branta canadensis'') and blackpoll warbler (''Dendroica striata). In the south west area of the Boreal Shield ecozone lays the Churchill River Upland which has the second highest population of bald eagles (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus''). White pelicans fishing

This Upland area is home to waterfowl, such as the common loon (''Gavia immer''), red-breasted merganser (''Mergus serrator''), as well as other ducks, and geese on the many lakes of the region. The raven (''Corvus corax''), spruce grouse, Canada jay (''Perisoreus canadensis''), Connecticut warbler (''Oporornis agilis''), northern three-toed woodpecker (''Picoides dorsalis''), osprey (''Pandion haliaetus'') and hawk owl (''Surnia ulula'') can be sighted in the boreal forests. The Mid-Boreal Upland ecoregion features these characteristic birds: white-throated sparrow (''Zonotrichia albicollis''), red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis''), American redstart (''Setophaga ruticilla''), bufflehead (''Bucephala albeola''), ovenbird, (''Seiurus aurocapillus'') and hermit thrush (''Catharus guttatus''). The ruffed grouse (''Bonasa umbellus''), Canada warbler (''Wilsonia canadensis''), ruby-crowned kinglet (''Regulus calendula'') and white-breasted nuthatch (''Sitta carolinensis''), American white pelican (''Pelecanus erythrorhynchos'') are common sightings in the Mid-Boreal Lowland ecoregion. Burrowing Owl3

Diverse bird species populate the Boreal Transition ecoregion such as black and white warbler (''Mniotilta varia''), boreal chickadee (''Poecile hudsonicus''), great-crested fly-catcher (''Myiarchus crinitus'') and neotropical migrant bird species. The predominant avifauna of the Aspen Parkland are house wren (''Troglodytes aedon''), least flycatcher ('' Empidonax minimus''), yellow warbler (''Dendroica petechia'') and western kingbird (''Tyrannus verticalis''). Sharp-tailed grouse (''Tympahuchus phasianellus''), ruffed grouse (''Bonasa umbellus''), black-billed magpie (''Pica pica''), cormorant (''Phalacrocorax'' spp.), ring-billed gull (''Larus delawarensis''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens'') and neotropical migrant bird species. The Aspen Parkland with its many sloughs and saline lakes provides breeding grounds for ducks and other waterfowl, black tern (''Chlidonias niger''), Forster's tern (''Sterna forsteri''), American white pelican. Turdus-migratorius-002

Typical birds of the Moist Mixed Grassland ecoregion include waterfowl around ponds and sloughs and the western meadowlark (''Sturnella neglecta''), yellow-headed blackbird (''Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus''), piping plover (''Charadrius melodus''), sharp-tailed grouse, eastern kingbird (''Tyrannus tyrannus''), and Franklin's gull. The Mixed Grassland in southern Saskatchewan features these characteristic birds ferruginous hawk ''Buteo regalis'', long-billed curlew (''Numenius americanus''), yellow-breasted chat (''Icteria virens''), chestnut-collared longspur (''Calcarius ornatus''), burrowing owl (''Athene cunicularia'') and sage grouse (''Centrocercus urophasianus''). Characteristic birds of the Cypress Upland ecoregion are trumpeter swan (''Cygnus buccinator''), sage grouse, golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos''),

yellow-rumped warbler The yellow-rumped warbler (''Setophaga coronata'') is a regular North American bird species that can be commonly observed all across the continent. Its extensive distribution range connects both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. as well ...

, MacGillivray's warbler (''Oporornis tolmiei''), dusky flycatcher (''Empidonax oberholseri'') and Townsend's solitaire (''Myadestes townsendi''). There is one species of avifauna found only in the Cypress Upland, Audubon's warbler (''Dendroica coronata auduboni'').

Amphibians and reptiles - herpetofauna

Typical

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s in the Mixed Grassland ecoregion are the horned lizard (''Phrynosoma''), common garter snake (''Thamnophis sirtalis''), common snapping turtle (''Chelydra serpentina''), and prairie rattlesnake, and western painted turtle (''C. p. bellii''). The leopard frogs (''Rana pipiens'') and chorus frogs (''Pseudacris'') are typical

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

s of the Grasslands National Park.

