Canada: Maple trees, grizzlies and other wonders

Have you seen the Canadian flag? Have you noticed that symbol in the middle with the shape of a
leaf? That little symbol is famous worldwide although not everybody knows what it means.

That little symbol is a Maple leaf, a leaf which comes from the Maple tree, a distinctive feature of
Canada and important part of this article. Join us and discover its story and other natural wonders
of this marvelous country.

Why is the Maple tree so important for Canada?

The maple tree is important for the economy and Canadian environment, and it is also a beautiful
and iconic part of the Canadian landscape. Thirteen Maple species are native to North America and
10 of them are in Canada. Throughout history, Maple Leaf has gained importance as a Canadian
symbol, to the point that today is the most recognized symbol in the country.

Where does it come from?

Canadian historians and ancient documents have shown so far that the Maple leaf was used as a
Canadian symbol since 1700. Even before that time, the Maple sap served as an important food
source for the native population.

Saint Jean Baptiste Society was founded in 1834 to preserve the French language, its national history
and promoting the independence of Quebec, the second most populous province in Canada. This
society chose the Maple leaf as its symbol. In 1848 the Maple leaf was considered as the chosen
symbol of Canada in a literary yearbook in Toronto, the most populous city in Canada.

What is a Maple tree?

The sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), the exact variety of this tree, is the national tree of Canada and
appears on its flag. It is quite admired by the spring production of sweet sap that can be reduced to
syrup. The sugar Maple grows in deciduous forests from the east of Canada. This majestic big tree
can also be found growing in open field farms, near schools or church grounds. When it is not located
in the forest, sugar Maple develops a crown with a large diameter trunk. These solitary trees can
live for hundreds of years, while producing a healthy syrup during great part of their lives. Its wood
is valuable in making furniture and floors. The sugar Maple is one of the most used timber in Canada.

Time to talk about another distinctive symbol of Canada: The grizzly bear.

What about Grizzlies?

Grizzly bears are one of the biggest bear species around the world. Many nature documentaries
cover this kind of bear so that people can recognize them better than other species of bears.
However, they are often confused with other subspecies: brown bears, mainly because of the
similarities in their characteristics.
What are the main features of Grizzly bears?

Male Grizzly bears can grow to about 6.5-8 feet tall, females are 4-6 feet, so there is quite a
difference between them as adults. Males can reach weights of about 400-800 pounds, with
extreme cases up to 1500 pounds while females weigh often around 290-440 pounds.

Grizzly bears are brown, but their color can vary from golden brown to chocolate brown. Older bears
begin to have a white color on the tip of their fur.

What do Grizzlies eat?

Grizzly bears eat a lot, especially fish and they use their powerful claws to catch them.

They can be very patient waiting for the right moment to attack, then with a quick swipe of claws
they get their fish to eat. Young bears are amazing to watch as they practice this skill over and over
again in order to learn to do things in the right way.

Grizzly bears enjoy variety of other meat sources and they take easily what they can find around
them. They can hunt from small rodents to knock down an adult moose. Grizzly bears are very skilled
when hunting, and have speed and power to do it. They also consume leaves, bark, nuts and
seasonal fruits.

What about other species?

Canada has vast wild areas where we can find large mammals, including predators such as the gray
wolf and our Grizzly bear, also herbivores like the elk, the caribou and the musk ox. There are also
other Canadian species like the Canadian lynx, the glutton (the wolverine) and, of course, the
emblem of the nation, the American beaver.

Regarding birds, Canada has 462 species, including the Canada goose, the arctic owl and the arctic
raven.

Canada has 43 species of reptiles, including: turtles (12 species), lizards (6 species) and snakes (25
species). There are no many crocodiles in Canada really.

Canada also has a significant presence of amphibians: 43 species in total, including salamanders,
frogs and toads. Salamanders can be found in the 10 regions of the country, but not in the three
territories of the north, while frogs and toads are in all regions, although they are much more
abundant in the south.

What about Canada natural parks?

Canada national parks system comprises forty six units or protected zones, including national parks,
national parks reserves, two national marine conservation areas and a national monument. A total
of 260,468 square kilometers are protected.

Among the most important parks we have: Banff, Glacier, Yoho, Waterton lakes and Jasper national
parks.