Fauna In Manitoba’s Tall Grass Prairie
While the loss of mega-fauna on the prairies is well known and documented (such as that of the bison, the plains grizzly and the plains wolf), there are other endangered and threatened species in Manitoba which deserve attention and whose existence is limited to the prairie region. Indeed, the continued shrinking area of prairie affects the habitat of these unique species. The prairie is not only unique for its flore, but also for its fauna, which is dependent on habitat. There is a distinction between prairie and forest species, whether reptiles, mammals or insects. As an example, while the caterpillars that eventually become the monarch butterfly or the black swallowtail butterfly feed off host plants that require full sun, the tiger swallowtail feeds off of trees, and depends on the survival of forests to live.