Numerous animal species are found in coniferous forests. Among the main carnivores of the boreal forest are a number of felids (cats) and canids (dogs). The cats range in size from the Siberian Tiger, down through the lynx to the bobcat. The Amur (Siberian) Tigers are but one subspecies of this large Asian cat which is known from the tropics of India and Indonesia all the way north to the boreal forests of Russia. The Bobcat is a much smaller cat with a range that extends far into the temperate zone, unlike its larger and more northerly relative the lynx.Herbivores range in size from the large members of the deer family such as the Elk to insects on the small end of the scale. The name Elk needs some explanation. In Europe, the term Elk is applied to what we in North America would call a moose, and the animal they call a Red Deer is probably in the same species as our Elk. To avoid at least some confusion, a number of authorities in the United States and Canada have begun using a Native American name, Wapiti, in place of the name Elk (scientists use the scientific name Cervus elaphus). Among the smaller mammalian herbivores are the arboreal (tree-living) Porcupine and the terrestrial Snowshoe Hare. The Snowshoe Hare has its winter transformation; the brown coat that camouflaged it so well in the summer and fall is beginning to be shed and replaced with white fur that will help hide it in the winter snows. While many migratory birds nest in northern coniferous forests, other species reside there year-round.
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