Critters
The North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum, is Minnesota’s second largest rodent surpassed only by the beaver. Like the skunk, this is an animal best given some space if encountered in the wild.
Bright Woodland Singer: Purple Finch
Late winter is finch time. When the cone supply runs out in other areas, flocks of finches sometimes show up at this time of year. One of the most common finches is the purple finch. The name of this species (like so many others!) is a bit misleading. Not purple at all, male purple finches are suffused with a dusky rose color over bold brown-and-white streakiness. Females lack the rose color.
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Late winter is finch time. When the cone supply runs out in other areas, flocks of finches sometimes show up at this time of year. One of the most common finches is the purple finch. The name of this species (like so many others!) is a bit misleading. Not purple at all, male purple finches are suffused with a dusky rose color over bold brown-and-white streakiness. Females lack the rose color.
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Earl Orf of Shoreview is a lifelong birder who enjoys photographing birds in the Northern Wilds.
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The International Wolf Center in Ely houses four live ambassador gray wolves for observation–Malik, Shadow, Grizzer and Maya. Another wolf, Nyssa, died suddenly in 2005, causing the remaining wolves to make adjustments in their social order.
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Our first chances to see snowy owls come with the first cold blasts of Canadian air in early winter. Then, in open areas, like airports, industrial complexes, and farm fields, or along the North Shore of Lake Superior, snowy owls begin turning up. They are true tundra birds, nesting as far north as only a handful of other species. Most of them stay north of us, even during the coldest winters.
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The snowshoe hare gets its name from the size of its thickly furred hind feet and its habit of spreading its toes wide when jumping. This allows the hare to travel on the top of the snow to quickly escape predators.
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If a Lake Superior Kamloops rainbow trout could talk, it still might not care to reveal what Minnesota Sea Grant-funded graduate student Ben Thwaits has painstakingly discovered: the smell of certain compounds found in fish excrement help adults of this strain of migratory trout find their way home.
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Ely Attraction Tells the Truth About Bears
Visitors to the Ely area can learn the truth about bears by visiting the North American Bear Center. The Center made its debut in May and has been met with a terrific response.
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Visitors to the Ely area can learn the truth about bears by visiting the North American Bear Center. The Center made its debut in May and has been met with a terrific response.
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It’s hard to mistake the chattering of the red squirrel for anything else in our northern forests, whether you’re pleased to hear the sounds of wildlife or want it to be quiet lest it gives away your hiding place. Whatever you think of them, these rodents are a significant part of the forest ecosystem with natural habits that ensure the growth of the woodlands they reside in.
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A more southern species, gray fox were first noted near Duluth in the early 1980s. They are now found throughout northern Minnesota.
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The simple answer to the title question is: to better their chances for reproduction. In nature, one sex (typically the male) displays to potential mates that it is the fittest of its species. Females then select the fittest male for breeding, because they want their young to carry the best genes possible, thus increasing their chance of survival.
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