In the Wild
April Showers: these animals have special relationships with rain
EARTHWORMS Lumbricidae
Cross-canada When it rains, these wriggly critters can come aboveground because their skin will stay moist enough to allow them to breathe. Some researchers think earthworms come to the surface when it rains because they can move faster across the soil surface; others think rain causes vibrations that sound like moles digging, prompting the worms to move up and out of the way.
BLACK BEAR Ursus americanus
Cross-canada except Prince Edward Island While they don’t *love* rain, black bears can still be spotted out in light rains. It helps that they have their own method for towelling off: a 2017 study found that black bears, like many other mammals, shake themselves dry at a frequency perfectly calibrated for maximum water-loss per shake in relation to their size.
AMERICAN BULLFROG Lithobates catesbeianus
Southern Ontario and Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Bullfrogs are highly aquatic and don’t like to move around on land unless it is raining. That means their ability to spread out and create new bullfrog populations depends on there being enough rain.
COMMON MUSKRAT Ondatra zibethicus
Cross-canada As aquatic mammals, muskrats rely on the wetlands and waterways to make their homes — and rain is crucial to supporting these habitats.
MALLARD Anas platyrhynchos
Cross-canada (rare in Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I.) For mallards, heavy rain can create flooded fields with fewer predators and plenty of food.