Introduction

The species discussed in this guide are arranged so that animals with similar appearance follow each other. Birds are found in the first section: these are all animals that are warm blooded, breathe via lungs, have feathers on their skin, no teeth (rather a bill for seizing and manipulating food), and lay eggs. Mammals are in the second section: these are all animals that are warm blooded, breathe via lungs, have hair (often called fur) on their skin, have teeth (although some, such as the baleen whales, lose their teeth as they mature), and bear their young alive, suckling them after birth from mammary glands (except for the platypus and echidna, which lay eggs).

The information provided covers key species of animals in the Arctic marine environment. These species are grouped by type (for example, the geese and swans are together). Where there are species of minor importance they are listed on the general information pages.

The information provided for key species concerns, primarily, the appearance of each animal (including physical descriptions and typical behaviours).

Native peoples of the Canadian Arctic are primarily Inuit, who speak the Inuktitut language. The phonetic English version of the Inuktitut names of some species have been included.

The information on each species is relevant to the views obtained from the bridge of a ship and the flight-deck of a helicopter or small airplane, either with the naked eye or with binoculars. Scientific names, details on life history, intermediate forms of colouring, and details of appearance not discernible from a distance have largely been omitted. Note that immature animals often lack the colouring of adults, sometimes having much different colouration (particularly in gulls).