List of mammals of Nunavut

Nunavut has several species of mammals (ᐱᓱᒃᑎ, pisukti),[1] of which the Inuit found use for almost all. The larger animals such as the caribou would be eaten, with the skin used for tents and clothing and the sinew used for thread. In lean times even animals such as the fox would have been eaten and some people did eat it even when other foods were available. With the arrival of the traders the fox skin became a valuable source for trade, however, traditionally the skin was not often used except as a sanitary napkin. The skins of smaller animals such as the weasel would have been used to provide decoration on clothing.

Some of the animals in this list, such as the lynx, are rarely seen as they live mainly in the very southern part of the territory away from any communities.

There are several different dialects of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun as well as two alphabets, Inuktitut syllabics and Latin. The Inuit name or spelling may differ from one region to another and in extreme cases from one community to another.

Mammal (ᐱᓱᒃᑎ, pisukti)

Artiodactyla (ᑯᑭᑯᖅᑐᔪᑦ)

Muskoxen

• Bovidae (ᓇᒃᔪᒋᒃᑐᑦ)[2]
  • Muskox (ᐅᒥᖕᒪᒃ, umingmait, umingmak, oomingmak) Ovibos moschatus[2][1]
• Cervidae (ᓇᒃᔪᓖᑦ)[2]
  • Barren-ground caribou (ᓇᐹᕐᑐᕐᑲᓐᖏᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᒃᑐ, tuktut, tuktu) Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus[2][1]
  • Peary caribou (ᕐᑯᑦᓯᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᒃᑐ, tuku, qakuqtakuluit tuktut, qikiqtani tuktuit) Rangifer tarandus pearyi[2][1]
  • Western moose (ᑐᒃᑐᕙᒃ, tuktuvak) Alces alces andersoni[2][1]

Carnivora (ᓂᕐᑭᑐᖅᑎᑦ, ᓂᕿᑐᐃᓐᓇᐃᓈᖅ, niqituinnainaaq)

Arctic fox

• Canidae (ᕐᑭᒻᐅᔭᑦ)[2]
  • Grey wolf (ᐊᒪᕈᖅ, amaruq) Canis lupus, predominantly the subspecies Arctic wolf, Canis lupus arctos[2][1]
  • Arctic fox (ᑎᕆᒐᓐᓂᐊᖅ, tiriganniak, tiriqaniaq) Alopex lagopus or Vulpes lagopus[2][1]
  • Red fox (ᑲᔪᖅ, kajuqtuq, kajuit) Vulpes vulpes[2][1]
• Felidae (ᑯᑭᓕᒑᕐᔪᐃᑦ)[2]
  • Canada lynx (ᐱᖅᑐᖅᓯᕋᖅ, piqtuqsiraq) Lynx canadensis[2][1]
• Ursidae (ᓄᑭᓖᑦ)[2]
  

  Polar bear
  • Polar bear (ᓇᓄᖅ, nanuq) Ursus maritimus[2][3][1]
  • Grizzly bear (ᓇᐹᖅᑐᖃᖕᒋᑦᑐᒥ ᐊᒃᖤᒃ, atiqpuq) Ursus arctos horribilis[2][1]
  • Black bear (ᐊᒃᖤᒃ, aklaq) Ursus americanus[2][1]
• Mustelidae (ᑎᕆᐊᓂᙶᖅᑐᑦ)[2]
  • Wolverine (ᖃᕝᕕᒃ, qalvik, qavvik) Gulo gulo[2][1]
  • Ermine (ᑎᕆᐊᖅ, tiriaqpak, tiqiak) Mustela erminea[2][1]
  • Least weasel (ᒥᑭᓂᖅᓴᖅ ᑎᕆᐊᖅ, tiriaq, tiqiak) Mustela nivalis[2][1]
  • American mink (ᑎᕆᐊᖅᐸᒃ, tiriaqpak) Mustela vison[2][1]
  • American marten (ᖃᑉᕕᐊᕐᓯᐊᖅ, qapviarsiaq) Martes americana[2][1]
  • Fisher (ᑎᕆᐊᕐᔪᐊᖅ) Martes pennanti[2]
  • River otter (ᑯᒻᒥ ᐸᒥᐅᖅᑑᖅ, pamiuqtuuq) Lontra canadensis[2][1]
• Phocidae (ᓇᑦᓯᖅ, natsiq)[4][1]
  

