Black Bear - The American Black Bear usually ranges in length from 59 to 72 inches and typically stands about 31 to 37 inches at the shoulder. Females weigh between 90 and 400 pounds; males weigh between 250 and 600 pounds. Adult black bears seldom exceed 660 pounds but exceptionally large males have been recorded from the wild at up to 95 inches long and at least 800 pounds. Cubs usually weigh between 7 ounces and 1 pound at birth. The adult has small eyes, rounded ears, a long snout, a large body, and a short tail. It has an excellent sense of smell. Though they generally have shaggy black hair, the coat can vary in color from white through chocolate-brown, cinnamon-brown and blonde. (more) 

Whitetail Deer - The deer's coat is a reddish-brown in the spring and summer and turns to a grey-brown throughout the fall and winter. The deer can be recognized by the characteristic white underside to its tail, which it shows as a signal of alarm by raising the tail during escape.The male (also known as a buck) usually weighs from 130 to 220 pounds (60 to 100 kg) but, in rare cases, animals in excess of 350 pounds (160 kg) have been recorded. The female (doe) usually weighs from 90 to 130 pounds (40 to 60 kg), but some can weigh as much as 165 to 175 pounds (75 or 80 kg). (more)

Whitetail Fawn - Females give birth to one, two or even possibly three spotted young, known as fawns in mid to late spring, generally in May or June. Fawns lose their spots during the first summer and will weigh from 44 to 77 pounds (20 to 35 kg) by the first winter. Male fawns tend to be slightly larger and heavier than females. (more)

Porcupine - Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend them from predators. The porcupines include the fourth largest rodent, after the capybara, mara, and beaver, and are not to be confused with hedgehogs which are Erinaceomorphs. Most porcupines are about 25-36 inches (60-90 cm) long, with a 8-10 inch (20-25 cm) long tail. Weighing between 12-35 pounds (5-16 kg), they are rounded, large and slow. Porcupines come in various shades of brown, grey, and the unusual white. (more)

Raccoon - The Raccoon (Procyon lotor), also known as the Northern Raccoon, Common Raccoon, or Coon, is a widespread, medium-sized, omnivorous mammal native to North America. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, they have also been widespread on the European mainland and in the Caucasus region, after having escaped from fur farms. Raccoons usually live together in small, loose groups. Their original habitats are mixed or deciduous forests, but due to their adaptability, they are often found in urban areas where they can be considered pests at times. (more)

Black Squirrel - Black squirrels naturally occur in Southern Ontario and Southern Quebec, and most other populations in North America have been artificially introduced from stock obtained from these areas. Black squirrels are widespread throughout much of Michigan, including northern Michigan, the Detroit Metro area, particularly in Royal Oak, Michigan, in the area surrounding the Detroit Zoo. (more)

Grey Squirrel - The Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is a tree squirrel that is native to the Eastern and Midwestern United States, as well as the eastern provinces of Canada. The species name carolinensis refers to the Carolinas, where they were first recorded by zoologists and are still extremely common. The native range of the Eastern Gray Squirrel overlaps with that of the Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger), with which it is sometimes confused. The Eastern Gray Squirrel has also been introduced to Britain where it has successfully spread across the country and displaced the native Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). It has almost entirely displaced the red squirrel in Ireland also, and there are concerns the same will happen in Italy. (more)

American Red Squirrel - North American red squirrels are also referred to as pine squirrels, American red squirrels and chickarees. They should not be confused with Eurasian red squirrels. Red squirrels are also bigger than chipmunks. Nests are most commonly constructed of grass in the branches of spruce trees. (more)

Chipmunk - Eastern chipmunks mate in early spring and again in early summer, producing litters of four or five young twice each year. The young emerge from the burrow after about six weeks and strike out on their own within the next two weeks. Though they are commonly depicted with their paws up to the mouth, eating peanuts, or more famously their cheeks bulging out on either side, chipmunks eat a variety of foods. Their omnivorous diet consists of grain, nuts, birds' eggs, fungi, worms, and insects. At the beginning of autumn, many species of chipmunk begin to stockpile these goods in their burrows, for winter. (more)

Wild Turkey - The Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is one of two species of turkey, the other being the Ocellated Turkey, found in Central and South America. Adult Wild Turkeys have a small, featherless, bluish head; a red throat in males; long reddish-orange to greyish-blue legs; and a dark-brown to black body. The head has fleshy growths called caruncles; in excited turkeys, a fleshy flap on the bill expands, becoming engorged with blood. Males have red wattles on the throat and neck. Each foot has four toes, and males have rear spurs on their lower legs. (more)

Coyote - The color of the coyote's pelt varies from greyish brown to a yellowish gray on the upper parts, while the throat and belly are white. The forelegs, sides of head, muzzle and feet are reddish brown. The back has tawny colored underfur and long, black-tipped guard hairs that form a black dorsal stripe and a dark cross on the shoulder area. The black tipped tail has a scent gland located on its dorsal base. Coyotes shed once a year, starting in May with light hair loss and ending in July after heavy shedding. The ears are proportionately large in relation to the head, while the feet are relatively small in relation to the rest of the body. (more)

