| THE WILDLIFE OF UNGAVA |
Although there are not many different kinds of large land mammals in Ungava, the ones that do live there are wilderness icons. The Ungava
Peninsula is home to the Leaf River Caribou Herd, which numbers in the hundreds of thousands, many wolves, musk ox, black bears, fox, smaller
rodents, and a diverse array of birds. On almost every day of the trip we saw some type of wildlife and on several occasions we were lucky
enough to have some truly incredible encounters.
Peninsula is home to the Leaf River Caribou Herd, which numbers in the hundreds of thousands, many wolves, musk ox, black bears, fox, smaller
rodents, and a diverse array of birds. On almost every day of the trip we saw some type of wildlife and on several occasions we were lucky
enough to have some truly incredible encounters.
Wolves are quite common throughout Quebec. In the far north many of these animals may have never encountered humans. Late in the
afternoon of July 1st we were alerted to the presence of a wolf den while canoeing near shore by a group of curious pups that showed
themselves. We ended up camping a kilometer from the den and were visited by the protective mother wolf throughout the evening and again in
the morning. Her constant howling and barking was enough to convince us to leave the area early the next day. We were quite surprised by how
bold this wolf was. At one point she approached to within twenty yards of us without making a sound while we were eating breakfast. When one
of us stood up she hunkered down and slowly retreated, constantly looking back and sniffing the air.
afternoon of July 1st we were alerted to the presence of a wolf den while canoeing near shore by a group of curious pups that showed
themselves. We ended up camping a kilometer from the den and were visited by the protective mother wolf throughout the evening and again in
the morning. Her constant howling and barking was enough to convince us to leave the area early the next day. We were quite surprised by how
bold this wolf was. At one point she approached to within twenty yards of us without making a sound while we were eating breakfast. When one
of us stood up she hunkered down and slowly retreated, constantly looking back and sniffing the air.
There are only a few thousand Musk Ox in Quebec. Although
once native, these individuals have come from a small group
that was reintroduced in the early seventies. We were lucky to
see a few of these intriguing creatures. The animals are really
remnants of the last ice age and look to be a cross between a
Bison and Water Buffalo. The big animals have a coat of long
flowing outer hairs over an inner insulating layer of soft fur.
Musk Ox circle up with their young in the middle when
confronted. While this defensive posture works well for
wolves, it is of little value against men armed with guns.
The Musk Ox is known as Umimmaq in Inuktitut and the name
means “the bearded ones”. These prehistoric animals are the
most ancient member of the bovine family, and the only one
inhabiting the arctic. Although the Musk Ox is generally only
between three and five feet tall, they are massive and can
weight as much as 800 pounds. Fossil evidence shows that
Musk Ox were circumpolar around 90,000 years ago during
the last ice age. It is not hard to picture one of these animals
living alongside Wooly Mammoths. Today their thick over
layer of hair and fine under hairs, which are said to be finer
than cashmere, makes the Musk Ox perfectly adapted to the
cold.
Between the late eighteen hundreds and the early nineteen
hundred during the height of the Hudson Bay Company’s time
in the arctic, roughly 14,000 Musk Ox skins were traded,
showing that the herd size was healthy. The fact that the
Musk Ox tend to circle around their young when threatened
instead of running, makes it easy to understand how their
numbers declined so rapidly during this time. The easy
targets provided a solid food source and yielded expensive
pelts that were to tempting for whites and natives recently
equipped with firearms to harvest.
Today roughly 100,000 Musk Ox remain across North America
and Greenland. The two thousand Musk Ox of Ungava have
come from the reintroduction of a mere fifty three individuals
between 1970 and the mid 1980s. In fact, this winter saw the
first round of test hunts conducted. Eight tags were provided
to subsistence hunters and each was successfully filled. The
tags were provided by lottery and hunting was limited to a few
specific areas around Kuujuaq and Tasiujaq.
once native, these individuals have come from a small group
that was reintroduced in the early seventies. We were lucky to
see a few of these intriguing creatures. The animals are really
remnants of the last ice age and look to be a cross between a
Bison and Water Buffalo. The big animals have a coat of long
flowing outer hairs over an inner insulating layer of soft fur.
