List of land mammals of Nunavut

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Nunavut has several species of land mammals, 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 be used to provide decoration on clothing. The lemmings still provide the same function today as they always did, entertainment for children.

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.

Mammal (ᐱᓱᒃᑎ, pisukti ^[1]

Artiodactyla (ᑯᑭᑯᖅᑐᔪᑦ)

• Bovidae (ᓇᒃᔪᒋᒃᑐᑦ)
  • Musk Ox (ᐅᒥᖕᒪᒃ, umingmait, umingmak, oomingmak) Ovibos moschatus
• Cervidae (ᓇᒃᔪᓖᑦ)
  • Barren-ground Caribou (ᓇᐹᕐᑐᕐᑲᓐᖏᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᒃᑐ, tuktut, tuktu) Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus
  • Peary Caribou (ᕐᑯᑦᓯᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᒃᑐ, tuku) Rangifer tarandus pearyi
  • Moose (ᑐᒃᑐᕙᒃ, tuktuvak) Alces alces

Carnivora (ᓂᕐᑭᑐᕐᑎᑦ)

• Canidae (ᕐᑭᒻᐅᔭᑦ)
  • Grey Wolf (ᐊᒪᕈᖅ, amaruq) Canis lupus, predominantly the subspecies Arctic Wolf Canis lupus arctos
  • Arctic fox (ᑎᕆᒐᓐᓂᐊᖅ, tiriganniak, tiriqaniaq) Alopex lagopus or Vulpes lagopus
  • Red Fox (ᑲᔪᖅ, kajuqtuq, kajuit) Vulpes vulpes
• Felidae (ᑯᑭᓕᒑᕐᔪᐃᑦ)
  • Canada Lynx (ᐱᖅᑐᖅᓯᕋᖅ, piqtuqsiraq) Lynx canadensis
• Ursidae (ᓄᑭᓖᑦ)
  • Polar Bear (ᓇᓄᖅ, nanuq) Ursus maritimus
  • Barren Ground Grizzly Bear (ᓇᐹᕐᑐᕐᑲᓐᖕᒋᑦᑐᒥ ᐊᒃᖤᒃ, atiqpuq) Ursus arctos horribilis
  • Black Bear (American Black Bear, ᐊᒃᖤᒃ, aklaq) Ursus americanus
• Mustelidae (ᑎᕆᐊᓂᒑᕐᑐᑦ)
  • Wolverine (ᕐᑲᕝᕕᒃ, qalvik, qavvik) Gulo gulo
  • Ermine (Stoat, ᑎᕆᐊᖅ, tiriaqpak, tiqiak) Mustela erminea
  • Least Weasel (ᒥᑭᓂᕐᓴᖅ ᑎᕆᐊᖅ, tiriaq, tiqiak) Mustela nivalis
  • American Mink (ᑎᕆᐊᕐᐸᒃ, tiriaqpak) Mustela vison
  • American Marten (ᕐᑲᑉᕕᐊᕐᓯᐊᖅ) Martes americana
  • Fisher (ᑎᕆᐊᕐᔪᐊᖅ) Martes pennanti
  • Northern River Otter (ᑯᒻᒥ ᐸᒥᐅᕐᑑᖅ, pamiuqtuuq) Lontra canadensis

Lagomorpha (ᑭᖑᑦᓖᕐᑯᕐᑐᔪᑦ)

• Leporidae (ᐅᑲᓖᑦ)
  • Arctic Hare (ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᕐᑐᒥ ᐅᑲᓕᕐᐸᒃ, ukaliq, okalik, ukalik) Lepus arcticus
  • Snowshoe Hare (ᑭᖑᓪᓖᕐᑯᕐᑐᔪᖅ ᐅᑲᓕᖅ) Lepus americanus

Rodentia (ᑎᓯᓖᑦ)

• Castoridae (ᐸᒥᐅᒥᓅᕐᑐᑦ)
  • American Beaver (ᑭᒋᐊᖅ, kigiaq, kiqiaq) Castor canadensis
• Muridae (ᐊᕕᖓᐃᑦ)
  • Muskrat (ᐊᕕᓐᖓᕐᔪᐊᖅ, kivgaluk, avinnqarjuaq) Ondatra zibethicus
  • North American Brown Lemming (ᑲᔪᖅ ᐊᕕᓐᖓᖅ, kayuqtumik avin'ngak, avin'ngaq, avinnqaq) Lemmus trimucronatus
  • Peary Land Collared Lemming (Northern Collared Lemming, ᕐᑲᑯᕐᑕᖅ ᐊᕕᓐᖓᖅ, qutulingmik avin'ngak, avin'ngaq, aupajaaqtuq avinnqaq) Dicrostonyx groenlandicus
  • Meadow Vole (ᐊᕕᓐᖓᕋᓛᖅ) Microtus pennsylvanicus
  • Northern Red-backed Vole (ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᕐᑐᒥ ᐊᐅᐸᕐᑐᒥᒃ ᕐᑯᓖᓕᒃ ᐊᕕᓐᖓᕋᓛᖅ) Myodes rutilus
• Sciuridae (ᓯᒃᓯᑦ)
  • Arctic Ground Squirrel (ᓯᒃᓯᒃ, siksik) Spermophilus parryii
  • Red Squirrel (American Red Squirrel, ᐊᐅᐸᕐᑐᖅ ᓯᒃᓯᐅᔭᖅ) Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

Insectivora (ᕐᑯᐱᕈᑐᕐᑏᑦ)

• Soricidae (ᓂᕇᓐᓇᓲᑦ, utjunaq)
  • Masked Shrew (ᐊᐅᐸᕐᑐᖅ ᓯᒃᓯᐅᔭᖅ, uqjunqnaq) Sorex cinereus

Chiroptera (ᐅᓐᓄᐊᕐᓯᐅᑦ)

• Vespertilionidae (ᐃᓴᕈᕐᓗᒃᑐᑦ)
  • Little Brown Myotis (Little Brown Bat, ᒥᑭᔪᖅ ᑲᔪᖅ ᑎᒻᒥᓲᖅ ᐊᕕᓐᖓᐅᔭᖅ) Myotis lucifugus
  • Hoary bat (ᕐᑭᖑᔭᖅ ᑎᒻᒥᓲᖅ ᐊᕕᓐᖓᐅᔭᖅ) Lasiurus cinereus

See also

• List of Nunavut birds

Note on names

1. ^ There are several different dialects of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun plus two writing styles, Inuktitut syllabics and Latin alphabet (Roman orthography). Thus the Inuit name and/or spelling may differ from one region to another and in extreme cases from one community to another.

References

• Terrestrial Mammals of Nunavut by Ingrid Anand-Wheeler. ISBN 1-55325-035-4
• Asuilaak Living Dictionary

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