Red Fox - The Red Fox is most commonly a rusty red, with white underbelly, black ear tips and legs, and a bushy tail with a distinctive white tip. The "red" tone can vary from crimson to golden, and in fact can be brindled or agouti, with bands of red, brown, black and white on each individual hair when seen close up. In North America, the red fox's pelt has long, soft hair, whereas the fur of European red foxes is flatter and less silky.In the wild, two other color phases are also seen. The first is silver or black, comprising 10% of the wild population and most of the farmed. Approximately 30% of wild individuals have additional black patterning, which usually manifests as a stripe across the shoulders and down the center of the back. (more)

Blue Jay - The Blue Jay measures about10–12 in from bill to tail and weighs 2.47-3.53 ounces, with a wingspan of 13–17 in. Its plumage is lavender-blue to mid-blue in the crest, back, wings, and tail, and its face is white. The underside is off-white and the neck is collared with black which extends to the sides of the head. The wing primaries and tail are strongly barred with black, sky-blue and white. They can be aggressive towards other birds. They are known to approach humans confidently. The bill, legs, and eyes are all black. Males and females are nearly identical; males are slightly larger. There is a pronounced crest on the head, a crown of feathers, which may be raised or lowered according to the bird’s mood. (more) (listen to call)

American Robin - The American Robin is10–11 inches long, averaging about 3 oz, with a wingspan ranging from 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches. In the wild, the longest known lifespan of an American Robin is 14 years, but the average lifespan is about 2 years. It has a brown back with a reddish-orange breast. It is white underneath the tail feathers and on the lower belly. The throat is white with black streaks, and males are generally brighter than females. It has a small yellow beak and distinctive crescents around the eyes. Juveniles are paler in color than adult males and have dark spots on their breasts. During the breeding season, the adult males grow distinctive black feathers on their heads; after the breeding season they lose this eye-catching plumage. (more) (listen to call)

Black Capped Chickadee - The Black-capped Chickadee, (Parus atricapillus), is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Adults have a black cap and bib with white sides to the face. Their under parts are white with rusty brown on the flanks; their back is gray. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a long tail. Their breeding habitat is mixed or deciduous woods in Canada, Alaska and the northern United States. They are permanent residents, but sometimes move south within their range in winter. On cold winter nights, these birds reduce their body temperature by up to 10-12 °C to conserve energy. (more) (listen to call)

Fox Squirrel - The Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) is the largest species of tree squirrels native to North America. They are also sometimes referred to as the Stump-eared Squirrel, Raccoon Squirrel, or Monkey-faced Squirrel. They are sometimes mistaken for Eastern Gray Squirrels by casual observers in those areas where both species co-exist, despite the differences in size and coloration. While very versatile in their habitat choices, fox squirrels are most often found in forest patches of 400,000 square metres or less with an open understory, or in urban neighborhoods with trees. They thrive best among trees such as oak, hickory, walnut and pine that produce winter-storable foods like nuts. (more)

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel - The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is strictly diurnal and is especially active on warm days. A solitary or only somewhat colonial hibernator, it often occurs in aggregations in suitable habitats.In late summer, it puts on a heavy layer of fat and stores some food in its burrow. It enters its nest in October (some adults retire much earlier), rolls into a stiff ball, and decreases its respiration from 100 to 200 breaths per minute to one breath about every five minutes. It emerges in March or early April.The burrow may be 15 to 20 feet (4.5–6 m) long, with several side passages. Most of the burrow is within 1 to 2 feet (about half a meter) of the surface, with only the hibernation nest in a special deeper section. Shorter burrows are dug as hiding places. (more)

Northern Flying Squirrel - The Northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) is one of two species of the genus Glaucomys, the only flying squirrels found in North America (the other is the somewhat smaller Southern flying squirrel, G. volans). Flying squirrels are strictly nocturnal. The Northern flying squirrel is found in coniferous and mixed forests across the top of North America, from Alaska to Nova Scotia, south to North Carolina and west to California. The Northern flying squirrel nests in holes in trees, preferring large-diameter trunks and dead trees, and will also build outside leaf nests called dreys. They sometimes use cavities created by woodpeckers. (more)

Whip-poor-will - Adults have mottled plumage: the upperparts are grey, black and brown; the lower parts are grey and black. They have a very short bill and a black throat. Males have a white patch below the throat and white tips on the outer tail feathers; in the female, these parts are light brown. The Whip-poor-will's breeding habitat is deciduous or mixed woods across southeastern Canada, eastern and southwestern United States, and Central America. They nest on the ground, in shaded locations, among dead leaves, and usually lay two creamy eggs. These birds forage at night, catching insects in flight. They normally sleep during the day. (more) (listen to call)

Opossums - Usually solitary and nomadic, staying in one area as long as food and water are easily available. Nocturnal animals, they favor dark, secure areas.
When threatened or harmed, they will "play possum", mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal. This physiological response is involuntary (like fainting), rather than a conscious act. When an opossum is "playing possum", the animal's lips are drawn back, the teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, the eyes close or half-close, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands. The stiff, curled form can be prodded, turned over, and even carried away without reaction. The animal will typically regain consciousness after a period of a few minutes to four hours, a process that begins with slight twitching of the ears.