McCormick River valley, Newfoundland, Canada Photograph by Hazen Russell/Used with permission of the Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada   Eastern North America: Northeastern Canada Tundra   12,500 square miles (32,300 square kilometers) -- nearly the same size as Maryland and Delaware combined Relatively Stable/Intact

· Glacial Granite Peaks
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Glacial Granite Peaks

This ecoregion is made up of steep mountains and deep, glacier-carved, U-shaped valleys and fjords along the Labrador Sea. At high elevations, about half the surface is bare rock and half is covered by lichens, mosses, and sedges. White birch and willow thickets grow on middle-elevation rocky slopes. Wetter sites support arctic black spruce and mixed evergreen and deciduous shrubs, with mosses covering the ground.

Special Features

This ecoregion is the only place in the world with tundra-dwelling black bears. It also contains the complete range of the Torngat caribou herd, which numbers approximately 10,000 individuals.

Caribou, including their Eurasian relatives called reindeer, are the only species in which both males and females have antlers. These tundra animals are the dominant large herbivores of this habitat and eat all of the commonly found species of vegetation, including lichens. They molt their coat each summer, growing denser, lighter-colored fur again before winter comes. Their large, wide hooves are a great adaptation for walking on snow and wet, marshy ground.

Wild Side

The Torngat Mountains are seasonal habitat for polar bears, providing their southernmost denning area. The coastal area of the ecoregion lies along the Atlantic Flyway for many migrating shorebirds and waterfowl.

Cause for Concern

This ecoregion is one of the very few that is essentially intact. But there is mineral interest in the area, which may present a future threat. The ecoregion is extremely fragile. The wildlife species found here would be particularly vulnerable to disturbances such as human development and recreational and tourism activities.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.