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Fauna of Toronto

File:Beaver in High Park (91474).jpg, a native species to the region, in High Park, Toronto. The beaver is a national symbol of Canada and is featured on the coat of arms of Toronto.]]

The fauna of Toronto include a variety of different species situated within the city limits. Toronto contains a mosaic of ecosystems that includes forests, rivers, streams, and wetlands, which allows it to support a large variety of fauna.{{cite web|url=https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2019/ie/bgrd/backgroundfile-136906.pdf|title=Wild, Connected and Diverse: A Biodiversity Strategy for Toronto|publisher=City of Toronto|date=September 2019|website=www.toronto.ca|pages=22–23}} Approximately 87 to 90 per cent of the city's indigenous flora and fauna inhabit the city reside within the Toronto ravine system.{{cite web|url=https://www.evergreen.ca/stories/loop-trail-connecting-and-protecting-torontos-ravines/|date=29 January 2020|access-date=14 January 2021|title=Loop Trail: Connecting and Protecting Toronto's Ravines|website=www.evergreen.ca|publisher=Evergreen}}{{Cite web |date=2022-03-07 |title=The elusive urban forest that lies beneath Toronto |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/the-elusive-urban-forest-that-lies-beneath-toronto |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=Travel |language=en}}{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=January 2024}} The city's ravine system, creeks and rivers are wildlife corridors that allow animals to travel from one area of the city to another.{{cite web|url=https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/9718-Biodiversity-MammalsBook-Division-Planning-And-Development-part1.pdf|title=Mammals of Toronto|publisher=City of Toronto|year=2012|access-date=17 January 2023|page=11}} Although most animals in Toronto reside within the ravine system, several animals also live in the city's urban environment and parks.

The City of Toronto reports there are 24 species of amphibians and reptiles, 38 species of mammals,{{notetag|name=mammal|The following does not include humans, animals held in captivity (like the Toronto Zoo), or domesticated animals (such as pets and livestock).}} over 410 bird species, and a large number of insect genera in the city. There are also over 100 species of fish reported within the Greater Toronto Area.

Toronto was also in the historic range of several other animals, although the city's urban growth in the 19th century and early 20th century led to these species' natural range to recede beyond the city limits.

Vertebrates

=Amphibians and reptiles=

File:Blanding's Turtle.JPGs is one of several endangered species that inhabit the city.]]

File:Garter snake Toronto.jpg in the Toronto ravine system]]

There are 24 species of amphibians and reptiles that are considered native species within the city limits of Toronto, with most populations concentrated in the wetlands found in the city. Six of these native species were listed under the federal Species at Risk Act. The following amphibian and reptile species (sorted by family) may be found throughout the City of Toronto:

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  • Chelydridae
  • Common snapping turtle{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/snapping-turtle/|title=Snapping Turtle|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Colubridae
  • Common garter snake{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/eastern-gartersnake/|title=Eastern Gartersnake|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • De Kay's snake{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/dekays-brownsnake/|title=DeKay's Brownsnake|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Milksnake{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/milksnake/|title=Milksnake|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Northern redbelly snake{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/red-bellied-snake/|title=Red-bellied snake|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Northern water snake{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/northern-watersnake/|title=Northern watersnake|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Smooth green snake{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/smooth-greensnake/|title=Smooth Greensnake|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Hylidae
  • Grey tree frog{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/gray-treefrog/|title=Gray Treefrog|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Spring peeper{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/spring-peeper/|title=Spring Peeper|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Western chorus frog{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/western-chorus-frog/|title=Western Chorus Frog|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Kinosternidae
  • Eastern musk turtle{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/eastern-musk-turtle/|title=Eastern Musk Turtle|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Lungless salamander
  • Eastern red-backed salamander{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/eastern-red-backed-salamander/|title=Eastern Red-backed Salamander|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Mole salamander
  • Spotted salamander{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/spotted-salamander/|title=Spotted Salamander|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Pond turtle
  • Blanding's turtle{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/blandings-turtle/|title=Blanding's Turtle|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Midland painted turtle{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/midland-painted-turtle/|title=Midland Painted Turtle|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Northern map turtle{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/northern-map-turtle/|title=Northern Map Turtle|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Pond slider{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/06/24/turtles-face-a-threat-from-one-of-their-own-red-eared-invaders.html|title=Turtles face a threat from one of their own: red-eared invaders|last=Robinson|first=Michael|work=Toronto Star|publisher=Torstar Corporation|access-date=16 September 2018|date=24 June 2015}}{{notetag|name=nn|Non-native species.}}
  • Spotted turtle{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/spotted-turtle/|title=Spotted Turtle|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Wood turtle{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/wood-turtle/|title=Wood Turtle|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Proteidae
  • Common mudpuppy{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/mudpuppy/|title=Mudpuppy|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • True frog
  • American bullfrog{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/american-bullfrog/|title=American Bullfrog|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Green frog{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/green-frog/|title=Green Frog|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Northern leopard frog{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/northern-leopard-frog/|title=Northern Leopard Frog|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • Wood frog{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/wood-frog/|title=Wood Frog|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • True salamander
  • Eastern newt{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/red-spotted-newt/|title=Red-spotted salmander|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}
  • True toad
  • American toad{{cite web|url=https://ontarionature.org/programs/citizen-science/reptile-amphibian-atlas/american-toad/|title=American Toad|publisher=Ontario Nature|year=2018|access-date=12 September 2018}}

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=Birds=

{{see also|List of birds of Ontario}}

At least 195 bird species were confirmed to breed in the area, with a total of 410 species of birds recorded in the Greater Toronto Area (either breeding, in migration, or vagrant).{{cite web|url=http://torontobirdweek.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Biodiversity_Birds_of_TO_dec9.pdf|title=Checklist of the Birds of the Greater Toronto Area (2011)|pages=46–47|work=Birds of Toronto: A guide to their remarkable world|year=2011|publisher=City of Toronto|access-date=25 August 2018}} A number of birds pass through the Toronto while migrating, with the city being situated around where the Atlantic and the Mississippi migratory flyways converge.

