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The common gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis) is a relatively small, striped, non-venomous snake. It is one of the most widespread snake species in North America and its range extends farther north than any other North American snake. In Canada, it is found in every province except Newfoundland and Labrador, and as far north as James Bay and into the southernmost Northwest Territories. The common gartersnake is broken into five subspecies across Canada: the Maritime gartersnake (Thamnophis s. pallidulus; PEI, NS, NB, QC), the Eastern gartersnake (Thamnophis s. sirtalis; QC, ON), the red-sided gartersnake (Thamnophis s. parietalis; ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, NWT), the valley gartersnake (Thamnophis s. fitchi; BC), and the Puget Sound gartersnake (Thamnophis s. pickeringii; BC).

Flatfish is the common name for fish belonging to the order Pleuronectiformes. There are 14 families of flatfish and over 800 species worldwide. In Canadian waters there are approximately 39 species of flatfish, from five families. These families are Pleuronectidae, Bothidae, Paralichthyidae, Scophthalmidae and Cynoglossidae. Familiar flatfishes found in Canada include halibut, plaice, flounder and turbot. Among their distinguishing features, flatfish have both eyes on one side of their body.

Salamanders are tailed amphibians belonging to the order Caudata. There are around 800 known species worldwide; 22 are found in Canada. In addition to these species, the unisexual Ambystoma, a unique lineage of salamanders that does not conform to the typical definition of a species, are also found in Canada. Salamanders mainly live in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere and tropical South and Central America. North America is home to more species of salamanders than anywhere else in the world. In Canada, salamanders are found from the Maritimes to British Columbia, and as far north as central Labrador and northern British Columbia; none have been recorded on the island of Newfoundland.

The Fowler’s toad (Anaxyrus fowleri) is a medium-sized, earthen-coloured toad that is native to Eastern North America. In Canada, Fowler’s toads are only found in a few small areas along the north shore of Lake Erie. This species lives in places with sandy or gravelly soils into which individuals can burrow; Fowler’s toads spend much of their time underground. Due to small and declining populations, the Fowler’s toad is endangered in Canada.

Canada’s national parks are protected areas established under federal legislation to preserve Canada’s natural heritage. They are administered by Parks Canada, a government agency that evolved from the world’s first national parks service, the Dominion Parks Branch, established in 1911. The National Parks System Plan, developed in 1970, divided Canada into 39 natural regions and set the goal of representing each region with at least one national park. Canada now has 48 national parks and national park reserves in 30 of these regions. In total, the parks cover more than 340,000 km2, which is over 3 per cent of Canada’s landmass. They protect important land and marine habitats, geographical features and sites of cultural significance. National parks also benefit local economies and the tourism industry in Canada.

(This is the full-length entry about National Parks of Canada. For a plain-language summary, please see National Parks of Canada (Plain-Language Summary).)