Who Am I?
Here are some possible critter clues you can use.

Bear:

• My sight is poor but I can hear and smell very well.
• My tail is 6 inches long or less.
• I live mostly on forest floors and in thickets.
• Both young and old of my kind are good climbers and when disturbed find safety in a tree.
• My diet includes all of the following: small mammals, insects, fish, grasses, leaves, berries and nuts and any flesh.
• When it starts to get cold and snowy I go inside for the winter (sometimes in a snag!)
• I'm dark colored.
• I hibernate in large hollow trees and under tree roots.
• I rip fallen logs apart in search of juicy grubs and insects.
• I sometimes weigh as much as 500 pounds and sometimes stand upright.
• I have a friend named Smokey.

Frog:

• I have 4 legs, 2 eyes and a backbone
• Males of my kind sing to attract the females, but neither males or females care for our babies.
• I am cold blooded and lay eggs.
• At birth I may have thousands of brothers and sisters.
• I am able to breath and drink through my moist skin.
• When I'm young I eat plants; but as I grow older I change to a diet of insects
• I find safety in water from those who want to eat me.
• I have 2 webbed feet.
• My tongue is located at the tip of my mouth; I flip it out to catch insects In my mouth.
• I'm called a tadpole.
• I sit on logs to rest.
• Some of my kind find shelter in standing snags.
• I hop and go in and out of the water.
• Often I'm greenish in color.

Honey bees:

• We are a community species.
• Sometimes we make our homes in hollow trees.
• Our homes are very busy with activity
• We visit flowers. for pollen, which we eat
• Bald eagles:
• I like to perch on top of tall snags or wildlife trees, sometimes building my nest there.
• I'm not really bald, but have white feathers on my head.
• I'm the symbol for our nation.
• I have sharp talons, good for catching fish.

Ants:

• We are a social community species.
• 10,000 different species are known.
• Snags provide food and habitat for some species.

Cockroaches:

• We eat wood and help decompose woody material (break it down).

Owl:

• My head rotates which helps me locate my dinner (prey) as it scampers for cover under down logs and snags.
• My soundless flight, acute hearing and good night vision help too.
• Frequently I will roost in old hollow trees.

Skunks:

• I eat many critters.
• I may dine on mice, snails, bats, spiders, frogs, snakes, grubs and other insects.
• I use snags as hunting grounds, or shelters. I can also den in holes under fallen logs or old stumps (as well as lots of other places.)
• I have a beautiful white strip down my back.
• If I am scared or angry I will lift my tail and spray you with a stinky solution. Bathing in tomato juice is frequently recommended to get rid of the smell.

Snails:

• I help decompose woody material.
• I slither along the ground living a glistening slimy trail
• I take my house with me where ever I go
• I have 2 stalks rising out of my head that help me sense my surroundings.

Opossum:

• I enlarge abandoned crow and squirrel nests by adding grass, leaves or even corn husks.
• I am nocturnal.
• I am omnivorous--eating bugs and other critters who live in snags and down logs.
• I have a long pink tail that is naked.
• I usually have a furry grey coat.
• My children ride on my back.

Raccoons:

• I use a variety of homes (shelters), but most commonly use hollow logs, hollow limbs or trunks of sufficient size.
• I use different dens for winter and summer.
• I like to eat fish and worms.
• I will eat your dogs food if you leave it outside at night!
• I wash my paws in water before eating my food and I wash my food - just like you.
• Some people call me a masked bandit.

Cottontails:

• I use brush piles and down hollow logs for resting sites and cover to escape predators (like owls).
• I hop around on the ground
• I eat grass and other plants, nibbling here and there.
• Some people think my tail looks like a cotton ball.

Big Brown Bats:

• I roost in hollow trees, cavities, and in crevices beneath loose bark.
• I can consume over 3,000 insects per night
• I am a natural and extremely efficient BUG ZAPPER!
• I locate my prey with echo-location and would never get stuck in someone's hair.

Salamander:

• I live, hunt for food, and lay my eggs in rotting logs.
• I like damp, cool places.
• I have 4 legs and a long tail. I don't have teeth.
• I have smooth moist skin.

Fish:

• I live in the water.
• I use downed trees & logs as shady resting places and cover that allows me to ambush my prey.
• I extract oxygen through my gills.
• I have scales, not feathers or fur.
• Some people like to eat me fried in a skillet.

Wood ducks:

• I nest in bottomland and streamside hardwood tree cavities.
• About 24 hours after our eggs hatch the mother calls to her young from nearby the hole. The babies leap out of the nest, sometimes from as high as 60 feet, and land unhurt, ready to follow mom.
• We paddle around in water.

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker:

• I am an endangered species
• I make my home only in live pines infected with red heart disease.
• I excavate cavities that many other birds and mammals use.

Fungi:

• I'm not a plant or animal.
• I help decompose snags and logs. Without me you'd be up to your neck in wood!
• I like wet moist places.
• I send out little strands called hyphae which exude chemical solutions that help break down plant cell walls.
• Some of my species are available in grocery stores--I bet you've had me on you pizza! Yum!

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