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.

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

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

Some Helpful Links

- For in-depth information on all Canadian wildlife, see Hinterland Who's Who Web site; you'll find a sea of information and factsheets on all of the species found in Canada.
- Also see the Canadian Wildlife Federation Web site.
- Another resourceful Web Site is Wildlife Preservation Canada

Continue to:
Arctic Animals
Omnivores
Carnivores
Herbivores
Critters
Marine Life
Bird Species
Endangered Animals

Back to top of Canadian Animals
Back to Homepage