Canadian Animals: Wildlife & Marine Life

The range of Canadian animals is so broad, that I can only cover part of the many exotic wildlife found in the Canadian wilderness. Apart from Swans (covered separately), a small portion of  the most exciting animals of Canada, including mammals, birds and sea life, are described in the following pages to give you some idea about Canadian wildlife.

Exotic Canadian Wildlife

Arctic Animals

Let's start with some of the animals found in the Canadian Arctic. As we all may know by now, some of the Arctic animals species are in danger due to the melting of the ice-caps. The one raising the most concern is the Polar Bear. Some of the amazing Canadian animals found in the Arctic are the following:

  • Polar Bear
  • Harp Seals and Hooded Seals
  • Arctic Hare, Arctic Fox, and Arctic Wolf

From Scary to Adorable Canadian Wildlife

Some of the Canadian animals roaming about in the Canadian wilderness sometimes even wander off into the backyards of people! Some even break into stores and restaurants. They may be dangerous wildlife, like the Black Bear, or cute wildlife, such as the Deer. This is a sign that human development is taking over their natural habitat, which is why they are lost sometimes. Here is a small sample of Canada's omnivores, carnivores and herbivores:

  • Omnivores: Black Bear and Grizzly Bear (Brown Bear)
  • Carnivores: Polar Bear, Cougar, Coyote, Wolf, Wolverine, Red Fox, and Canada Lynx 
  • Herbivores: Moose, Bison, Wild Horses, Deer, Caribou, Elk, Mountain Goat and Musk Ox

Little Critters

Some of the tiny Canadian animals or critters found here are the following:

  • Beavers
  • Chipmunk and Squirrel
  • Raccoon and Porcupine

Sea Life

Ah, whale-watching should be an absolute must for anyone visiting Canada! Canada's three oceans, the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Arctic Ocean, are full of these magical beasts. Canada's marine life, aside from 230 species of fish, includes the following mammals and turtles:

  • Orca's or Killer Whales
  • Humpback Whale, Beluga Whale, and Bowhead Whale
  • Pacific White Sided Dolphins
  • Atlantic Walrus and Gray Seals 
  • Snapping Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, Stinkpot Turtle, and Painted Turtle

Birds, Big and Small

There is an enormous amount of bird species (462) found amongst Canadian animals, of which 362 species are found in British Columbia and 318 species appear regularly in Ontario.

The birds I'd like to give a special mention to, aside from the Swans, are the following:

  • Whooping Crane
  • Canada Goose, Greater Snow Goose, and Lesser Snow Goose
  • Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, and Northern Goshawk
  • Snowy Owl, Burrowing Owl, and Great Horned Owl
  • Harlequin Duck, Loons, and Mallard
Birds in Canada

Threatened and Endangered Species

On the list of extirpated, threatened and endangered animals are quite a number of animals, but here is only a sample of the Canadian animals on that list:

  • Extirpated: Grizzly Bear, Walrus, Gray Whale
  • Endangered: Woodland Caribou, Killer Whale, Blue Whale, Whooping Crane, Leatherback Sea Turtle, Spotted Owl, Swift Fox
  • Threatened: Wood Bison, Humpback Whale, Beluga Whale, White-headed Woodpecker

More Helpful Links

For in-depth information on all Canadian wildlife, see this Hinterland Who's Who website; you'll find  a sea of information and fact sheets on all of the species found in Canada. Another resourceful website is the Canadian Wildlife Federation.

You might like these

Follow SwanParadise on Twitter

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.