Canada’s Hardest Working Animals

In a recent issue of the Canadian Wildlife magazine, Jerika Bradford questions readers:

Is it a bear? What about the wolf? You might be surprised~
Canada’s hardest working animals come in all shapes and sizes.
What sets them apart from others, is just how far they will go to get the job done.

Arctic Tern: The small Arctic Tern has one of the longest migrations of all birds. The Arctic Tern will fly up to 40,000 kilometres in a zig-zagging route from its Arctic breeding grounds to Antarctica, and back again every year. That’s like flying the length of the Trans Canada Highway. ~ across all 10 provinces,.10 times!

Black Ants: Black ants pack a punch far beyond their weight. They are some of the hardest working insects around. Ants are able to lift and carry objects that weigh as much as 50 times their weight. In fact, ants are such hard workers that that they are always busy ~ whether building tunnels ...collecting food or cleaning up...and maintaining their underground chambers..

Beavers: Have you heard the saying: busy as a beaver? There’s a good reason this saying exists. Beavers are nature’s architect. This animal builds impressive dams, canals and lodges all on its own. Did you know that beavers cut down an average of 216 trees a year? Beavers begin building dams by laying sticks and rocks on a stream bed. They then pack on more stones to create rooms...filling in the spaces in between with mud, twigs and leaves ...layer after layer. Their dams are sturdy and can handle great water pressure and erosion.

Earthworms: The humble earthworm may not seem like it belongs on the list of of hardest working animals. But, earthworms are nature’s first farmers...plowing the soil as they dig through it! Earthworms play an important role in soil health and quality. It takes earthworms an estimated 10 to 20 years to turn over the first 6 inches of soil keeping it fresh and full of nutrients.

Wolves: Wolves have to work hard for their food. They work in packs and kill about one large mammal ~ like a deer, moose, caribou, elk or bison. ...for every 10 they chase. It may take the entire pack to help bring home some food. They not only hunt in packs or groups, but also live most of their lives with other wolves....forming deep bonds and a highly organized social structure.

Salmon: The salmon’s journey is quite the journey. After spending some time in the Pacific or Atlantic oceans, these incredible fish begin an exhausting migration back to the place where they were hatched. They will fight strong currents and make their way past animals that want to eat them. Some even have to leap over waterfalls. Their migration back home is truly an obstacle course. Their migration is so exhausting that once they reach their destination, and spawn: they die.

Hummingbirds: Hummingbirds flap their wings super fast. ...up to 50 times per second. This means that hummingbirds need a constant source of food to keep up their energy, which is why you see them zipping through the air ...going flower to flower. You can help hummingbirds by putting out a hummingbird feeder outside your house. This will help them with their next meals so they can keep zipping around in the air!

Written by MBK Deceember 15, 2020
Comments most welcome.