Fish - ichyofauna

The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush''), Arctic grayling (''Thymallus arcticus''), white sucker (''Catostomus commersoni''), longnose sucker (''Catostomus catostomus''), burbot (''Lota lota''), lake herring (''Coregonus artedi''), lake whitefish, (''Coregonus clupeaformis''), walleye or pickerel (''Sander vitreus''), and northern pike (''Esox lucius'') are

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

found in the freshwater lakes in Saskatchewan. Perch (''Perca flavescens'') swim alongside the northern pike, walleye, lake trout in the Mid-boreal lowland. The lake sturgeon (''Acipenser fulvescens''), goldeye (''Hiodon alosoides''), and bigmouth buffalo (''Ictiobus cyprinellus'') are fish species of the Saskatchewan river. Acipenser fulvescens GLERL

Streams and ponds throughout the Saskatchewan prairies may be stocked with rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss''), brook (''Salvelinus fontinalis''), and brown trout ('' Salmo trutta morpha fario and S. trutta morpha lacustris''). Catfish (''Sluriformes'') and carp (''Cyprinidae'') range through the Frenchman river. There are significant commercial fisheries for both freshwater and salt-water species. The

Fort Qu'Appelle Fort Qu'Appelle is a town in Canadian province of Saskatchewan located in the Qu'Appelle River valley north-east of Regina, between Echo and Mission Lakes of the Fishing Lakes. It is not to be confused with the once-significant nearby t ...

Fish Culture Station stocks lakes and streams in this way winter killed lakes are replenished.

Invertebrates

Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus Male 2664px

Amongst the

s, typical insects of the Moist Mixed Grassland ecoregion are monarch (''Danaus plexippus''), mosquito (''Anopheles quadrimaculatus''), rose curculio, yellow jacket wasp (''Vespula pennsylvanica''), sow bug (''Malacostraca isopoda''), bumblebee (''Bombus ternarius''), blue-winged olive (''Ephemerella cornuta''), daddy longlegs (''Opiliones''),

dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

, grasshopper (''Melanoplus differentialis''), harvester ant (''Pogonomyrmex''), and two-spotted lady beetle (''Adalia bipunctata''). Gardeners and horticulturists have identified various

hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order (biology), order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, Reduviidae, assassin bugs, Cimex, bed bugs, and shield bugs. ...

ns during the

growing season A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and the amount of daylight. The growing season is that portion of the year in which local conditions (i.e. rainfall, temperature, daylight) permit normal plant growth. Whil ...

affecting their

cash crop A cash crop or profit crop is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate marketed crops from staple crop (or "subsistence crop") ...

such as aphids, including the pea aphid (''Acyrthosiphon pisum''), English grain aphid (''Macrosiphum avenae''), and green peach aphid (''Myzus persicae''), spruce gall adelgid (''Adelges cooleyi''), Branchinecta packardi

pine needle scale (''Chionaspis pinifoliae''), tomato psyllid ('' Bactericera cockerelli''), greenhouse whitefly (''Trialeurodes vaporariorum''), aster leafhopper (''Macrosteles quadrilineatus'') alfalfa plant bug (''Adelphocoris lineolatus''), tarnished plant bug (''Lygus lineolaris''), and black grass bug (''Labops hesperius''). Freshwater invertebrates of Saskatchewan typically consist of clams (''Pelycypoda'') (''Mollusca Bivalvia''), mollusca (''Gastropoda and Pelecypoda''), leech (''Hirudinea''), freshwater earthworm Oligochaeta, virile crayfish ('' Faxonius virilis''), Scud (''Amphipoda''), fairy shrimp (''Anostraca''),

Copepod Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthos, benthic (living on the ocean floor) ...

, water flea (''Cladocera''), clam shrimp (''Conchostraca''), water mite (''Hydrachnida'') caddisfly (''Trichoptera''), damselfly (''Zygoptera''), mayfly (''Ephemeroptera''), alderfly (''Megaloptera''), seed shrimp (''Ostracod''), and tadpole shrimp (''Notostraca'').

Invasive species

The zebra mussel (''Dreissena polymorpha''), a non-native species is currently posing a serious threat to Saskatchewan waterways, as it has overtaken nearby freshwater habitats.

During the 1930s gophers (

Richardson's ground squirrel Richardson's ground squirrel (''Urocitellus richardsonii''), also known as the dakrat or flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus ''Urocitellus''. Like a number of other ground squirrels, they are sometimes called prairie do ...