  Bearded seal
  • Bearded seal (ᐅᒡᔪᒃ, ᐅᒥᒃᑑᖅ, ugjuk) Erignathus barbatus[5][1]
  • Hooded seal (ᓇᑦᓯᕙᒃ, natsivak) Cystophora cristata[6][1]
  • Harbor seal (ᖃᓯᒋᐊᖅ, qasigiaq) Phoca vitulina[7][1]
  • Harp seal (ᖃᐃᕈᓕᒃ, qairulik) Pagophilus groenlandicus[8][1]
  • Grey seal (ᐳᕕᓲᖅ, puvisuuq) Halichoerus grypus[9][1]
  • Ringed seal (ᓇᑦᑎᖅ, nattiq) Pusa hispida[10][1]
• Odobenidae[4]
  • Walrus (ᐊᐃᕕᖅ, aiviq) Odobenus rosmarus[11][1]

Lagomorpha (ᑭᖑᓪᓖᖅᑯᖅᑐᔪᑦ)

• Leporidae (ᐅᑲᓖᑦ)[2]
  

  Arctic hare
  • Arctic hare (ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐅᑲᓕᖅᐸᒃ, ukaliq, okalik, ukalik) Lepus arcticus[2][1]
  • Snowshoe hare (ᑭᖑᓪᓖᕐᑯᕐᑐᔪᖅ ᐅᑲᓕᖅ) Lepus americanus[2][1]

Rodentia (ᑎᓯᓖᑦ)

• Castoridae (ᐸᒥᐅᒥᓅᖅᑐᑦ)[2]
  • American beaver (ᑭᒋᐊᖅ, kigiaq, kiqiaq) Castor canadensis[2][1]
• Muridae (ᐊᕕᙵᐃᑦ)[2]
  • Muskrat (ᐊᕕᙵᕐᔪᐊᖅ, kivgaluk, avinnqarjuaq) Ondatra zibethicus[2][1]
    

    North American brown lemming
  • North American brown lemming (ᑲᔪᖅ ᐊᕕᙵᖅ, kayuqtumik avin'ngak, avin'ngaq, avinnqaq) Lemmus trimucronatus[2][1]
  • Peary land collared lemming (ᕐᑲᑯᖅᑕᖅ ᐊᕕᙵᖅ, qutulingmik avin'ngak, avin'ngaq, aupajaaqtuq avinnqaq) Dicrostonyx groenlandicus[2][1]
  • Meadow vole (ᐊᕕᙵᕋᓛᖅ) Microtus pennsylvanicus[2]
  • Northern red-backed vole (ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐊᐅᐸᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᕐᑯᓖᓕᒃ ᐊᕕᙵᕋᓛᖅ) Myodes rutilus[2]
  • Brown rat (ulimakka) Rattus norvegicus (Introduced)[2][12]
• Sciuridae (ᓯᒃᓯᑦ)[2]
  • Arctic ground squirrel (ᓯᒃᓯᒃ, siksik) Spermophilus parryii[2][1]
  • Red squirrel (ᐊᐅᐸᖅᑐᖅ ᓯᒃᓯᐅᔭᖅ) Tamiasciurus hudsonicus[2]

Insectivora (ᕐᑯᐱᕐᕈᑐᖅᑏᑦ)

