9–1 9.0 MAMMALS Chapter Contents 9.1 BELUGA Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)......................................................................................................9–2 9.1.1 Distribution and Movements............................................................................................................................9–3 9.1.2 Biology ............................................................................................................................................................9–6 9.1.3 Population Status and Protection....................................................................................................................9–7 9.2 NARWHAL Monodon monoceros Linnaeus, 1758..................................................................................................9–9 9.2.1 Distribution and Movements..........................................................................................................................9–10 9.2.2 Biology ..........................................................................................................................................................9–11 9.2.3 Population Status and Protection..................................................................................................................9–12 9.3 KILLER WHALE Orcinus orca (Linnaeus, 1758)...................................................................................................9–13 9.4 BOWHEAD WHALE Balaena mysticetus Linnaeus, 1758 ...................................................................................9–14 9.4.1 Distribution and Movements..........................................................................................................................9–14 9.4.2 Biology ..........................................................................................................................................................9–16 9.4.3 Population Status and Protection..................................................................................................................9–17 9.5 OTHER WHALES .................................................................................................................................................9–17 9.6 ARCTIC FOX Vulpes lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758) ...................................................................................................9–18 9.7 POLAR BEAR Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774 ......................................................................................................9–18 9.7.1 Distribution and Movements..........................................................................................................................9–18 9.7.2 Biology ..........................................................................................................................................................9–21 9.7.3 Population Status and Protection..................................................................................................................9–23 9.8 ATLANTIC WALRUS Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus, Linnaeus, 1758................................................................9–24 9.8.1 Distribution and Movements..........................................................................................................................9–24 9.8.2 Biology ..........................................................................................................................................................9–28 9.8.3 Population Status and Protection..................................................................................................................9–28 9.9 BEARDED SEAL Erignathus barbatus (Erxleben, 1777)......................................................................................9–31 9.9.1 Distribution and Movements..........................................................................................................................9–31 9.9.2 Biology ..........................................................................................................................................................9–31 9.9.3 Population Status and Protection..................................................................................................................9–32 9.10 HARBOUR SEAL Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758.................................................................................................9–32 9.10.1 Distribution and Movements..........................................................................................................................9–32 9.10.2 Biology ..........................................................................................................................................................9–33 9.10.3 Population Status and Protection..................................................................................................................9–34 9.11 RINGED SEAL Phoca hispida (Schreber, 1775) ..................................................................................................9–34 9.11.1 Distribution and Movements..........................................................................................................................9–34 9.11.2 Biology ..........................................................................................................................................................9–35 9.11.3 Population Status and Protection..................................................................................................................9–36 9.12 HARP SEAL Phoca groenlandica (Erxleben, 1777)..............................................................................................9–36 9.13 HOODED SEAL Cystophora cristata (Erxleben, 1777).........................................................................................9–37 9.14 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................................9–38 Chapter Figures Figure 9-1. Seasonal movements of 5 belugas radio-tagged at the Nelson River estuary between 30 July and 5 August 2003 and followed until 27 November 2003.......................................................................9–3 Figure 9-2. Spring and fall movements of belugas and seasonal concentration areas compiled from traditional and scientific sources .............................................................................................................9–4 Figure 9-3. Distribution of narwhals in Canada........................................................................................................9–10 Figure 9-4. Ranges and summer aggregation areas of the two putative stocks of bowhead whales in eastern Canadian Arctic waters ............................................................................................................9–14 Figure 9-5. Inuit knowledge of the seasonal movements of bowheads in Hudson Bay and Foxe Basin from UPIRNGASSAAQ (early spring) to UKIASSAAQ (early fall)..................................................................9–15 Figure 9-6. Management boundaries for Canadian polar bear populations as of 31 December 2000......................9–19 Figure 9-7. Denning habitats, summer retreats, and winter concentration areas of polar bears in the Hudson Bay and James Bay areas ....................................................................................................................9–20 Figure 9-8. Movements of adult female polar bears tagged at Churchill, Manitoba .................................................9–20 Figure 9-9. Map of the range and distribution of Atlantic walrus stocks in eastern Canadian waters .......................9–25 9–2 Figure 9-10. Inuit ecological knowledge and regional land use, and historical distribution of walruses in south and east Hudson Bay............................................................................................................................9–27 Figure 9-11. Locations of terrestrial haulouts (uglit) Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait .................................................9–30 Figure 9-12. Ringed seal birth lair .............................................................................................................................9–35 Chapter Tables Table 9-1. Indices of abundance for beluga populations in eastern Hudson Bay and James Bay ............................9–8 Table 9-2. Current status of Hudson Bay polar bear populations. ..........................................................................9–24 Table 9-3. Population estimates of marine mammals in areas of Hudson Bay and James Bay. ............................9–40 Waters and/or ice habitats of the Hudson Bay marine ecosystem are used by at least five species of whales, by walruses, five species of hair seals, Arctic foxes, and polar bears. Among the whales, belugas, narwhals and bowheads are migratory Arctic species that frequent the region as ice conditions permit. Killer whales live at all latitudes and migrate into Hudson Bay in summer; the minke whale is a temperate-water species and rare summer visitor to the region. There are also reports of sperm whales and northern bottlenose whales in Hudson Bay but their occurence has not been confirmed and at best they are rare. Concentrations of belugas in the estuaries of the Nelson, Churchill, and Seal rivers in July and August are some of the largest known. Belugas are the only whales found commonly in James Bay and southeastern Hudson