Commonly seen wildlife on
the Bruce includes chipmunk, squirrel, raccoon,
porcupine, snowshoe hare, skunk, white-tailed
deer, snakes and frogs. The Upper Bruce Peninsula
ecosystem has one of the very few forests large
enough and sufficiently free of roads and farms
to support typical interior forest species such
as the black bear, fisher, long-eared bats,
northern flying squirrel, fox, martin, Massasauga
rattlesnake, red-shouldered hawk, barred owl,
hermit thrush, black-throated blue warbler,
scarlet tanager and yellow-spotted salamander.
Countless caves and crevices in the barren cliff
face provide homes for ravens, turkey vultures,
swallows and bats. Black bears, whose population
is currently being monitored by the park to
determine their number, size, habitat use and
overall health, create problems only when they
have been foolishly encouraged to interact with
humans who feed them or leave garbage behind.
Black bears are smaller than their grizzly and
polar cousins weighing anywhere from 100 to
over 250 kilograms. They eat literally anything
that is available. Solitary by nature, they
mate briefly and the female raises the young
alone. Bears reach maturity at age three and
a half. The Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake,
now an endangered species, was once found throughout
southern Ontario. They are poisonous, but avoid
encounters with humans and rarely present a
danger. Other species include garter, ring-necked,
De Kay’s, ribbon, smooth green, red- bellied,
milk and water snakes.
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