Walrus

• Soricidae (ᓂᕇᓐᓇᓲᑦ, utjunaq)[2][1]
  • Masked shrew (ᐊᐅᐸᖅᑐᖅ ᓯᒃᓯᐅᔭᖅ, uqjunqnaq) Sorex cinereus[2][1]

Chiroptera (ᐅᓐᓄᐊᖅᓯᐅᑦ)

• Vespertilionidae (ᐃᓴᕈᕐᓗᒃᑐᑦ)[2]
  • Little brown myotis (ᒥᑭᔪᖅ ᑲᔪᖅ ᑎᒻᒥᓲᖅ ᐊᕕᙵᐅᔭᖅ) Myotis lucifugus[2]
  • Hoary bat (ᕐᑭᖑᔭᖅ ᑎᒻᒥᓲᖅ ᐊᕕᙵᐅᔭᖅ) Lasiurus cinereus[2]

Cetacea

Narwhals

Beluga whales

• Balaenidae[4]
  • Bowhead whale (ᐊᕐᕕᖅ, arviq) Balaena mysticetus[13][1]
• Balaenopteridae[4]
  • Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus[14]
  • Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis[15]
  • Blue whale (ᐊᕐᕕᖅ ᓂᐊᖁᕐᓗᖕᓂᖅᓴᖅ, ᐃᐸᒃ, arviq niaqurlungniqsaq, ipak) Balaenoptera musculus[16][1]
  • Common minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata[17]
  • Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae[18]
• Delphinidae[4]
  • Killer whale (ᐋᕐᓗ, ᐊᕐᓗᒃ, ᐋᕐᓗᒃ, aarlu, arluk, aarluk) Orcinus orca[19][1]
  • Long-finned pilot whale[20]
  • White-beaked dolphin[21]
• Monodontidae[4]
  • Narwhal (ᑑᒑᓕᒃ, tuugaalik, ᕿᓚᓗᒐᖅ ᑑᒑᓕᒃ, qilalugaq tuugaalik) Monodon monoceros[22][1]
  • Beluga whale (ᕿᓇᓗᒐᖅ, qilalugaq) Delphinapterus leucas[23][1]
    • Cumberland Sound beluga[24][25]
• Phocoenidae[4]
  • Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena[26]
• Physeteridae[4]
  • Sperm whale (ᑭᒍᑎᓕᒃ, kigutilik) Physeter macrocephalus[27][1]
• Ziphiidae[4]
  • Northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus[28]

See also

• List of birds of Nunavut

References

1. Asuilaak Living Dictionary Archived 2005-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
2. Anand-Wheeler, Ingrid (2002). Terrestrial Mammals of Nunavut. Government of Nunavut. ISBN 1-55325-035-4.
3. Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus
4. Marine mammals of Canada University of Guelph
5. Bearded Seal, Erignathus barbatus
6. Hooded Seal, Cystophora cristata
7. Harbour Seal, Phoca vitulina
8. Harp Seal, Phoca groenlandica
9. Grey Seal, Halichoerus grypus
10. Ringed Seal, Phoca hispida
11. Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus
12. Ohokak, G.; M. Kadlun; B. Harnum. Inuinnaqtun-English Dictionary. Kitikmeot Heritage Society. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
13. Bowhead Whale, Balaena mysticetus
14. Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus
15. Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis
16. Blue Whale, Balaenoptera musculus
17. Minke Whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
18. Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
19. Killer Whale, Orcinus orca
20. Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melaena
21. White-beaked Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris
22. Narwhal, Monodon monoceros
23. Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas
24. COSEWIC (2004). COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report on the Beluga Whale Delphinapterus leucas in Canada (PDF) (Report).
25. Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (2008). Information Relevant to the Identification of Critical Habitat for Cumberland Sound Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) (PDF) (Report).
26. Harbour Porpoise, Phocoena phocoena
27. Sperm Whale, Physeter catodon
28. Northern Bottlenose Whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus

External links

• Wildlife Publications including "Terrestrial Mammals Fact Sheets" from the Government of Nunavut