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Nunavut has several species of mammals (ᐱᓱᒃᑎ, pisukti), 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 been used to provide decoration on clothing.
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.
There are several different dialects of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun as well as two alphabets, Inuktitut syllabics and Latin. The Inuit name or spelling may differ from one region to another and in extreme cases from one community to another.
Artiodactyla (ᑯᑭᑯᖅᑐᔪᑦ, kukikuqtujut)
- Bovidae (ᓇᒃᔪᒋᒃᑐᑦ)
- Muskox (ᐅᒥᖕᒪᒃ, umingmait, umingmak, oomingmak) Ovibos moschatus LC
- Cervidae (ᓇᒃᔪᓖᑦ)
- Caribou (ᑐᒃᑐ, tuktut) Rangifer tarandus VU
- Barren-ground caribou (ᓇᐹᕐᑐᕐᑲᓐᖏᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᒃᑐ, tuktut, tuktu) Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus DD
- Peary caribou (ᕐᑯᑦᓯᑦᑐᒥ ᑐᒃᑐ, tuku, qakuqtakuluit tuktut, qikiqtani tuktuit) Rangifer tarandus pearyi EN
- Moose Alces alces LC
- Western moose (ᑐᒃᑐᕙᒃ, tuktuvak) Alces alces andersoni DD
- Caribou (ᑐᒃᑐ, tuktut) Rangifer tarandus VU
Carnivora (ᓂᕐᑭᑐᖅᑎᑦ, ᓂᕿᑐᐃᓐᓇᐃᓈᖅ, niqituinnainaaq)
- Canidae (ᕐᑭᒻᐅᔭᑦ)
- Grey wolf (ᐊᒪᕈᖅ, amaruq) Canis lupus LC
- Arctic wolf, Canis lupus arctos DD
- Arctic fox (ᑎᕆᒐᓐᓂᐊᖅ, tiriganniak, tiriqaniaq) Vulpes lagopus LC
- Red fox (ᑲᔪᖅ, kajuqtuq, kajuit) Vulpes vulpes LC
- Grey wolf (ᐊᒪᕈᖅ, amaruq) Canis lupus LC
- Felidae (ᑯᑭᓕᒑᕐᔪᐃᑦ)
- Canada lynx (ᐱᖅᑐᖅᓯᕋᖅ, piqtuqsiraq) Lynx canadensis LC
- Ursidae (ᓄᑭᓖᑦ)
Polar bear - Black bear (ᐊᒃᖤᒃ, aklaq) Ursus americanus LC
- Grizzly bear (ᓇᐹᖅᑐᖃᖕᒋᑦᑐᒥ ᐊᒃᖤᒃ, atiqpuq) Ursus arctos horribilis LC
- Polar bear (ᓇᓄᖅ, nanuq) Ursus maritimus VU
- Mustelidae (ᑎᕆᐊᓂᙶᖅᑐᑦ)
- Wolverine (ᖃᕝᕕᒃ, qalvik, qavvik) Gulo gulo LC
- River otter (ᑯᒻᒥ ᐸᒥᐅᖅᑑᖅ, pamiuqtuuq) Lontra canadensis LC
- Beringian ermine (ᑎᕆᐊᖅ, tiriaqpak, tiqiak) Mustela erminea LC
- American ermine (ᑎᕆᐊᖅ, tiriaqpak, tiqiak) Mustela richardsonii LC
- Least weasel (ᒥᑭᓂᖅᓴᖅ ᑎᕆᐊᖅ, tiriaq, tiqiak) Mustela nivalis LC
- American marten (ᖃᑉᕕᐊᕐᓯᐊᖅ, qapviarsiaq) Martes americana LC
- American mink (ᑎᕆᐊᖅᐸᒃ, tiriaqpak) Neogale vison LC
- Fisher (ᑎᕆᐊᕐᔪᐊᖅ) Pekania pennanti LC
- Phocidae (ᓇᑦᓯᖅ, natsiq)
Bearded seal - Bearded seal (ᐅᒡᔪᒃ, ᐅᒥᒃᑑᖅ, ugjuk) Erignathus barbatus
- Hooded seal (ᓇᑦᓯᕙᒃ, natsivak) Cystophora cristata VU
- Harbour seal (ᖃᓯᒋᐊᖅ, qasigiaq) Phoca vitulina
- Harp seal (ᖃᐃᕈᓕᒃ, qairulik) Pagophilus groenlandicus LC
- Grey seal (ᐳᕕᓲᖅ, puvisuuq) Halichoerus grypus LC
- Ringed seal (ᓇᑦᑎᖅ, nattiq) Pusa hispida LC
- Odobenidae
- Walrus (ᐊᐃᕕᖅ, aiviq) Odobenus rosmarus VU
Lagomorpha (ᑭᖑᓪᓖᖅᑯᖅᑐᔪᑦ, kingulliiqkuqtujut)
- Leporidae (ᐅᑲᓖᑦ)
Arctic hare - Arctic hare (ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐅᑲᓕᖅᐸᒃ, ukaliq, okalik, ukalik) Lepus arcticus LC
- Snowshoe hare (ᑭᖑᓪᓖᕐᑯᕐᑐᔪᖅ ᐅᑲᓕᖅ) Lepus americanus LC
Rodentia (ᑎᓯᓖᑦ, tisiliit)
- Castoridae (ᐸᒥᐅᒥᓅᖅᑐᑦ)
- American beaver (ᑭᒋᐊᖅ, kigiaq, kiqiaq) Castor canadensis
- Muridae (ᐊᕕᙵᐃᑦ)
- Muskrat (ᐊᕕᙵᕐᔪᐊᖅ, kivgaluk, avinnqarjuaq) Ondatra zibethicus
North American brown lemming - North American brown lemming (ᑲᔪᖅ ᐊᕕᙵᖅ, kayuqtumik avin'ngak, avin'ngaq, avinnqaq) Lemmus trimucronatus
- Peary land collared lemming (ᕐᑲᑯᖅᑕᖅ ᐊᕕᙵᖅ, qutulingmik avin'ngak, avin'ngaq, aupajaaqtuq avinnqaq) Dicrostonyx groenlandicus
- Meadow vole (ᐊᕕᙵᕋᓛᖅ) Microtus pennsylvanicus
- Northern red-backed vole (ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐊᐅᐸᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᕐᑯᓖᓕᒃ ᐊᕕᙵᕋᓛᖅ) Myodes rutilus
- Brown rat (ulimakka) Rattus norvegicus (introduced)
- Muskrat (ᐊᕕᙵᕐᔪᐊᖅ, kivgaluk, avinnqarjuaq) Ondatra zibethicus