Musk Ox circle up with their young in the middle when
confronted. While this defensive posture works well for
wolves, it is of little value against men armed with guns.
The Musk Ox is known as Umimmaq in Inuktitut and the name
means “the bearded ones”. These prehistoric animals are the
most ancient member of the bovine family, and the only one
inhabiting the arctic. Although the Musk Ox is generally only
between three and five feet tall, they are massive and can
weight as much as 800 pounds. Fossil evidence shows that
Musk Ox were circumpolar around 90,000 years ago during
the last ice age. It is not hard to picture one of these animals
living alongside Wooly Mammoths. Today their thick over
layer of hair and fine under hairs, which are said to be finer
than cashmere, makes the Musk Ox perfectly adapted to the
cold.
Between the late eighteen hundreds and the early nineteen
hundred during the height of the Hudson Bay Company’s time
in the arctic, roughly 14,000 Musk Ox skins were traded,
showing that the herd size was healthy. The fact that the
Musk Ox tend to circle around their young when threatened
instead of running, makes it easy to understand how their
numbers declined so rapidly during this time. The easy
targets provided a solid food source and yielded expensive
pelts that were to tempting for whites and natives recently
equipped with firearms to harvest.
Today roughly 100,000 Musk Ox remain across North America
and Greenland. The two thousand Musk Ox of Ungava have
come from the reintroduction of a mere fifty three individuals
between 1970 and the mid 1980s. In fact, this winter saw the
first round of test hunts conducted. Eight tags were provided
to subsistence hunters and each was successfully filled. The
tags were provided by lottery and hunting was limited to a few
specific areas around Kuujuaq and Tasiujaq.
| TIMBER WOLF - Canis Lupus |
| MUSK OX - Ovibos moschatus |
| Ptarmigan - Lagopus Ungava is home to several types of Ptarmigan that all look remarkably similar in the summer. All Ptarmigan in Ungava are in the Lagopus genus. |
| CANADIAN GEESE - Branta canadensis Ungava is prime breeding habitat for Canadian Geese and you are likely to encounter them almost every day. |
| SEAL / unidentified - The waters of Hudson and Ungava Bay are home to numerous marine mammals including seals and whales. While the live seals were more entertaining, we were only able to photograph this deceased one near Umiuaq. |
The mother wolf that came very close to our camp in order to protect her young.
Nothing makes the hair stand up on the back of you neck like a howling
wolf silhouetted against a ridge behind your camp.
wolf silhouetted against a ridge behind your camp.
A large and healthy looking Musk Ox that we came across near the end of our trip.
A family of Musk Ox seen about a hundred miles above Kangirsuk on the Payne River.
One of the hundreds of caribou seen on the Northern Ungava Canoe
Expedition.
Expedition.
Ptarmigan populations are cyclic and this year (2006) they were everywhere.
This birds would wait to burst into flight until you nearly stepped on them. This
habit of theirs made hiking exciting.
This birds would wait to burst into flight until you nearly stepped on them. This
habit of theirs made hiking exciting.
This dead seal made us nervous because Polar Bears love to feast on these
creatures.
creatures.
Three unattended baby geese. Flocks of these birds are one of the most
common wildlife encounters you will have on any trip north.
common wildlife encounters you will have on any trip north.
| MOSQUITOES AND BLACKFLIES On our expedition we encountered millions of these biting insects. Click this link to see pictures of the swarms. Its unreal! |
Eric boldly sacrificed his finger for this shot of a pesky mosquito. At times the
blackflies were so voracious on this trip that we didn't even feel that they
deserved a close up.
blackflies were so voracious on this trip that we didn't even feel that they
deserved a close up.