Flora and Fauna
Not much can grow in the severe environment, where killing frost can come at any time during the year and even soil is rare. Three-quarters of the land is bare rock; and even lichen have a hard time of it. Trees are hardly noticeable. Plants that do grow in the region are mostly tiny species that often grow in thick isolating mats to protect themselves from the cold or are covered in thick hairs that help to insulate and to protect them from the harsh wind.
Some of the plant species found are arctic black spruce, arctic willow, cottongrass, crustose lichens, kobresia, moss species, wood rush, wire rush, purple saxifrage, Dryas species, sedges, Diapensia, arctic poppy, mountain avens, mountain sorrel, river beauty, moss campion, bilberry, and arctic white heather.
The conditions here are far too severe for reptiles and amphibians to survive, and insects are also rare in the region. Muskoxen and barren-ground caribou are the only large herbivores in this environment, while polar bears and the arctic wolf are the only large carnivores to be found in the region. Smaller herbivores include the arctic hare and the collared lemming. Arctic foxes and stoats are some of the smaller carnivores found in the region. Marine mammals include narwhals, beluga whales, walrus, and ringed and bearded seals.
The furry-legged Rock Ptarmigan is a widespread bird in this region. Typical birds of prey include the Gyrfalcon and Snowy Owl. Some of the more widespread shore and seabirds are the Thick-billed Murre, Black-legged kittiwake, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Black Guillemot, widespread Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover and Northern Fulmar. Songbirds found in the Arctic Cordillera include the Hoary Redpoll, Common Redpoll, Snow Bunting, and Lapland Longspur. The Snow Goose, Common and King Eider, and Red-throated Loon are some species of waterfowl that live in the region.
Read more about this topic: Arctic Cordillera
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