The forests of Montana are home to over 600 species of wildlife. The instructors at the Wildlife Station teach about some of these animals, their habitat, their shelter, and what they eat. They tell what they can do to improve the homes of these animals and how you can help.
You then take a tour around the area to help the instructor identify a few of these animals. When you are done you should be able to name a few more of the 600 species in our forests.
The raptors are always popular with students. The birds on display are birds that have been injured and are being nursed back to health. Sometimes they can no longer survive in their natural habitat because of an injury.
There are 10,000 species of owls in the world. There are 15 of those species in Montana. Every owl except the Barn Owl, borrow nests. Owls can hear a mouse 75 feet away, from where it is standing. The owl kills its prey by squeezing it with its talons. It can squeeze as hard as 200 lbs./square inch. Owls can turn their heads 270 degrees around.
The owls spits up what it cannot digest. It coughs up what is known as an owl pellet. It looks like oval ball of fur and bones. You can find the bones or fur of the owl's previous lunch inside the pellet.
Did you know that grizzly bears have very long claws for digging? Grizzly bears in our area of Montana eat more plants than animals.