Primary+Consumers

NC Primary Consumers: Sara, Cammie, Taylor (Animals 1-4, Sara; 5-7, Cammie; 7-10, Taylor) Primary Consumer- This is an animal in the food chain that eats plants, a herbivore.

1. Rutous-sided Towhee (bird): This bird consumes mostly dead leaves which have fallen off the tree, and therefore, spend most of their time the forest ground. 2. White-tailed Deer: These deer live in grassy areas in the forest and consume majority leaves, but will eat most plants.

3. Honey Bee: Honey Bees eat the pollen from numerous flowers in the Western North Carolina forests. Honey Bees tend to build their hives attached to a tree near a grassy clearing that may have additional flowers, and, because they like warmth. 4. Saint Francis Satyr (butterfly)- These butterflies are only found in North Carolina and live near dams and high grass near rivers. They mostly pollinate flowers on grasses and sedges. 5. North American Beaver- Semi Aquatic animals so they live both in water and on land, Beavers eat clover, bark, twigs, and aquatic plants.  The North American beaver has scent glands near the genitals that secrete an oily substance called castoreum. Beavers use this to make their fur waterproof. Beavers are mostly active at night and are semi aquatic, though once on land they cannot move quite as quickly as in the water. Their tails are used for fat storage and to signal danger. The largest beaver dam is 2,790 feet long. North American Beavers have one litter of kits per year and start around the age of three for reproducing. Beavers help raise the groundwater level in dry seasons. Beavers surprisingly have a good effect on salmon and trout because they help to provide a winter habitat. Beavers are the national animal and a national symbol of Canada. Beavers are lean meat such as beef, though you must cook it slow and in a broth to prevent contamination from their strong castor gland.



6. Juniper Hairstreak (butterfly)- Usually they stay around their host plant such as a Western Redcedar. They eat nectar from their host plants.



7. Cottontail Rabbit- They live in nests called forms. They eat bark, crops, grasses, and herbs.

8. Gray Squirrel Range: Found in eastern and mid-western United States as well as south Canada. Diet: Many types of seeds and nuts as well as tree bark, fungi, and some mushrooms.



9. Canada Goose Range: Canada and Northern U.S.A. Diet: Grains (wheat, beans, rice, corn, etc), grasses and seaweed.

10. Goat Range: Europe, Asian, America, and Africa. Diet: They feed off of grass as well as anything representing grass such as cardboard and paper.