Native Animals

Europeans saw some animals they did not recognize when they reached North America. These animals included wild turkeys and buffalo. Wild turkeys lived in most of America. Early Spanish explorers had brought some turkeys back to Spain. People liked the tasty birds. Soon, turkeys became a popular food throughout much of Europe.

The American elk, a type of deer, roamed much of the United States and southern Canada. Native Americans hunted them. Soon, Europeans began hunting elk, too. They hunted thousands of elk. After a time, elk could only be found west of the Rocky Mountains.

About 50 million buffalo once roamed the North American Plains. The Plains Indians used the buffalo for food, clothing, shelter, tools, fuel, and medicine. European settlers hunted the buffalo, too. Often they hunted for sport or they took the skins and left the meat to rot in the sun. Settlers killed millions of buffalo. By 1889, there were only about 1,000 buffalo in the United States. Soon, the Plains Indians had to change their way of life because too few buffalo remained to support them.

Wild Animals Found in North America

	ELK	Buffalo	Wild Turkey
Native American Uses	• used large antlers to make farming tools • used skins for clothing • used meat for food	• used meat for food • used skins to make shelter, such as teepees, bedding, and clothing • used bones and horns as tools	• used feathers for ceremonial clothing • used meat for food • helped keep insects and small animals from eating crops
European Settler Uses	• hunted for sport • used meat for food	• hunted for sport • used meat for food	• used meat for food • sold in markets for money