- Sciuridae (ᓯᒃᓯᑦ)
- Arctic ground squirrel (ᓯᒃᓯᒃ, siksik) Spermophilus parryii
- Red squirrel (ᐊᐅᐸᖅᑐᖅ ᓯᒃᓯᐅᔭᖅ) Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Insectivora (ᕐᑯᐱᕐᕈᑐᖅᑏᑦ, rkupirrutuqtiit)
- Soricidae (ᓂᕇᓐᓇᓲᑦ, utjunaq)
- Masked shrew (ᐊᐅᐸᖅᑐᖅ ᓯᒃᓯᐅᔭᖅ, uqjunqnaq) Sorex cinereus
Chiroptera (ᐅᓐᓄᐊᖅᓯᐅᑦ, unnuaqsiut)
- Vespertilionidae (ᐃᓴᕈᕐᓗᒃᑐᑦ)
- Hoary bat (ᕐᑭᖑᔭᖅ ᑎᒻᒥᓲᖅ ᐊᕕᙵᐅᔭᖅ) Lasiurus cinereus
- Little brown myotis (ᒥᑭᔪᖅ ᑲᔪᖅ ᑎᒻᒥᓲᖅ ᐊᕕᙵᐅᔭᖅ) Myotis lucifugus
Cetacea
- Balaenidae
- Bowhead whale (ᐊᕐᕕᖅ, arviq) Balaena mysticetus
- Balaenopteridae
- Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus
- Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis
- Blue whale (ᐊᕐᕕᖅ ᓂᐊᖁᕐᓗᖕᓂᖅᓴᖅ, ᐃᐸᒃ, arviq niaqurlungniqsaq, ipak) Balaenoptera musculus
- Common minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
- Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
- Delphinidae
- Killer whale (ᐋᕐᓗ, ᐊᕐᓗᒃ, ᐋᕐᓗᒃ, aarlu, arluk, aarluk) Orcinus orca
- Long-finned pilot whale
- White-beaked dolphin
- Monodontidae
- Narwhal (ᑑᒑᓕᒃ, tuugaalik, ᕿᓚᓗᒐᖅ ᑑᒑᓕᒃ, qilalugaq tuugaalik) Monodon monoceros
- Beluga whale (ᕿᓇᓗᒐᖅ, qilalugaq) Delphinapterus leucas
- Phocoenidae
- Harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena
- Physeteridae
- Sperm whale (ᑭᒍᑎᓕᒃ, kigutilik) Physeter macrocephalus
- Ziphiidae
- Northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus
See also
References
- ^ Asuilaak Living Dictionary Archived 2005-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Anand-Wheeler, Ingrid (2002). Terrestrial Mammals of Nunavut. Government of Nunavut. ISBN 1-55325-035-4.
- Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus
- Colella, Jocelyn P.; Frederick, Lindsey M.; Talbot, Sandra L.; Cook, Joseph A. (2021). "Extrinsically reinforced hybrid speciation within Holarctic ermine (Mustela spp.) produces an insular endemic". Diversity and Distributions. 27 (4): 747–762. Bibcode:2021DivDi..27..747C. doi:10.1111/ddi.13234. ISSN 1472-4642.
- ^ Marine mammals of Canada University of Guelph
- LCBearded Seal, Erignathus barbatus
- Hooded Seal, Cystophora cristata
- LCHarbour Seal, Phoca vitulina
- Harp Seal, Phoca groenlandica
- Grey Seal, Halichoerus grypus
- Ringed Seal, Phoca hispida
- Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus
- Ohokak, G.; M. Kadlun; B. Harnum. Inuinnaqtun-English Dictionary. Kitikmeot Heritage Society. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
- Bowhead Whale, Balaena mysticetus
- Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus
- Sei Whale, Balaenoptera borealis
- Blue Whale, Balaenoptera musculus
- Minke Whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata
- Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
- Killer Whale, Orcinus orca
- Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melaena
- White-beaked Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris
- Narwhal, Monodon monoceros
- Beluga, Delphinapterus leucas
- COSEWIC (2004). COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report on the Beluga Whale Delphinapterus leucas in Canada (PDF) (Report).
- Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (2008). Information Relevant to the Identification of Critical Habitat for Cumberland Sound Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) (PDF) (Report).
- Harbour Porpoise, Phocoena phocoena
- Sperm Whale, Physeter catodon
- Northern Bottlenose Whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus
External links
- Wildlife Publications including "Terrestrial Mammals Fact Sheets" from the Government of Nunavut
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