Photo Credits (l-r): (1) (2) (3)
Baffin Island is home to many species that are found almost nowhere else on Earth. Some of the animals of Baffin Island are land-dwelling species, such as the barren-ground caribou, which lives on the sparse vegetation, and the Arctic fox, which hunts other land animals such as lemmings and the Arctic hare. The Arctic fox of Baffin Island is also a scavenger that follows polar bears out to the pack ice and eats the bear’s scraps. Many other creatures live in or around the ocean.
Producers
The major producer in the Arctic marine food web is algae; it feeds the mussels, fish, and plankton, which in turn feed the larger animals. There has been a record of mass die-off of Arctic algae since 1970 as a result of global warming, and the disappearance of this foundational food supply has had a ripple effect throughout the Arctic ecosystem.
Birds
Birds such as the Canada goose, snow goose, eider duck, Arctic tern, and plover can be found around the water’s edge. Baffin Island is an important stopover for migrating bird species, where they spend time mating and eating the fish and shellfish that live along the water’s edge. Some birds, such as the Arctic tern, can travel as many as 12,000 miles in a single year. According to the British Trust for Ornithology, a 25-year-old Arctic tern “will travel well in excess of 500,000 miles on migration, more than enough to take it to the moon and back.” Seabirds are already feeling the effects of global warming. They nest in rocky cliffs along the coast, then fly out to fish and forage between cracks in the sea ice. The greater distance they must fly between nesting and feeding sites means they cannot get enough food for themselves or their young. Another threat to Arctic birds comes from species that, until recently, have never been seen before on Baffin Island. They are moving north because of the warmer temperatures and competing with the Arctic birds for food and other resources. (Photo Credit: 4)
Marine Mammals
The most unique Baffin Island wildlife are the marine mammals. Harp seals spend their summers in the water near the edge of the pack ice, feeding on mussels and fish, migrating up from their birthing grounds near Labrador, Canada. They come up for air at breathe-holes in the ice. Declining sea ice is making it increasingly difficult for all seal species, but especially ice-dependent species like harp seals, to feed and breed. Walrus live on Baffin year-round and do not travel very far from shore; a large herd of walrus inhabits the Foxe Basin. They can often be found sunning themselves on rocks. The ice edge provides the ideal feeding area for walrus, which dive to the sea floor to eat clams and other shellfish. These food sources live only on the continental shelves; as the ice retreats to deeper areas, the walrus are finding it increasingly difficult to dive for food. Belugas and narwhals are the whale species for which Baffin Island is most
famous. Belugas, the famous white whales, inhabit the Hudson Strait; they live in communities of two or more and feed on crustaceans. Narwhals are known for the long spiral-shaped horn found on the foreheads of the males. They travel in large communities of ten or more. In the Middle Ages, Vikings sold the horns of narwhals to other Europeans, who believed they came from unicorns. The largest marine mammal living in the waters around Baffin are the bowhead whales. They are known as “baleen whales” for their strainer-like mouths that capture brine shrimp and other small aquatic creatures. (Photo Credit l-r: 5 and 6)
Polar Bears
Polar bears are the animals that are experiencing the greatest effects of global warming. One of the two largest land carnivores, they are major predators and the top of the Arctic food chain, and they feed almost exclusively on seals. During the summer, they swim out to the pack ice. When seals come up for air, the polar bears can catch them and eat them. But the melting of the polar sea has meant that bears must now swim farther to reach the pack ice, resulting in more difficult hunting and greater expenditures of energy. Many bears drown along the way. The greatest threat to the species, however, is low birth weight and declining survival rates among polar bear cubs. (Photo Credit: 7)
Animals and the Inuit
The Inuit have lived on these animals as food sources for 5,000 years. In addition to a source of meat, they use seal and whale oil for light and heat. They use the animals’ skins for warm clothing and boots. They have great respect for these animals, which play important roles in their culture’s religion and folktales. The official Nunavut Coat of Arms features the caribou (known in Inukshuk as “tuktu”) and the narwhal (or “qilalugaq tugaalik”). The huge die-offs of the past decade have meant hard times for the Inuit; if these were traditional times, the declining animal populations would have meant widespread starvation. Instead, the Inuit have had to rely more on processed foods, which has resulted in a rising rate of diabetes and other health problems. (Photo Credit: 8)
Sources:
The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photo Credits:
1. “Caribou from Wagon Trails,” by Brian0918 (Flickr.com)
2. “Arctic Fox,” by Greg Hounslow
3. “Bobba Fett” (eider duck), by Taro Taylor
4. “Arctic Tern Attack,” by Seth and Lara M (Flickr.com)
5. “Unicorns Are Real,” by Chris Corwin
6. “EPV0024” (harp seal), by SeanR
7. Howard Ruby
8. “Whale Carcass,” by Cliff Lavallee