, ''Spermophilus richardsonii'', and

thirteen-lined ground squirrel The thirteen-lined ground squirrel (''Ictidomys tridecemlineatus''), also known as the striped gopher, leopard ground squirrel, squinney, (formerly known as the leopard-spermophile in the age of Audubon), is a ground squirrel that is widely distr ...

, ''Spermophilus tridecemlineatus'') by the thousands were eating crops and burrowing holes which injured horses. The government offered a nickel for every tail turned in. The Rocky Mountain locust (''Melanoplus spretus'') was a small invertebrate which darkened the skies. In 1875 they covered the American and Canadian plains eating everything in the grasslands. By 1902 they disappeared mysteriously and became extinct. Growing resistant crops, and utilising oats and peas are new methods of control where and when there are grasshopper (''Camnula pellucida'') outbreaks.

Protected species

The burrowing owl (''Athene cunicularia hypugaea'') is an endangered species. Swift Fox

They inhabit holes created by other animals such as Richardson's ground squirrel (''gopher''), prairie dog, fox, coyote, and badger. Their decline is due to

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

due to agricultural, residential and highway lands, and pesticide spraying. Another endangered species, the swift fox (''Vulpes velox''), has been bred in captivity and re-introduced into protected habitat areas. Lake sturgeon is a

Species at Risk The List of Wildlife Species at Risk currently has more than 800 entries for Canadian wild life species considered vulnerable; including 363 classified as endangered species, —190 threatened species, —235 special concern, and 22 extirpated ( ...

in the prairie provinces. American bison k5680-1

In 1691 the buffalo (''bison bison'') roamed the prairies by the thousands. "The Buffalo (''were'') so numerous (''that the riders were'') obliged to make them sheer out of our way." -Henday Bone beds have been uncovered showing mass kills of bison herds at the base of buffalo jumps and within wood and stone corrals. Habitat destruction from homesteaders breaking the land combined with hunting practices brought the huge population to near extinction. Similarly, vast flights of passenger pigeons (''Ectopistes migratorius'') were reported by Peter Fidler in the early 19th century. The sky darkened for hours as flocks of migrating pigeons passed. Forest habitat destruction and wholesale hunting brought the passenger pigeon to extinction. The eskimo curlew (''Numenius borealis''), a shorebird who was also seen historically in great numbers met a similar extinction due to changing habitats and diminishing numbers from hunting. Black-footed ferret

Associated with the eradication program of the prairie dog (''

gopher Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 41 speciesSearch results for "Geomyidae" on thASM Mammal Diversity Database are all endemic to North and Central America. They are ...

'') in the 1930s was the dramatic decline in population of the black-footed ferret (''Mustela nigripes'') which relied on the prairie dog as its main source of food. The lowered population was hastened as the natural habitat of the ferret was also being taken over by

agricultural machinery Agricultural machinery relates to the mechanical structures and devices used in farming or other agriculture. There are many types of such equipment, from hand tools and power tools to tractors and the countless kinds of farm implements that the ...

and practices.

Biodiversity conservation

Chaplin, Old Wives, Reed Lakes (''Hemispheric'') - Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (''WHSRN'') Site is a designated Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network protecting three saline lakes, saline and freshwater marshes. This area is a breeding site for the endangered piping plover. 67,000 other birds in over 30 species make use of this area. The Prince Albert National Park affords protection to a breeding ground of the

American white pelican The American white pelican (''Pelecanus erythrorhynchos'') is a large aquatic soaring bird from the order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central America and South America, in winte ...

which has been designated as a

threatened species Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

. Quill Lakes International Bird Area which houses over one million shorebirds annually is a

Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed in a ...

international wetlands area recognized by the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the term We ...

Shorebird Reserve Network Site (''WHSRN''). Redberry Lake World Biosphere Reserve is a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

saline lake bird sanctuary. Last Mountain Lake or Long Lake the first federal bird sanctuary, and the Dundurn Military Reserve are preserved areas of natural habitat.

Protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

s include

Cypress Hills Provincial Park Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is a natural park in Canada straddling the Alberta / Saskatchewan boundary and jointly administered by the two provinces. Located south-east of Medicine Hat, it became Canada's first interprovincial park in ...

, Douglas

Provincial Park Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to the ...

, Danielson Provincial Park,

Blackstrap Provincial Park Blackstrap Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the RM of Dundurn. Prior to the park's establishment in 1986, it was a provincial recreation site. The park runs along the eastern shore of Blackstr ...

