Mammals Found in the Temperate Forest

Temperate forests are found in a great many regions of North America, Asia and Europe. These forests are characterized by four distinct seasons and a discernible winter. Summers are generally warm while winters usually fall below freezing. This means the mammals living in the area need to be adaptive to survive. There are quite a few mammals that make a home out of the temperate forest including boars, bears, fox, pandas and beaver.

  1. Black Bear

    • Black Bears are only found in North American temperate forests. They are found in 40 states and in various regions of Canada. They are the smallest type of North American bear, standing two to three feet in height and four to seven feet in length. Despite their name, these bears can be black, brown, cinnamon or blonde. Black bears usually hibernate during the winter months.

    American Beaver

    • The beaver is the second largest rodent in the world. These animals typically live in colonies with other family members in a burrow usually by the water's edge or a dome-shaped lodge. They have long sharp teeth to cut trees and large flat tails to pat mud in order to build these homes. They frequent ponds, marshes, rivers and wetlands in North America. The beaver is the national animal of Canada.

    Giant Pandas

    • Giant Pandas are native to the temperate forest regions of China, generally in the mountains. They are black-and-white bears with a thick coat to keep them warm in the forest winters. Pandas spend most of their time roaming the temperate forest in search of food or resting and, unlike other bears, do not hibernate in the colder months. Pandas are very large, weighing around 250 pounds. They live almost entirely on Chinese bamboo, eating between 20 and 40 pounds of it a day.

    Red Fox

    • Red fox actually live in a diverse range of ecosystems including deserts, grasslands and temperate forests. They are famously resourceful, adaptive and intelligent. Red fox live off of small game such as rodents and birds but will eat vegetables or fruit when the opportunity arises. The fox uses its tail to survive during winter when living in a temperate forest. They are primarily nocturnal and live in dens in the ground.

    Wild Boar

    • Wild boar are large, nocturnal scavenger animals that live in temperate forests around the world, usually near streams or ponds. Boar live off forest foods such as nuts, grass and fruit. They can sometimes measure 5 feet long or weigh up to 300 pounds, are generally aggressive and have large tusks with which to protect themselves or intimidate predators. Boar do not look exactly like their domestic pig relative; they are black and have straight tails. However, like the domestic pig, boars will wallow in mud to cool down.