Living with Wildlife

White-tailed deer belong to the Cervidae family, which includes elk, moose, and caribou. All Cervidae are ruminants (true deer) — hoofed mammals that chew cud by regurgitating food from their stomach. They live across a wide range, from Canada to Peru.¹⁵ This adaptability lets them thrive in many habitats, including human-dominated areas. Their appearance, especially their pelts, varies by region.¹⁸

White-tailed deer live in sex-segregated herds, with bucks separate from does and fawns. Mothers are very protective of their fawns, which stay hidden in foliage for the first four months of their life. Deer communicate through markings, sounds, scents, and body language. Mothers and fawns have unique bleats, and the raised white tail signals danger.¹⁸

They play key roles in ecosystems by controlling grasses and shrubs, dispersing seeds, and feeding larger predators. As primary consumers, their presence greatly affects ecosystem health.

Contrary to their name, white-tailed jackrabbits are actually hares, not rabbits. Both belong to the Leporidae family but are different species. They live across central and western parts of the U.S. and Canada. Jackrabbits usually live in open prairies and grasslands, but they can also be found in mountainous pastures and cities.⁴ They are mostly active at night, using strong low-light vision to find food.²

They don’t migrate but change their coats with the seasons. Their winter fur helps them blend into their surroundings.⁴ Breeding runs from February to mid-July. After a short gestation of 30 to 43 days, females have litters of four or five young. How many litters they have depends on where they live.¹²

White-tailed jackrabbits play a key role in the ecosystem. They are food for predators like coyotes, foxes, and bobcats, and their grazing changes plant growth. Their diet includes grasses and forbs in summer, and shrubs in winter.

The eastern-grey squirrel belongs to the Sciuridae family, which includes tree, ground, and flying squirrels. They are native to the eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada.⁹ Most have grey fur with some brown or red, while black morphs (common in Canada) likely help with cold-weather heat regulation.⁵

These squirrels live mostly in mixed forests but are also common in suburban and urban areas. They are active mainly in the morning and late afternoon but may stay inactive for days during extreme cold. Their diet includes seeds, fruits, nuts, fungi, insects, and sometimes small vertebrates. They bury nuts in fall to eat in winter or spring.⁹

Breeding happens twice a year, from December to February and May to June. They usually have one or two litters annually, with 2 to 3 young each, after a 44-day gestation. Winter-spring litters are born in tree cavities; spring-summer litters in leaf nests.⁹

Eastern-grey squirrels are prey for campus predators like coyotes, bobcats, hawks, and raccoons. They also help spread seeds by forgetting where they cached their nuts.

The bobcat is closely related to domestic cats, belonging to the Felidae family alongside lions and tigers. Unlike other lynxes, bobcats live farther south and have browner fur than the Canada lynx. They range across the U.S. and Canada, favoring shrublands and dense low vegetation where prey like hares and jackrabbits are plentiful. In summer, they prefer higher elevations; in winter, lower areas.

Mating usually occurs in early spring but varies by location and climate. Both males and females have multiple partners, having litters with one to six offspring after a two-month gestation period. Mothers become aggressive toward males after birth, and as such, males don’t help raise young.

Bobcats are both a top predator and a keystone species. They control populations of small mammals, preventing overgrazing and supporting plant growth.

Raccoons belong to the Procyonidae family and are closely related to mustelids like weasels. They live across the U.S. and southern Canada, except some parts of Arizona where it’s too hot.

They are versatile omnivores, eating fruits, nuts, seeds, carrion, small birds, and reptiles. When food is plentiful, they’re picky; when scarce, they eat whatever they can. Raccoons are known for washing their food, often found near water. Without water, they rub their food or hands to clean.

Raccoons are mostly solitary except during breeding, but they use over 20 vocalizations, mainly for mating and mother-young communication. Mating season runs from December to June, peaking in February. Both males and females have multiple mates. After mating, they separate, and females raise the young. Gestation lasts about 63 days. Juveniles stay with their mother for nine months before weaning and independence.

As omnivores, raccoons help control small mammals, carrion, and plants. They are also prey for top predators like bobcats and coyotes, making them a key food source.

