We see a squirrel on every second tree we pass while we're outdoors but I still say "awwwww" every time I see them. There are two types, the Grey squirrel (these aren't my photos btw):
... and the black squirrel, which is actually a grey squirrel with melanism (the opposite of albinism):
Most of the squirrels we see in Toronto are black. Squirrels look very cool when they run as they sort of bound across the ground, so with their tails it looks like some sort of undulating wave. They're seriously fast as well and they can jump a long way.
The other day we were walking through High Park and we stumbled upon a couple of Chipmunks :)
They're actually much smaller than squirrels, and very cute (although very scared).
Bison aren't wandering around the city, but you see them a lot on the menu (bison burgers, om nom nom).
We have seen a few in zoos - there's a herd of them in Toronto Zoo and another couple in the middle of High Park right near our house. They're huge.
We visited the zoo in the middle of High Park the other day (which is where we saw the bison) - it was very strange. No entry fee, just a few animals in cages in the middle of the park. We saw bison, yaks and a few different types of mountain sheep and goats, which all makes sense for the climate. But then they also have two wallabies, an emu and some capybaras... I really pity those wallabies when the winter hits.
Finally, last night we saw our first raccoon!
It was much bigger than I was expecting - larger than a cat, around the size of a medium dog. They're nocturnal so you don't have much chance of seeing one during the day. They're very cute, although they're a pest here - apparently they have the same disease-carrying issues as rats, and they live in people's attics and cause issues similar to possums. They're still cute though!
That's what we've seen so far, in the middle of downtown Toronto. There are so many animals that we're still yet to see, but I think we might have to go a bit further afield to see those: polar bears, beavers, moose, lynx... although apparently there's a pack of coyotes living in the middle of High Park...
Rob hates squirrels; calls them tree rats and they're everywhere in the UK especially in London parks. But they have grey squirrels and the red squirrels (which he doesn't consider a pest as they're much more rare)
ReplyDeleteBut raccoons look cute but I wouldn't want to meet one in a dark alley (or bison for that matter 8-) Mum x
Red squirrels are cute! I read about the red vs grey squirrel thing - apparently the grey squirrels came over from the US, and they move into the red squirrel's areas... and the red squirrels don't reproduce when they feel threatened so they're dying out.
ReplyDeleteI think raccoons are actually a bit dangerous, but they're still cute :) And they're probably more scared of us than we are of them!