Enter the Forest
Dichtomous Key
1. Does it fly? – Go to 2
Does it not fly? – Go to 7
2. Does it have ears? – Brown Bat
Does it not have ears? – Go to 3
3. Does it have brown feathers? – Go to 4
Does it not have brown feathers? – Cardinal
4. Does it have feathers on its head? – Go to 5
Does it not have feathers on its head? – Turkey Vulture
5. Does it have all white feathers on its head? – Bald Eagle
Does it not have all white feathers on its head – Go to 6
6. Does it have a grey beak? – Robin
Does it have a yellow beak? – Great Grey Owl
7. Does it move? – Go to 13
Does it not move? – Go to 8
8. Is it all red? – Cardinal Flower
Is it not all red? – Go to 9
9. Is it all yellow? – Cape Weed
Is it not all yellow? – Go to 10
10. Is it yellow in the middle? – Rocks Peony
Is it not all yellow in the middle? – Go to 11
11. Is it a bush with purple flowers? – Russian Thistles
Is it not a bush with purple flowers? – Go to 12
12. Does it have leaves that are long and pointed? – Fern
Does it not have leaves that are long and pointed? – Moss
13. Is its habitat the trees? – Tree Frog
Is its habitat not the trees? – Go to 14
14. Is its habitat the water? – Go to 15
Is its habitat not the water? – Go to 16
15. Does it have a flat tail? – Beaver
Does it have a round tail? – River Otter
16. Does it have a white stripe down both sides of its body? – Skunk
Does it not have a white stripe down both sides of its body? – Go to 17
17. Does it move around by hopping? – Rabbit
Does it not move around by hopping? – Go to 18
18. Does it have a striped tail? – Raccoon
Does it not have a striped tail?- Go to 19
19. Is it a gray rodent with a furry tail? – Gray Squirrel
Is it not a gray rodent with a furry tail? – Go to 20
20. Is it all black with a brown snout? – Black Bear
Is it not all black with a brown snout? – Go to 21
21. Does it have a single white stripe in the middle of its head? – American Badger
Does it not have a single white stripe in the middle of its head? – Go to 22
22. Is it brown and has a white tail? – White Tailed deer
Is it not brown and has a white tail? – Go to 23
23. Does it hunt in packs and is gray? – Gray Wolf
Does it not hunt in packs and is not gray? – Go to 24
24. Is it brown and sometimes hunts in packs? – Coyote
Is it brown and doesn’t hunt in packs? – Brown Bear
Species list
Bald Eagle
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Haliaeetus
Species: H. leucocephalus
A mature bald eagle has pure white feathers on its head that goes down to its neck. Young eagles don’t reach this appearance until they turn five or six. Bald eagles mate during October and December. The female lays one to three eggs in mid-February through March. The hatchlings will not leave the nest until it is 10 – 13 weeks old. Bald eagles live in small concentrations around the U.S. They live close to places where there is a lot of fish to eat.
River Otter
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Lontra
Species: L. Canadensis
River otters have brown thick, water repellent coat of fur. They are found near bodies of water and generally eat fish though they do eat amphibian and small mammals. River otters are part of the weasel family. They have dens near the water where they raise one to six pups, baby otters.
Turkey Vulture
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Cathartifomes
Family: Cathartidae
Genus: Cathartes
Species: C. Aura
Also known as turkey buzzard. In the Caribbean they are known as John crow or carrion crow. Turkey vultures have bald red head which makes it resemble a male turkey, which is where it gets its name. Turkey Vultures are scavengers, meaning they eat dead animals. They are only capable of making grunts and hissing noises. They nest in caves, hollow trees, and thickets. They raise about two chicks a year.
Cottontail Rabbit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genus: Sylvilagus
Species: S. floridanus
They are abundant in the Midwest of North America. And can be found in Mexico, Central America, and the northern most part of South America. They are red brown or gray brown colored. Temperature is a main reason on how a rabbit will breed. They eat vegetation, such as bark, flower and berries. They are the food source of many of the animals.
White Tailed Deer
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Classification: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Genus: Odocoileus
Species: Odocoileus virginianus
White tailed deer are a red-gray American deer with a white belly and white fur underneath the tail. They live in wooded areas and are very good runners. These deer eat a large variety of food including legumes, grass, acorns, fruit, corn, as well as being able to eat mushrooms and poison ivy due to their special stomachs.
Gray Squirrel
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Classification: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Sciurus
Species: Sciurus carolinensis
Gray squirrels are native to eastern North America, and are tree squirrels. They eat a large range of food, from nuts and berries to types of fungi. They live in dense woodland ecosystems and construct dens in large tree branches within the hollow trunks of trees.
Tree Frog
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Classification: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Hylidae
Genus: Hyla
Species: H. cinerea
Tree frogs are a common New World tree frog, as well as a common backyard species. They mostly eat insects, flies, mosquitoes and sometimes crickets. Tree frogs are popular choices as pets because of their small size, pretty appearance, and the fact that they don’t need artificial heating.
Cardinal
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cardinalidae
Genus: Cardinalis
Species: C. cardinalis
Northern cardinals are also commonly known as redbirds and found in the eastern United Stated from Maine to Texas, and are normally found in woodlands, gardens, shrub lands, or even swamps. They’re songbirds, and the males are often bright red while the female is a dull reddish olive color. They often eat seeds, grains, and fruits.
Raccoons
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Procyonidae
Genus: Procyon
Species: Procyon lotor
These raccoons are also referred to as coons, and is native to North America. Raccoons are normally nocturnal creatures, but occasionally are active during the day to look for food. Their diet is varied; in the spring they eat insects, worms, and other animals, but they also eat fruits, nuts, and acorns.
American Badger
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Taxidea
Species: T. taxus
American badgers are stocky animals, with low-slung bodies and short legs. They’re carnivores, and eat pocket gophers, moles, wood and kangaroo rats, and other small rodents.
Beaver
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Castoridae
Genus: Castor
Species: C. canadensis
They live mostly in North America and are known for building dams on rivers and streams. They are also known for their alarm signals, which involves diving into the water while slapping the water with its tail.
Big Brown Bat
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Vespertilionidae
Genus: Eptesicus
Species: Eptesicus fuscus
These bats are nocturnal and use echolocation to navigate. Their body length ranges from 4-5 inches, while their wingspans can be anywhere from 11-13 inches.
Coyote
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species: Canis latrans
Coyotes are from the north, and the color of their fur varies depending on where the live. Most of the time their fur is light gray and red, with some black and white parts. They hunt in packs and can form mutualistic relationships with American badgers assiting each other in digging up rodent prey.
American Black Bear
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ursus
Species: Ursus americanus
They are native to North America and are omnivores. Their diets depend on the season and where they live. They often mark trees using teeth and claws as a form of communication.
Gray wolf
Kingdom – Animalia
Phylum – Chordata
Class – Mammalia
Order – Carnivora
Family – Canidae
Scientific name – Canis lupus.
They are also known as the timber or western wolf, as they are native to North America. They have dense and fluffy winter fur, and their coat color can be pure white or various shades of blond, cream, and ochre. Some are also known to be darker colors like gray, brown, and black.
Brown Bear
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
Genus: Ursus
Species Name: Ursus arctos
Brown bears mostly live in Alaska in the U.S., although they also live in many other countries. Despite their name, these bears are not often brown, and instread can be red with silver tips, yellow-brown with a whitish cape across the shoulders, or black.
Great Grey Owl
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Strix
Species Name: Strix nebulosi
Great Grey Owls are also called Phantoms of the North, spectral owls, and Lapland owls. Adults have a large head with a grey face and yellow eyes. They don't have ear tufts however.
Striped Skunk
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mephitidae
Genus: Mephitis
Species Name: Mephitis mephitis
These skunks are native southern Canada, America, and northern Mexico. They are mostly insectivores, but they can also eat other animals or even vegetable matter.
Cardinal Flower
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Anthophyta
Class: Dicotyledoneae
Order: Asterales
Family: campanulaceae
Genus: Lobelia
Species Name: Lobelia cardinalis
Cardinal flowers are native to both Americas as well as Mexico and Central America. It's a perennial plant and has been used in root tea for different ailments.
Cape Weed
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Spermatophyta
Class: Dicotyledonae
Order: asterales
Family: asteraceae
Genus: Arctotheca
Species Name: Arctotheca calendula
This plant is also known as cape dandelion or cape marigold as it originates from Cape Province in South Africa. These are also perenial plants and are covered in white, woolly hairs.
Russian Thistle
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: n/a
Class: magnollopodiaceae
Order: caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Kali
Species Name: Kali tragus
These are also known as windwitch or common saltwort. Another common name for tumbleweed. As fruits develop on these plants, the plant becomes woody and the plant starts to die as the fruits ripen. After that, the stem breaks off and rolls in the wind, dispersing its seeds.
Rocks Peony
Kingdom: plantae
Phylum: n/a
Class: n/a
Order: saxifragales
Family: paeoniaceae
Genus: Peonia
Species Name: Peonia suffroiosa
This is a woody species of peony named after Joseph Rock. It is native to a few provinces in China. It has been used before as a herbal remedy in traditional Chinese medicine.