Wildlife
Narwhals, caribou, Arctic hare and more! Learn about the recent research being done on Nunavut’s unique flora and fauna.
A Nunavut-based Arctic hare named BBYY has set the world record for the longest distance travelled by a hare, rabbit or relative. Tagged with a satellite tracker, the adult female was tracked crossing more than 388 kilometres in 49 days, a feat that stunned researchers. Ecologists from the Université du Québec à Rimouski fixed satellite tracking collars on 25 hares near the tip of Umingmak Nuna (Ellesmere Island) in 2019 to identify their movement patterns. While many of the hares took on long journeys, none of the others came close to BBYY’s epic trek. Even though BBYY died of unknown causes a month after completing her journey, the data she provided will help inform conservation efforts in the North.
Caribou numbers are on the rise on Baffin Island! A 2014 survey had recorded a devastating decline in the population, but this year’s count found signs of a recovery in south Baffin. The survey from Nunavut’s Department of Environment focused on caribou populations around the communities of Iqaluit, Kimmirut, Kinngait, Pangnirtung and Qikiqtarjuaq; the rest of the island will be surveyed over the next few years.
While the 2014 survey revealed that caribou numbers had dropped from around 150,000 in the 1980s to just 4,600, local hunters have reported seeing an increasing number of healthy calves and cows. Their observations, along with aerial surveys, point to a rebound.
After a sizable jump in the narwhal population since its last assessment, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada says narwhals are no longer at risk. A survey in 2004 estimated the population at around 40,000, prompting the federal advisory panel to list the species as being of “special concern.” But the most recent assessment suggests there are around 160,000 unicorns of the sea and that conservation strategies have helped the famous whales rebound back to stable numbers. While narwhals face many challenges in their survival, including melting sea ice and a rise in boat traffic, their population numbers reflect their adaptability.
Though the Arctic Circle had warmer temperatures 52 million years ago, the winters were still long and dark. To compensate, Ignacius, which were closely related to primates and about the size of a small cat, evolved robust teeth and jaws for crunching through hard foods during the winter. Ignacius fossils from Umingmak Nuna (Ellesmere Island) were recently identified and named Ignacius mckennai and Ignacius dawsonae, two species new to western science. Studies of how these animals adapted to survive in the high latitudes of the Arctic are timely because they may give researchers insights into what future Arctic ecosystems will look like as the region warms due to climate change.
Nunavut’s newest and largest territorial park contains rare plant and lichen species previously found only farther south. Agguttinni, on northern Baffin Island, is also home to important cultural sites — Thule sod houses from a thousand years ago, as well as stone tent rings and camp remains — and is a haven for many bird species, various types of whales and various land mammals, from Arctic hares to polar bears.
During a survey of the park’s biodiversity, researchers documented 141 vascular plant species, 69 bryophytes, and 93 lichens. They found the northernmost Canadian examples of Lapland diapensia (Diapensia lapponica) and flame-tipped lousewort (Pedicularis flammea) and the first identified Nunavut records of powdered matchstick lichen (Pilophorus caerulus), Starke’s fork moss (Kiaeria starkei) and sprig moss (Aongstroemia longipes). The finds confirm the importance of biodiversity conservation in the park.
Wildlife
After more than a million years on Earth, the caribou is under threat of global extinction. The precipitous decline of the once mighty herds is a tragedy that is hard to watch — and even harder to reverse.
Wildlife
The failure to recognize distinct species and subspecies of caribou is hampering efforts to conserve them. So, I revised their taxonomy.
History
On April 1, 1999, Canada’s youngest population took control of its largest territory. Here’s how Canadian Geographic covered the story.
Wildlife
Caribou numbers in Canada are dropping drastically — and quickly — leaving the iconic land mammal on the brink of extinction