Search for "New France"

The weasel is a small, long-bodied, carnivorous mammal of the family Mustelidae. Three species of weasels are found in Canada: the short-tailed weasel, also known as the ermine or stoat (Mustela erminea), the long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata), and the least weasel (Mustela nivalis). The least weasel is the smallest species in the order carnivora. The genus Mustela also includes mink, black-footed ferret, and the introduced European ferret.

Representative specimens are usually labelled with their common and scientific names, family name and the country of origin may appear as well. The parents of hybrids may also be indicated.

Archaeopteryx, the oldest bird yet discovered, is known from several fossils recovered from fine slate deposits in Germany. This magpie-size animal lived in a tropical environment about 150 million years ago.

Beef cattle farming is a key component of Canadian agriculture. The four Western provinces account for about 85 per cent of beef cattle on Canadian cattle farms, with nearly one-half in Alberta alone. Beef farms make up about one-quarter of all farms in Canada, second only to field crops, while the dollar value of live cattle exports ranks just behind spring wheat, canola and durum exports. Canada ranks among the world’s top 10 per capita consumers and exporters of beef.

Natural-resource development has played a major role in Canada's economy and continues to be a focus of national concerns.

​Over the course of Canada’s history, marine disasters have occurred along the country’s coasts as well as in its freshwater lakes.

Domestication was performed through controlled mating and reproduction of captive animals which were selected and mated based on their behaviour and temperament.

Canada’s national parks are protected areas established under federal legislation to preserve Canada’s natural heritage. They are administered by Parks Canada, a government agency that evolved from the world’s first national parks service, the Dominion Parks Branch, established in 1911. The National Parks System Plan, developed in 1970, divided Canada into 39 natural regions and set the goal of representing each region with at least one national park. Canada now has 48 national parks and national park reserves in 30 of these regions. In total, the parks cover more than 340,000 km2, which is over 3 per cent of Canada’s landmass. They protect important land and marine habitats, geographical features and sites of cultural significance. National parks also benefit local economies and the tourism industry in Canada.

(This is the full-length entry about National Parks of Canada. For a plain-language summary, please see National Parks of Canada (Plain-Language Summary).)

Silviculture is the branch of FORESTRY that deals with establishing, caring for and reproducing stands of trees for a variety of forest uses including wildlife habitat, timber production and outdoor recreation.

Throughout the late 1980s and the 1990s, there was a tremendous evolution of FORESTRY in Canada and around the world. Forestry became increasingly important for both the ECONOMY and the ENVIRONMENT, and the practice of forestry became more complex.

The vulture is a large, long-winged, bald-headed bird of prey, normally abundant in warmer latitudes.

Invertebrates are animals without a vertebral column (backbone). As a group, invertebrates are extremely diverse.

Most early discoveries were made in artificial excavations, eg, rock quarries or coal mines.

The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a small, granivorous and insectivorous songbird with conical bill and chunky body.

The shearwater (order Procellariiformes, family Procellariidae) is a medium-sized seabird.

Starling is the common name for an Old World family (Sturnidae) of birds, comprising 114 principally tropical species.

The vireo (Vireonidae) is a family of small, basically olive green, insectivorous and partly frugivorous songbirds with repetitive, persistent song.

Herbs and spices differ largely by usage. Spices are normally more aromatic than herbs, and are often of tropical origin. They may consist of seeds, bark, flower buds, fruits, etc. Herbs are usually leafy and locally grown, and their use extends far back into history.