The following bird species (sorted by family) have been spotted in the City of Toronto, and Greater Toronto:

File:Bluejay (Cyanocitta cristata) (1547) - Relic38.jpgs may be seen throughout the city. Toronto's Major League Baseball team is named after the bird.]]

File:Gavia immer -Gull Lake, Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada-8.jpg is the provincial bird of Ontario, and a bird species that breeds within Greater Toronto.]]

File:Haliaeetus leucocephalus Lake Shore Toronto.jpg at Humber Bay Park]]

File:Canada Goose, Toronto 13.jpg along the Harbourfront of Toronto]]

File:Accipiter cooperii m Sam Smith Toronto3.jpg at Colonel Samuel Smith Park]]

File:Great Blue Heron, Wading.jpg wading in Grenadier Pond at High Park]]

File:Larus-glaucoides-002.jpg at the Scarborough Bluffs. The gull is one of 11 species from the genus Larus that has been recorded in the city.]]

File:Setophaga magnolia f Sam Smith Park Toronto.jpg in Colonel Samuel Smith Park. The magnolia warbler is one of 52 New World warblers recorded in the city.]]

File:Cygnus olor Toronto.JPGs are seen as an invasive species in Toronto. Their population requires regular management from the TRCA.{{cite web|url=https://www.toronto.ca/311/knowledgebase/kb/docs/articles/special-purpose-bodies-and-external-organizations/nominated-boards-external-organizations/nominated-boards-external-organizations/toronto-and-region-conservation-authority/mute-swan-canada-goose-toronto-waterfront.html|title=Mute swan - Canada goose - Toronto Waterfront|publisher=City of Toronto|year=2018|access-date=28 May 2018}}]]

File:Mimus-polyglottos-002.jpg perched on a branch at Humber Bay Park West.]]

File:Northern Cadinal M Lambton Woods.JPG at Lambton Woods Park in Toronto.]]

File:Buteo jamaicensis High Park Toronto1.jpg at High Park. The hawk is one of five species of the genus Buteo spotted in the city.]]

File:Bubo scandiacus Toronto 1.jpg at the Leslie Street Spit. Snowy owls winter throughout southern Canada, including Toronto.]]

File:Cygnus buccinator swimming Toronto.jpg swimming on the Toronto waterfront.]]

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=Fish=

{{Expand list|date=December 2020}}

There is approximately 100 species of coldwater, coolwater, and warmwater fish found within the waterways of Greater Toronto. The following fish species are found in the creeks, ponds, and rivers that make up the Toronto waterway system, and the Toronto waterfront along Lake Ontario:{{cite web|url=https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/97af-Biodiversity-FishesBook-Division-Planning-And-Development-part2.pdf|title=Fishes of Toronto|publisher=City of Toronto|year=2011|access-date=26 May 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://trca.ca/conservation/aquatic-habitat-toronto/existing-conditions-fish/#mammals|title=Existing conditions: fish and other species|publisher=Toronto and Region Conservation Authority|year=2018|access-date=26 May 2018}}

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=Mammals=

File:Close encounter in humberwood park.jpgs near the West Humber River Trail in Toronto.]]

File:Toronto Neville Park Coyote Eying Breakfast (5407138081).jpg in Neville Park]]

File:Melanistic Sciurus carolinensis.JPG eastern grey squirrel on a tree at Toronto Metropolitan University]]

There are 38 species of mammals that reside within Toronto, although these numbers have fluctuated due to environmental changes and loss of natural habitats during the past century. The following mammals (sorted by family) may be found throughout the City of Toronto:{{notetag|name=mammal}}{{cite web|url=https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/8fdb-Biodiversity-MammalsBook-Division-Planning-And-Development-part2.pdf|title=Checklist of the Mammals of Toronto|work=Mammals of Toronto|publisher=City of Toronto|year=2012|access-date=2 June 2018}}

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==Historic species==

The historic range for several mammal species once extended into the City of Toronto. However, as the city developed, the natural range for several mammals receded beyond the city limits. At least 11 species of mammals were extirpated from the region. The historic range for the following mammals once included Toronto, but were pushed beyond the city limits prior to 1912:

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Invertebrates

File:Danaus Plexippus nectaring.jpg nectaring in The Queensway – Humber Bay.]]

{{Expand list|date=September 2018}}

Within the city of Toronto, there exists approximately 110 species of butterflies, although this number is prone to fluctuations as a result of a varied environment from year to year. There is approximately six families of bees in Toronto, which includes 37 genera and 364 species of bees in Toronto. Past published records estimate that there are 25 genera and approximately 200 species of spiders in Toronto; 24 of which were introduced to the region. However, it is estimated that the actual number of species that exist in the city is approximately three times larger. The following insects may be found throughout the City of Toronto including:{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

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See also

{{Portal|Animals|Canada}}

Notes

{{notefoot}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/animals-pets/wildlife-in-the-city/ Wildlife in the City]

{{Toronto}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toronto, fauna of}}

Category:Fauna of Canada

Category:Fauna of the Great Lakes region (North America)

Category:Environment of Toronto