Animal Info - Canada

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in Canada and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

Endangered:
- Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus).
- Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus).
- Northern Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis).
- Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris).
- Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis).
- Steller's Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus).
- Vancouver Marmot (Marmota vancouverensis). (Endemic to Canada.)
Vulnerable:
- Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena).
- Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
- Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus).
- Sperm Whale (Physeter catodon).
- Townsend's Big-eared Bat (Plecotus townsendii).
- White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas).
- Wolverine (Gulo gulo).
Other:
- Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus). (Rated Lower Risk: Conservation Dependent in the 2004 IUCN Red List; recommended rating of Vulnerable in 2005 by the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group )

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 193 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 7 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 7* (3.6 % of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 14 (7.2 % of total species) (IUCN 2000) [*Whales were not listed by country in 1996.]

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

Canada contains the Canadian Boreal Taiga, Northern Cordillera Boreal Forests, and Low Arctic Tundra Global 200 Ecoregions as well as portions of the Pacific Temperate Rainforests, Alaskan North Slope Coastal Tundra, Gulf of Alaska Coastal Rivers & Streams, Grand Banks, Californian Current, Bering & Beaufort Seas, Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)

Population

Population in 1995: 29,561,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 3.0 people/sq km (7.7 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 30,675,398 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 1.0 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 9,970,600 sq km (3,849,670 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

Other Coastal Aquatic: 5 %
Major Wetland: 3 %
Polar and Alpine: 44 %
Grass and Shrub: 1 %
Crop and Settlements: 3 %
Interrupted Woods: 17 %
Major Forests: 27 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 92 %; Medium: 5 %; High: 2 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 494,520 sq km (190,885 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 2.7 % totally protected; 2.28 % partially protected; 4.98 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $20,740 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $25,000 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent of females in secondary education (1989): 100 % (World Bank 1992)

References and Links

References: Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, Polar Bear Spec. Gr. 2005, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for Canada): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles; Links for Canada: The Nature Conservancy - Canada, Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Project, World Wildlife Fund - Canada

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Last modified: December 22, 2005;