Some of the wildlife you can find in Missouri
are elk, moose, bears, beavers,deer,
and woodchucks. In the Missouri River there are many different
kinds of fish including
rainbow trout, graylings, carp, catfish, bullheads, perch, and
bass. Blue heron,
red tailed hawk, bald eagle, sandpipers, all live by the Missouri
River too. Small animals live by the Missouri River too. Here
are some small animals by the Missouri rabbits,skunks, foxes,
muskrats, beaver, weasels and a lot more.
Missouri Department of Conservation - Great Animal Info!
Catfish
There are about 2,000 species of catfish. Catfish will usually
have two to
four barbels. Catfish have no scales.Some kinds of catfish have
poison stored in
sharp spines by their gills and back. When they enter another
animals mouth it gives
off poison. Some live in the ocean while most live in fresh water.
The channel catfish with a few other kinds live in fast moving
water.
Most catfish eat insects and frogs. The big types will eat other fish! Some catfish have peculiar ways of living or habits. The electric catfish can send send electric signals, the upside down catfish swims upside down, and the walking catfish can go across land to another source of water. Catfish can be small and big.The European catfish can grow to 400 pounds and 10 feet long! The glass catfish only grows 4 inches long!
Carp
You can find carp in the Missouri River. There
are 2,000 species of carp. Carp do
not have teeth. Instead they have grinding throat teeth. The scientific
name for the
grinding throat teeth is pharyngeal teeth. Carp have the weberian
mechanism. This
allows carp to detect enemies or predators from far away, stay
in contact with other
fish, and also gives them really good hearing.
Carp are found in rivers and lakes in North
America, Europe, and Asia. Most carp
weigh between 2 to 10 pounds and are 12 to 30 inches long. The
big carp can
weigh 60 pounds and can be 40 inches long!People in Europe and
Asia like to
eat carp.In North America most people do not like to eat carp.
Carp mostly live in warm, still, or slow flowing water.
Bald Eagle
Every winter about 600 bald eagles go to Klamath
Falls Oregon. You can find a bald eagle on the back of a silver
dollar and on the back of a quarter. The scientific name for a
bald eagle is
Hilts Leycocephalus. That name is Latin for White Headed Eagle.
A bald eagle's eye sight is about 8 times better than man's. The
bald eagle doesn't have a gizzard.
Baby bald eagles need about 3 months of care before they can fledge.
Over many
years a bald eagle's nest can tip over trees. Some bald eagles
nests have been found that weigh 2000 ponds and are big as automobiles.
They built their nests in trees that
were taller than the ones around them so they can have a lot of
clearance.To make
their nests they would use sticks as big as a man's arm. When
their nests were
done they get grass and pine needles and put it in their nests.The
eggs must be
incubated for 35 days.
Beaver
There are 2 types of beavers. One of
the types live in North America. The other
type lives in Eurasia. The beaver is usually about 30 inches long.
The beaver is most
famous for the dams they build. The dams they build are usually
about 5 feet high
and are about 10 feet wide at the base.
The dams get more narrow towards the top. One of the the biggest beaver dams ever found in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was 1000 feet long! The beaver can live 20 years or more. The female has one litter a year and has 2 to 4 young in the litter.The room inside the dam can be 8 feet wide and 3 feet high.The floor inside the dam has wood chips, bark, and grass.
Mosquito
There are a lot of mosquitoes by the Missouri
River. Mosquito can carry bad diseases
such as malaria, filariasis, encephalitis, and yellow fever.There
are more than
3000 species of mosquitoes. There are about 150 in the United
States.Biologists
put them in 35 groups.Only the female mosquito will bite.
One female mosquito can lay up to 3000 eggs
in her lifetime! Mosquito lay their eggs in standing or still
water, marshes, swamps, and holes. Male mosquitoes live from
7 to 10 days while the female mosquito will live up to 30 days.
Those are all of the reports I did. There are
many more animals by the
Missouri River though.I hoped you liked them.Here are the resources
that I used in
my research.
Biblyographys
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Wildlife Copyright
1988-89 Encyclopedia Volume 10
pg.1891 published by Grey Castle Press
World Book of Encyclopedia Copyright 1995 Encyclopedia Volume 3 pg. 245 published by the World Book Inc.
Streams The Force of Life Copyright 1993 Movie Published The Missouri Department of Conservation
Academic American Copyright 1996 Encyclopedia
Volume 12 pg. 307 Published by
Grolier Inc.
Encarta 95 Copyright 1994 Cd Rom Published
by Microsoft Corp.
World Book of Encyclopedia Copyright 1995 Encyclopedia Volume
13 pg.675
Published by World Book Inc.
America's Bald Eagle Copyright 1985 Author Hope Ryden Published by General Publishing Co.
