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Nunavut is home to polar bears, caribou, muskoxen, Arctic foxes and wolves on land; narwhals, belugas, bowhead whales, walruses and seals in its waters; and dozens of bird species from the rock ptarmigan — the territorial bird — to the snowy owl. This is the complete guide to the animals that live in Canada's Arctic territory.
13+
Land mammal species
9
Marine mammal species
~100
Bird species breed here
0
Reptiles or amphibians
The table below lists the territory's signature species. Status labels summarize assessments by COSEWIC, the Species at Risk Act registry and the IUCN Red List — consult the sources at the bottom of this page for current listings. Linked species have full profiles in our detailed guides.
| Animal | Group | Scientific name | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polar Bear | Land mammal | Ursus maritimus | Special Concern |
| Barren-ground Caribou | Land mammal | Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus | Threatened |
| Peary Caribou | Land mammal | Rangifer tarandus pearyi | Endangered |
| Dolphin-Union Caribou | Land mammal | Rangifer tarandus | Special Concern |
| Muskox | Land mammal | Ovibos moschatus | Stable |
| Arctic Fox | Land mammal | Vulpes lagopus | Stable |
| Red Fox | Land mammal | Vulpes vulpes | Stable |
| Arctic Wolf | Land mammal | Canis lupus arctos | Stable |
| Arctic Hare | Land mammal | Lepus arcticus | Stable |
| Collared Lemming | Land mammal | Dicrostonyx groenlandicus | Stable |
| Wolverine | Land mammal | Gulo gulo | Special Concern |
| Canadian Lynx | Land mammal | Lynx canadensis | Stable |
| Ermine (Stoat) | Land mammal | Mustela erminea | Stable |
| Narwhal | Marine mammal | Monodon monoceros | Special Concern |
| Beluga Whale | Marine mammal | Delphinapterus leucas | Varies by population |
| Bowhead Whale | Marine mammal | Balaena mysticetus | Special Concern |
| Killer Whale (Orca) | Marine mammal | Orcinus orca | Not assessed |
| Walrus | Marine mammal | Odobenus rosmarus | Special Concern |
| Ringed Seal | Marine mammal | Pusa hispida | Stable |
| Bearded Seal | Marine mammal | Erignathus barbatus | Stable |
| Harp Seal | Marine mammal | Pagophilus groenlandicus | Abundant |
| Greenland Shark | Fish | Somniosus microcephalus | Special Concern |
| Rock Ptarmigan | Bird | Lagopus muta | Stable — territorial bird |
| Snowy Owl | Bird | Bubo scandiacus | Vulnerable |
| Gyrfalcon | Bird | Falco rusticolus | Stable |
| Peregrine Falcon | Bird | Falco peregrinus | Recovered |
| Arctic Tern | Bird | Sterna paradisaea | Stable |
| King Eider | Bird | Somateria spectabilis | Stable |
| Snow Goose | Bird | Anser caerulescens | Abundant |
| Thick-billed Murre | Bird | Uria lomvia | Stable |
| Ivory Gull | Bird | Pagophila eburnea | Endangered |
| Long-tailed Jaeger | Bird | Stercorarius longicaudus | Stable |
| Snow Bunting | Bird | Plectrophenax nivalis | Stable |
| Arctic Char | Fish | Salvelinus alpinus | Stable |
| Lake Trout | Fish | Salvelinus namaycush | Stable |
| Greenland Halibut (Turbot) | Fish | Reinhardtius hippoglossoides | Managed fishery |
The tundra supports a surprisingly rich cast of terrestrial mammals, all shaped by the same forces: extreme cold, a brief growing season, and vast seasonal migrations.
The world's largest land carnivore, with adult males commonly weighing 350–600 kg. Roughly two-thirds of the world's polar bears live in Canada, and several of the country's 13 subpopulations range along Nunavut's coasts and sea ice, hunting ringed seals.
Barren-ground caribou undertake some of the longest land migrations of any mammal. The endangered Peary caribou survives on the High Arctic islands, and the Dolphin-Union herd migrates across the sea ice between Victoria Island and the mainland — a crossing shared with polar bears.
Cloaked in qiviut, one of the warmest natural fibres on Earth, muskoxen form defensive circles against wolves. They graze the tundra of the mainland and Victoria Island year-round.
Arctic foxes (white in winter, blue-grey in summer), red foxes pushing north, Arctic wolves, wolverines, lynx and ermine hunt the tundra's small mammals — above all lemmings, whose population cycles drive the fortunes of foxes, owls and jaegers alike.
Nunavut's waters host the majority of the world's narwhals, healthy bowhead and beluga populations, and several seal species that have sustained Inuit communities for millennia.
