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PreviewAdvancedSpecial charactersHelpHeadingLevel 2Level 3Level 4Level 5FormatInsertLatinLatin extendedIPASymbolsGreekGreek extendedCyrillicArabicArabic extendedHebrewBanglaTamilTeluguSinhalaDevanagariGujaratiThaiLaoKhmerCanadian AboriginalRunesÁáÀàÂâÄäÃãǍǎĀāĂ㥹ÅåĆćĈĉÇçČčĊċĐđĎďÉéÈèÊêËëĚěĒēĔĕĖėĘęĜĝĢģĞğĠġĤĥĦħÍíÌìÎîÏïĨĩǏǐĪīĬĭİıĮįĴĵĶķĹĺĻļĽľŁłŃńÑñŅņŇňÓóÒòÔôÖöÕõǑǒŌōŎŏǪǫŐőŔŕŖŗŘřŚśŜŝŞşŠšȘșȚțŤťÚúÙùÛûÜüŨũŮůǓǔŪūǖǘǚǜŬŭŲųŰűŴŵÝýŶŷŸÿȲȳŹźŽžŻżÆæǢǣØøŒœßÐðÞþƏəFormattingLinksHeadingsListsFilesDiscussionReferencesDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getItalic''Italic text''Italic textBold'''Bold text'''Bold textBold & italic'''''Bold & italic text'''''Bold & italic textDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getReferencePage text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>Page text.[1]Named referencePage text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>Page text.[2]Additional use of the same referencePage text.<ref name="test" />Page text.[2]Display references<references />↑ Link text, additional text.↑ Link text===Flora and fauna=== {{see also|List of fauna of Oklahoma}} [[File:Tallgrass Prairie Nature Preserve in Osage County.jpg|thumb|Populations of [[American bison]] inhabit the state's prairie ecosystems.]] Due to Oklahoma's location at the confluence of many geographic regions, the state's climatic regions have a high rate of biodiversity. Forests cover 24 percent of Oklahoma<ref name="TravelOK"/> and [[prairie|prairie grasslands]] composed of shortgrass, mixed-grass, and [[tallgrass prairie]], harbor expansive ecosystems in the state's central and western portions, although [[Agricultural land|cropland]] has largely replaced native grasses.<ref name="ecology"/> Where rainfall is sparse in the state's western regions, shortgrass prairie and [[shrubland]]s are the most prominent ecosystems, though [[pinyon pine]]s, red cedar ([[juniper]]s), and [[Pinus ponderosa|ponderosa pines]] grow near rivers and creek beds in the panhandle's far western reaches.<ref name="ecology"/> [[Southwestern Oklahoma]] contains many rare, [[Disjunct distribution|disjunct species]], including [[Acer saccharum|sugar maple]], [[Acer grandidentatum|bigtooth maple]], [[nolina]], and [[Quercus fusiformis|Texas live oak]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=QUFU|title=Plants 3}}</ref> [[Marsh]]lands, [[cypress]] forests, and mixtures of [[Pinus echinata|shortleaf pine]], [[Pinus taeda|loblolly pine]], [[sabal minor|blue palmetto]], and deciduous forests dominate the state's [[Kiamichi Country|southeastern quarter]], while mixtures of largely [[Quercus stellata|post oak]], [[elm]], red cedar (''[[Juniperus virginiana]]''), and [[pine]] forests cover [[Green Country|northeastern Oklahoma]].<ref name="forests 1">{{cite web|year=2003|url=http://www.odl.state.ok.us/almanac/2005/3-inbrief.pdf|title=Oklahoma in Brief|publisher=State of Oklahoma|access-date=August 4, 2007|archive-date=August 8, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808074222/http://www.odl.state.ok.us/almanac/2005/3-inbrief.pdf}}</ref><ref name="ecology"/><ref name="OK forests">{{cite web | url=http://www.ok.gov/~okag/forestry-okforestshome.htm| title=Oklahoma Ecoregional Maps | publisher=Oklahoma Department of Agriculture | access-date=August 2, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071013192154/http://ok.gov/~okag/forestry-okforestshome.htm|archive-date=October 13, 2007 }}</ref> The state holds populations of [[white-tailed deer]], [[mule deer]], [[Pronghorn|antelope]], [[coyote]]s, [[Cougar|mountain lions]], [[bobcat]]s, [[elk]], and birds such as [[quail]], [[Columbidae|doves]], [[northern cardinal|cardinals]], [[bald eagle]]s, [[red-tailed hawk]]s, and [[pheasant]]s. In prairie ecosystems, [[American bison]], [[greater prairie chicken]]s, [[badger]]s, and [[armadillo]] are common, and some of the nation's largest [[prairie dog]] towns inhabit shortgrass prairie in the state's panhandle. The [[Cross Timbers]], a region transitioning from prairie to woodlands in Central Oklahoma, harbors 351 [[Vertebrate|vertebrate species]]. The Ouachita Mountains are home to [[American black bear|black bear]], [[red fox]], [[gray fox]], and [[North American river otter|river otter]] populations, which coexist with 328 vertebrate species in southeastern Oklahoma. Also in southeastern Oklahoma lives the [[American alligator]].<ref name="ecology">{{cite web|year=2005 |url=http://www.travelok.com/about/StudentGuide.pdf |title=A Look at Oklahoma: A Student's Guide |publisher=State of Oklahoma |access-date=August 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230052128/http://www.travelok.com/about/StudentGuide.pdf |archive-date=December 30, 2006 }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page