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The sparse tundra vegetation limits the number
of animal species: only 12 species of mammals
occur in Auyuittaq Park and their population
densities are low. Lemmings, the large arctic
hare, ermine, red and arctic fox and some caribou
are protected here. From June to August, the
28 species of birds recorded as regular inhabitants
include the ptarmigan, snowy owls, eider ducks,
peregrine falcons and gyrfalcons, snow buntings,
longspurs, water pipits, Canada geese and glaucous
gulls.
Plentiful and varied communities
of marine animals, particularly ringed, bearded
and harp seals, beluga whales, narwhal and walrus,
inhabit the park’s coastal waters. In the
late summer, polar bears that can weigh up to
450 kilograms and are the most powerful predator
in the Arctic, begin to come ashore to their
Baffin Island breeding grounds. They remain
until about November, when the hardening pack
ice again provides a platform for their hunting.
Barren-ground caribou are very rare in the park
but are still hunted by the Inuit. The arctic
char, fished in the fjords of Davis Strait,
are usually not the main goal of a visit to
the park.
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