• Library materials

The fur-bearing animals we have talked about are certainly not the only ones that John Tod would have encountered. One such animal is the mink (pictured below). Mink skins are still valuable today but today most of the skins come from ranches rather than from the wild. In John Tod's time wild mink were trapped for their soft smooth fur.

Most mink live along the edges of streams, rivers, freshwater marshes and lakes. They are mainly ground dwellers, unlike their relative the marten. The mink will eat anything that moves, including insects, snakes, birds and fish. They also eat things that don't move: carrion.

Other fur bearers include the lynx, the fisher, the sea otter, the marmot, the seal, the wolf, the buffalo and the raccoon. If it had fur, John Tod would likely have traded it.

Activity Steps

1. Of the animals we've listed—as well as others we've mentioned in the site—develop trading cards with the animal's picture on the front, its statistics (how big is it, what does it eat, etc.) and distribution throughout Canada on the back. 
2. You may find fur-bearing animals that were traded in Canada that we've missed on this site. You can add these to your trading cards—IF you can find them!
3. Try to discover what impact the fur trade had on the different animals that fur traders came to Canada to find. Are any of these animals extinct or endangered? Mark "endangered" or "extinct" on the trading cards for each animal that is endangered.
4. Additional activity: Choose another country which had a fur trade and look at the animals that were traded there.

These activities are meant to supplement your classroom lessons and help to achieve the following Social Studies 5 Learning Outcomes:

• Describe the diverse distribution of natural resources within Canada.
• Assess the effects of lifestyles and industries on local and global environments.
• Demonstrate understanding of sustainability, stewardship, and renewable versus non-renewable natural resources.

Plant Press	Home	Teacher's Corner Index