About Ontario ... Fish & Wildlife

Fish and Wildlife:

Ontario’s varied climate and geography, vast wilderness areas and countless lakes, rivers and wetlands, support habitat for more than 3,100 species of vascular plants, 158 species of fish, 80 species of amphibians and reptiles, 400 species of birds, and 85 species of mammals. In Ontario’s southernmost regions, you will find prickly pear cactus and sassafras trees, while polar bears roam our northern tundra.

A Sample of Ontario’s Fish and Wildlife:

Fish: Familiar warm water species include bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch, and largemouth and smallmouth bass. Our cool water habitats feature muskellunge, northern pike and walleye. Our cold waters are home to lake trout, lake sturgeon, Chinook salmon, lake whitefish and brook trout.

Mammals: Ontario residents and visitors may see beaver, black bears, polar bears, Eastern cottontail rabbits, coyotes, Eastern chipmunks, groundhogs, lynx, moose, muskrats, raccoons, red foxes, skunks, snowshoe hares, Southern flying squirrels, red squirrels, gray wolves, white-tailed deer, woodland caribou, walrus, and ringed seals.

Birds: Birds found across Ontario’s million square miles include blue jays, Northern cardinals, black-capped chickadees, white pelicans, egrets, great blue herons, great horned owls, barn owls, song sparrows, common loons, mallards, red-tailed hawks, robins, ruffed grouse, bald eagles, wild turkeys and pileated woodpeckers.

Reptiles and Amphibians: Look carefully and you might see an Eastern garter snake, Northern leopard frog, bullfrog, spring peeper, Eastern Massagauga rattlesnake, Midland painted turtle, snapping turtle or one of 11 types of salamanders and newts.