Narwhals — the "unicorns of the sea" — summer in the fjords of Baffin Island and northern Hudson Bay. Belugas gather in warm, shallow estuaries to moult and calve, and bowhead whales, which can live over 200 years, cruise the ice edges of the High Arctic.
Ringed seals — the polar bear's primary prey — keep breathing holes in the ice and birth their pups in snow lairs. Bearded and harp seals follow the ice edge, and Atlantic walruses haul out on islands and ice floes across the territory.
Killer whales are increasingly recorded in Nunavut waters as sea ice declines, and the Greenland shark — which can live for centuries — prowls the deep, cold channels between the islands.
Arctic char — Nunavut's most celebrated fish — run from the sea into tundra rivers each summer. Lake trout, Arctic grayling and the commercially vital Greenland halibut (turbot) complete the picture.
Around a hundred bird species breed in Nunavut, and many more pass through. The territory's wetlands and cliffs hold some of the largest seabird colonies in the Canadian Arctic.
Nunavut's official bird stays year-round, moulting from mottled brown in summer to pure white in winter. It is joined by the snowy owl, gyrfalcon — the largest falcon on Earth — and the peregrine falcon, the fastest animal alive.
Thick-billed murres nest in cliff colonies by the tens of thousands, king eiders and long-tailed ducks raft along the coasts, and the endangered ivory gull — one of Canada's rarest birds — haunts the High Arctic pack ice.
Arctic terns commute pole to pole each year — the longest migration of any animal. Snow geese, Canada geese, brant, jaegers, sandpipers and plovers arrive each spring to nest on the tundra, and the snow bunting is often the first songbird back.
No penguins — they live only in the Southern Hemisphere — and no reptiles or amphibians breed anywhere in Nunavut. Woodpeckers, owls of the forest and most songbirds reach only the treeline far to the south.
Three species hold official status in the territory: the rock ptarmigan (territorial bird), the Canadian Inuit Dog or qimmiq (territorial animal), and the purple saxifrage (floral emblem). The qimmiq, the traditional Inuit sled dog, was central to travel and hunting across the Arctic for centuries.
Five national parks protect key habitat across the territory — Sirmilik (narwhals, belugas, polar bears and seabird colonies), Auyuittuq, Quttinirpaaq, Qausuittuq (home of the endangered Peary caribou) and Ukkusiksalik. Outside the parks, communities such as Pond Inlet, Cambridge Bay and Pangnirtung serve as gateways for guided wildlife viewing. Always travel with local guides and follow polar bear safety protocols.
Nunavut’s best-known animals are polar bears, caribou (barren-ground, Peary and Dolphin-Union herds), muskoxen, Arctic foxes, Arctic wolves, Arctic hares and lemmings on land; narwhals, beluga and bowhead whales, walruses and several seal species in its waters; and birds including the rock ptarmigan (the territorial bird), snowy owls, gyrfalcons, Arctic terns and millions of migrating geese and shorebirds.
Yes — Nunavut is one of the world’s polar bear strongholds. Roughly two-thirds of the world’s polar bears live in Canada, and several of the country’s 13 polar bear subpopulations range along Nunavut’s coasts and sea ice, from Western Hudson Bay and Davis Strait in the southeast to Baffin Bay, Kane Basin and the High Arctic islands.
The bowhead whale, which can exceed 15 metres and 60 tonnes, is the largest animal in Nunavut’s waters. On land, the polar bear is the largest mammal — the world’s biggest land carnivore — while the muskox is the largest land herbivore.
The polar bear. Adult male polar bears commonly weigh 350–600 kg, making them the largest land mammal in the Arctic and the largest land carnivore on Earth. The muskox, at up to about 400 kg, is the largest Arctic land herbivore.
The rock ptarmigan is Nunavut’s official territorial bird, and the Canadian Inuit Dog (qimmiq) is the official territorial animal. The territory’s floral emblem is the purple saxifrage.
No. Penguins live only in the Southern Hemisphere, and no reptiles or amphibians can survive Nunavut’s climate. The territory’s cold-blooded representatives are fish such as Arctic char and the long-lived Greenland shark.
Polar bears are the primary danger and are treated with serious caution in every coastal community; walruses and muskoxen can also be dangerous when surprised or defending young. Arctic wolves and foxes rarely threaten people but can carry rabies.
National parks such as Sirmilik (Bylot Island and Borden Peninsula), Auyuittuq and Quttinirpaaq protect key wildlife habitat, and communities across the territory offer guided viewing of narwhals, belugas, birds and caribou. See our tourism guide for responsible viewing practices.
Conservation status labels on this page summarize published assessments and change between cycles. For legal listings consult the Species at Risk Public Registry, and for the latest scientific assessments consult COSEWIC and the IUCN Red List.