Canada's Most Dangerous Predators

Canada's Most Dangerous Predators

Author: no author

Rate:***

Citation: "Canada's most dangerous predators." Explore Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2014. <http://www.explore-mag.com/canadas-most-dangerous-predators>

The world is full of various animals and other wildlife, emphasis on the 'wild', Some animals are more violent and vicious than others and should definitely be known about. The top 7 in Canada are polar bears, brown bears, black bears, cougars, grey wolves, coyotes, and wolverines. 

Polar Bears are the largest land carnivores in North America. Adults weigh up to 1500 pounds by eating various arctic animals (seals, walruses). They are also natural hunters, their feet have bumps and cavities that allow them to run across the ice as well as super sharp non-retractable claws that make it easy to hold down their prey on the ice. Polar Bears teeth are large and jagged with flat grinding surfaces to break down their prey, also their incredible sense of smell makes it easy to detect prey from up to 1km away. Brown bears range from 350-1500 pounds depending on their size and age. They have long front claws and can run up to 55km per hour. They are also attracted to human food which can causes them to approach you and attack if startled. Black bears weigh between 200-500 pounds but are still very dangerous despite their size in comparison to other bears. Black bears will eat fish and mammals as well as human food and waste, making them more common in urban areas. Black bear attacks often happen due to predatory, territorial, or being protective. Cougars can kill an animal up to four times its size and can sprint going 56km in an hour, jump 5.5m vertically, 9m horizontally, and have a vision span of 130 degrees. They have retractable claws that come out during hunting but typically do not chase their pray, they will usually stalk and surprise attack them. Grey wolves will typically only act aggressively towards humans if they are threatened or provoked. They live and travel in packs of 3-7, they use their numbers to hunt together and ambush their prey as oppose to trying to chase them for long distances. Coyotes are social animals and travel in packs just like wolves. They weigh between 8-20kg and will usually attack small rodents and hares but will hunt deer when they are in packs. Similar to the wolf, they will only attack humans if they are provoked or threatened. The wolverine weighs about 15kg and will eat anything that crosses its path, including caribou and moose. They can run up to 24km and hour and have extremely sharp teeth and claws. Their front teeth are very sharp and their back teeth are at a 90degree angle which makes it easy to tear flesh. As well as sharp teeth, their jaws are capable of crushing bones to suck out the marrow. Wolverine's claws are semi-retractable and they have very large paws. They are also very sneaky, wolverines hunt by climbing trees and pouncing on their prey. 

After reading this article, I have learned which animals can be a threat in Canada and which are not as dangerous. Also, how to avoid being attacked based on what tends to provoke certain animals. This has made me think about being more cautious if I ever decide to go out in the wild on an adventure or camping and how I can be prepared. This article has made me change my behavior, instead of running when seeing a bear or a wolf, there are smarter choices that can be made to avoid being mauled by a bear or torn to shreds by a wolverine.