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Discover the diverse wildlife
of our province

Outside your front door, and throughout the wilderness…

there are a wide variety of creatures who call our province home. However, more animals than ever are under stress from human activities and climate change. Learning more about our wilderness friends can help us strike the right balance to coexist in harmony with one another.  

Prehistoric salmon

Fossils of salmon in North America date back about seven million years, when Saber-Tooth Salmon three metres long roamed the waters!

Deer antlers

Deer antlers are the fastest growing bone in all vertebrates, with male deer growing and shedding their antlers annually.

Raccoons get their feet wet

Raccoons are a nocturnal species that often forages for food in streams or rivers, as wetting their forepaws enhances their ability to feel their food.

Salmon today

Today, British Columbia has more than 9,000 salmon populations, with most travelling 50 kilometres on their upriver spawning journeys—about the length of a marathon each day.

Caribou antlers for all

Caribou are the only deer family species in which both males and females grow antlers.

Fly squirrel, fly

The northern flying squirrel does not actually fly, but can glide more than 70 metres between trees.

contributors

Thank you to the following UBC Faculty of Forestry faculty members who provided these wildlife facts: