The American Bald Eagle
At the top of the list of animals residing in temperate deciduous forests is the bald eagle. It stands between 30.4 and 36.4 inches and is one of the larges flying birds seen in the United States. In captivity it can live up to fifty years and in the wild it can live up to twenty five years. Furthermore, it has a wing span of five and a half to eight feet long. Another interesting fact is that the bald eagles follow reversed sexual dimorphism. this mean that the females are actually going to grow to be larger than the males.
The American Black Bear
This bear weighs from 220 pounds to 594 pounds but is still able to run up to 25 miles an hour which is very fast considering the weight. Their feet are very closely related to humans in that they walk in a repetitive heel to toe manner. The fur is usually black however it can have different phases that cause it to change color, examples include cinnamon, brown, beige, and even a bluish white.
The Coyote
These animals range from 30 to 40 inches long and their tails are 12 to 16 inches long and they weigh from 15 to 44 pounds. These animals can live almost anywhere, but they live in most of North America and Central America. Also they live in Alaska, Nova Scotia, and Panama. A lot of people blame these animals for eating their pets but no evidence is ever found.
The Duckbill Platypus
These live in the temperate deciduous forests in Australia. This animal is about the size of a house cat and its body is really flat. The front feet are completely webbed and the back feet are partially webbed and both sets of feet have claws. The males actually have a hollow sections on their ankles that hold venom to be used as a defense mechanism. It can swim and also walk on land and for food it goes under water and its bill sends out electrical pulses that tell it where the food is.
The Eastern Chipmunk
This animal is very small ranging from only about 5-6 inches long and only weighs 3 ounces. It is a brownish red color and is distinguished by the white stripes above and below its eyes. They like to rest during the day and only come out in the morning and in the late afternoon. These eastern chipmunks are actually native to North America but specifically are found in south eastern Canada and the Eastern United States.
The European Red Squirrel
These squirrels are very adapted to climb and can support their entire weight easily when climbing. This squirrel is 13 to 18 inches long and uses its tail to guide itself while it climbs. These squirrels climb a lot and use this talent to escape predators. They do not hibernate but they will stay in their nests whenever it is cold. Furthermore, they are not territorial so their homelands overlap with other European Red Squirrels.
The Fat Dormouse
This mouse is about 5 to 8 inches long and its tail is 4 to 6 inches long and have a grey to silver fur that often causes them to be mistaken with squirrels. These animals have excellent hearing due to their very large ears. They also are omnivores and eat apples, pears, plums, fruits, nuts, etc and they are becoming close to extinct because we, the humans, are cutting down their forests where they live which forces them to find a barn or some other place to reside. The Fat Dormouse also hibernates and doubles its weight before going into hibernation in order to stay warm and have energy to survive.
The Least Weasel
This animal has a long slender body and sharp nails that help it hunt. This animal is the smallest carnivore in the entire world. They are very territorial and the male Weasels will even fight for their territory which is about 40 acres big. They posses very good hearing and an even better sense of smell. They are active both day and night and prey on mice, rats, moles, small birds, birds eggs, rabbits, and poultry. It is also able to prey on animals up to 5 times its size even though it is a small animal itself. It resides in the Northern Asian deciduous forests and is being affected by loggers there who are taking up their habitats.
The White Tailed Deer
The fur of this deer starts out a grey in the winter and then turns into a red during the summer time. The Males are the only ones who get antlers and they can grow to be 400 pounds and 3 to 3 and a half feet tall at their shoulders. These deer are mostly active during the night but this does not mean that they don't operate during the day. Also they eat plants in the summer and acorns and nuts during the winter time. These animals are very solitary but will come together at times when they need help. Also they have very good sight and hearing but rely most on their sense of smell when detecting predators around them. This species of deer was almost wiped out in the northeast and Midwest regions of the United States but because of hunting restrictions and limitations they are now back to a good population in the United States.