Animals living in the Subarctic forest habitat

The subarctic forest is located just south of the Arctic and encompasses most of Alaska, Canada, Northern Scandinavia, Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Temperatures in the winter can drop to '40 'F and in its very short summer, temperatures may reach 86 'F.

The subarctic forest is home to many interesting animals: dall sheep, moose, and red deer to name a few.

Dall sheep display white to grayish colored hollow fur. They have large curling horns. Dall sheep are hoofed animals, this helps them get around the uneven ground of the mountains where they live. Dall sheep are herbivores, in the summer when food is readily available they eat grass, leaves and twigs, herbs, and shoots. In the winter lichen and moss are eaten.

Moose have a dark brown coat, white legs, hoofed feet, and a dewlap, which is the loose skin in the chin. Males have over-sized antlers that shed and re-grow every year. The moose is also an herbivore and eats 40 pounds of food a day! In the summer they eat willow, birch, and aspen twigs. They love to eat water plants such as lilly and pond weeds. In the winter months moose eat the needle leaves of coniferous forest.

A herd of red deer is common in the subarctic forest. The male has prominent antlers that are shed each year. In the fall, red deer grow a thicker coat of hair and some males grow neck manes. Another herbivore, red deer eat grass and the leaves of shrubs and trees. Bark is eaten in the winter.

Other animals include the bear, bald eagle, snowshoe rabbit, and gray wolf.

Even-toed ungulates

European elk
White-tailed deer
Black-tailed deer


Striped hyaena
Short-tailed mongoose
Arctic wolf
Brown bear
American black bear
Leopard cat
Least weasel
American lynx


Northern bat
Black-eared flying fox
Least pipistrelle

Hares, pikas, and rabbits

Arctic hare
Alaskan hare
Arctic hare
Snowshoe hare


Brown lemming
House rat
Russian flying squirrel
Wood lemming
Northern red-backed vole
Gray red-backed vole
Bank vole
Narrow-headed vole
Field vole
Eurasian harvest mouse

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