The striped skunk is easy to recognize by its black body and white stripes that warn predators about its powerful spray, which the skunk uses only when necessary since spraying costs energy and time.

Skunks belong to the Mustelidae superfamily, which includes weasels, wolverines, and raccoons. Like other members, they live in natural cavities or burrows.⁸ Highly adaptable, skunks live in various habitats like woods, plains, deserts, and forest edges.²⁷ They also thrive in urban areas, often under houses or garages.¹⁰ Their omnivorous diet mainly includes insects but also small mammals, birds, and plants.²⁵

Mating season runs from mid-February to mid-March. After a roughly eight-week gestation, females give birth to litters of 4 to 11 in April or May.⁸ Skunks are mostly solitary, coming together only to breed or occasionally den in winter. Males mate with multiple females, but females raise the young alone. Babies are born blind and fully dependent on their mother.²⁸

Skunks are both predators and prey. They help control small mammal and bird populations and influence plant growth. They are also food for top predators like coyotes and great horned owls, supporting those populations.

Canada geese belong to the Anatidae family, which also includes ducks and swans. Native to North America, they migrate south during winter.¹⁶ During migration, geese fly in a v-formation to save energy.¹⁹ They prefer grassy areas near water and easily adapt to farmland and urban spaces.¹⁶

Their diet mainly consists of plant stems, leaves, tubers, fruits, and seeds.19 Like people, geese are social and form large flocks and long-term mating pairs. They can be defensive, especially around their young, which can lead to conflicts with people.¹⁶ Breeding happens in spring when pairs leave the flock to defend territories. Females build nests and lay 2 to 8 eggs, incubating them for about 25 to 28 days. Goslings stay in the nest for 1 to 2 days, then spend their first year with their parents learning survival skills. Males are highly protective during this time, so it’s important to keep a safe distance.16 Sometimes, groups of gosling broods, called “gang broods,” join together and follow one or more adults.¹⁹

Canada geese help plant growth by dispersing seeds from the plants they eat. They and their eggs are also prey for several campus predators.

All magpies belong to the Corvidae family, which includes crows, ravens, and jays. The black-billed magpie is common across the northwestern U.S. and western Canada year-round.¹⁷

They live in grasslands, shrublands, rocky areas, and are often seen in suburbs and cities. Their diet includes seeds, fruit, insects, rodents, garbage, and carrion.²³ Interestingly, black-billed magpies often feed on parasitic ticks found on large mammals, helping control pests.⁶ They also create fake food caches to trick other magpies trying to steal their hidden food.³

Magpies mate monogamously and live in social groups built around paired birds. Large communities with multiple pairs and families may form.²³ Mated pairs build dome-shaped nests in trees from sticks and soft materials.¹⁷ Females lay 1 to 9 eggs, incubated for about three weeks. Young are born blind and featherless, start flying at four weeks, and leave the nest after two months.²³

Magpies play important ecosystem roles and face few threats except from humans. They dispose of carrion, control insect populations, and their leftover nests provide homes for other species. Wolves and coyotes often form mutual relationships with magpies, benefiting from their presence.

American crows have fully black bodies and are often mistaken for common ravens. They can be told apart by their smaller size, straight bill, and shorter, squared tail. As members of the Corvidae family, they’re closely related to jays, ravens, and other birds.1

They are among the most widespread birds in North America, living in varied habitats like fields, forests, neighborhoods, and garbage dumps. Like magpies, crows are very intelligent, which helps them thrive in cities.¹ They can be aggressive even toward larger birds. Their diet is diverse, including invertebrates, carrion, small vertebrates, bird eggs, seeds, fruit, and nuts.²⁴

American crows form lifelong pairs but may mate outside the pair to increase genetic diversity. Breeding happens in early spring when they build nests in coniferous or deciduous trees, shrubs, or rarely on the ground.²² Nests are made of bark, twigs, moss, feathers, fur, leaves, and other soft materials and take 5 to 13 days to build.²⁴

Crows play an important role in ecosystems by dispersing seeds over long distances and controlling populations of rodents, insects, and amphibians. They also serve as prey for top predators.