Pike Lake Provincial Park Pike Lake Provincial Park is a recreational park located approximately 32 km south-west of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Established in 1960, it is operated under the Government of Saskatchewan's Ministry of Parks, Culture, and Sport. It is l ...

. Approximately 80% of the wetlands in this ecoregion have been lost. The only Canadian colony of prairie dogs is protected in the

Grasslands National Park Grasslands National Park (French: ') is a Canadian national park located near the village of Val Marie, Saskatchewan, and one of 44 national parks and park reserves in Canada's national park system (though one of only two in Saskatchewan its ...

. Ord's kangaroo rat (''Dipodomys ordii'') is found only in the

Great Sand Hills The Great Sand Hills, also spelt Great Sandhills, are sand dunes in the south-west region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The Great Sand Hills are the second largest active dunes in Saskatchewan, after Athabasca Sand Dunes, and ar ...

. High populations of sharp-tailed grouse and mule deer reside in the Great Sand Hills area. The Aspen Parkland has been mainly converted to agricultural cropland and grazing lands. Bronson Forest is original parkland, Pasquia Hills provincial forest, Porcupine Forest, and Nisbet Forest are reserved tracts of land. Mule Deer near Wawona in YNP

Highways are threat to wildlife populations. The porcupine's defense mechanism against predators is to crouch and raise quills which results in highway accidents and roadkill of this rodent. Deer and other large

ungulate Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Ungulata which primarily consists of large mammals with hooves. These include odd-toed ungulates such as horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs; and even-toed ungulates such as cattle, pigs, giraffes, cam ...

s are a hazard to traffic resulting in potential animal or human deaths especially in the autumn mating months or when deer are searching for feeding grounds in the spring. The defense mechanism of deer in the face of a threat is to freeze. There are over 3,500 deer - auto collisions per year in Saskatchewan. A number of measures have been implemented to increase awareness such as fencing, feeding programs, automobile whistles. Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation has launched "Slow Down and Save a Buck" sign campaign. Deer mirrors along the edges of highways were installed for reducing deer-vehicle collisions. The Wildlife Warning System is triggered by highway vehicles, setting off lights, sounds and or odours ahead of the approaching vehicle to frighten away animals. A system that detects vehicle was installed in 2002 near Harris to reduce the quantity of mule deer - automobile accidents for a two-year testing period.
repositories.cdlib.org
Another system detects large animals and sets off a warning system to drivers of vehicles alerting them that an animal is on or near the highway ahead of time. The major threats to natural habitat are logging, pesticide use and oil and gas exploration. Destruction of habitats by forestry or agriculture change population levels. Removal of forests raising prairieland increases the population of Aspen Parkland and prairie habitat animals. Increasing prairieland and reducing the boreal forest reduces animals which depend on the forest for survival. Trapping, shooting and poisoning are direct threats to mammals. Dumping sand, clearing vegetation on shorelines, leaking

septic tank A septic tank is an underground chamber made of concrete, fiberglass, or plastic through which domestic wastewater (sewage) flows for basic sewage treatment. Settling and anaerobic digestion processes reduce solids and organics, but the treatme ...

s, dams and weirs are threats to fish populations. Removal of forests to increase agricultural lands creates a habitat loss which is a threat to the avifauna population.

Naturalists

Peter Fidler Peter Fidler (16 August 1769 – 17 December 1822) was a British surveyor, map-maker, fur trader and explorer who had a long career in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in what later became Canada. He was born in Bolsover, Derbyshire, ...

(1769–1822) naturalist, surveyed and mapped Saskatchewan and wrote reports on wildlife observation. Loring Woart Bailey (1839–1925), naturalist studied algae and identified

diatom A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma''), "a cutting through, a severance", from el, διάτομος, diátomos, "cut in half, divided equally" from el, διατέμνω, diatémno, "to cut in twain". is any member of a large group comprising sev ...

s in Saskatchewan. Archibald Stansfeld Belaney, Grey Owl (1888–1938) conservationist lived in the Prince Albert National Park and appeared in films advocating wildlife preservation.

References

External links

Boreal Transition Ecoregion with Enduring Features MAPMid-Continental Canadian forests - Encyclopedia of Earth
*
Getting to know boreal lichensSaskatchewan Aquatic Insects and Macroinvertebrates: SK Macroinvertebrate Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fauna Of Saskatchewan Fauna of Canada Geography of Saskatchewan