Arctic & Tundra

The frozen top of the world, where life is built for endless ice and cold.

ClimateLong frozen winters far below 0°C and a short, cool summer.

LandscapeDrifting sea ice, snowfields and treeless tundra.

Species recorded220

Written profiles7

Groups present8

Coordinates78.0°, -42.0°

About the Arctic & Tundra

The Arctic is defined less by cold than by seasonality — months of continuous light followed by months of continuous dark, and a brief, frantic summer productive enough to sustain everything through the rest of the year. Below the tundra surface, permafrost keeps roots shallow and trees absent. Life here runs on cycles that are unusually visible: lemming populations boom and crash on a few-year rhythm, and owls, foxes and skuas rise and fall behind them. Sea ice is the other organising fact, functioning as habitat rather than as barrier — polar bears, seals and walrus all depend on it as a platform. Arctic animals tend towards compact bodies, small extremities and extreme insulation, and many change coat colour completely between seasons.

Featured animals of the Arctic & Tundra

All profiles →

7 species have a full written profile.

Least concernOmnivore

Least concernCarnivore

Least concernHerbivore

Most-recorded wild species here

Photographed and identified by iNaturalist contributors in this region, ordered by number of records.

Spectacled Eider

Somateria fischeri

Birds

Greenland Cod

Gadus ogac

Fish

Eurasian Stoat

Mustela erminea

Mammals

Svalbard Fox

Vulpes lagopus lagopus

Mammals

Atlantic Capelin

Mallotus villosus

Fish

White-beaked Dolphin

Lagenorhynchus albirostris

Mammals

Pacific Loon

Gavia pacifica

Birds

Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

Birds

Pine Grosbeak

Pinicola enucleator

Birds

Stegophiura nodosa

Other animals

Dovekie

Alle alle

Birds

Northern Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis

Birds

Red Phalarope

Phalaropus fulicarius

Birds

Bearded Seal

Erignathus barbatus

Mammals

Svalbard rock ptarmigan

Lagopus muta hyperborea

Birds

Atlantic Cod

Gadus morhua

Fish

Steller's Eider

Polysticta stelleri

Birds

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferruginea

Birds

Full species checklist

A further 195 species recorded in the Arctic & Tundra.

Common name	Scientific name	Group	Records
Ziminella salmonacea	Ziminella salmonacea	Mollusks	194
Atlantic Walrus	Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus	Mammals	194
Red-necked Phalarope	Phalaropus lobatus	Birds	193
Atlantic Spiny Lumpsucker	Eumicrotremus spinosus	Fish	193
Saduria entomon	Saduria entomon	Other animals	192
Bushy-backed Nudibranch	Dendronotus frondosus	Mollusks	192
Common Raven	Corvus corax	Birds	191
Siberian Tit	Poecile cinctus	Birds	191
Tundra Stoat	Mustela erminea arctica	Mammals	191
Snow Bunting	Plectrophenax nivalis	Birds	190
Podocoryna borealis	Podocoryna borealis	Other animals	190
Reindeer Warble Fly	Hypoderma tarandi	Insects	190
Harp Seal	Pagophilus groenlandicus	Mammals	189
Grey Seal	Halichoerus grypus	Mammals	189
Pomarine Jaeger	Stercorarius pomarinus	Birds	189
Neomolgus littoralis	Neomolgus littoralis	Arachnids	188
Fin Whale	Balaenoptera physalus	Mammals	187
Western Roe Deer	Capreolus capreolus	Mammals	187
Red Knot	Calidris canutus	Birds	186
Bohemian Waxwing	Bombycilla garrulus	Birds	185
Bowhead Whale	Balaena mysticetus	Mammals	185
Mountain Hare	Lepus timidus	Mammals	184
Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Birds	183
Western Sandpiper	Calidris mauri	Birds	183
Shorthorn Sculpin	Myoxocephalus scorpius	Fish	182
Northern Hawk Owl	Surnia ulula	Birds	182
Kelp Snailfish	Liparis tunicatus	Fish	182
Cactus worm	Priapulus caudatus	Other animals	181
Scandinavian Red Fox	Vulpes vulpes vulpes	Mammals	180
Pectoral Sandpiper	Calidris melanotos	Birds	180
Glaucous Gull	Larus hyperboreus	Birds	179
Lapland Longspur	Calcarius lapponicus	Birds	178
Long-billed Dowitcher	Limnodromus scolopaceus	Birds	178
Northern Acorn Barnacle	Semibalanus balanoides	Other animals	177
Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Birds	177
Bombus alpinus alpinus	Bombus alpinus alpinus	Insects	176
Alaska razor	Siliqua alta	Mollusks	176
Iceland Gull	Larus glaucoides	Birds	175
Pacific Walrus	Odobenus rosmarus divergens	Mammals	174
Great Spotted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos major	Birds	173
Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Birds	173
Gyrfalcon	Falco rusticolus	Birds	173
Red-necked Stint	Calidris ruficollis	Birds	172
Greenland Smoothcockle	Serripes groenlandicus	Mollusks	172
Muskrat	Ondatra zibethicus	Mammals	171
Svalbard Reindeer	Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus	Mammals	171
Arctic Mosquito	Aedes nigripes	Insects	170
Common Ringed Plover	Charadrius hiaticula	Birds	169
Arctic Staghorn Sculpin	Gymnocanthus tricuspis	Fish	169
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Birds	168
Mountain Burnet	Zygaena exulans	Insects	168
Bar-tailed Godwit	Limosa lapponica	Birds	167
Coho Salmon	Oncorhynchus kisutch	Fish	166
Willow Ptarmigan	Lagopus lagopus	Birds	165
American Tundra Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus tundrius	Birds	165
Northern Sea Nettle	Chrysaora melanaster	Other animals	165
Ringed Seal	Pusa hispida	Mammals	164
Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Birds	163
Sanderling	Calidris alba	Birds	163
Lion's Mane Jelly	Cyanea capillata	Other animals	162
Tortoiseshell Limpet	Testudinalia testudinalis	Mollusks	161
Wood Sandpiper	Tringa glareola	Birds	160
Short-tailed Shearwater	Ardenna tenuirostris	Birds	160
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus	Birds	159
Black Guillemot	Cepphus grylle	Birds	158
Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Birds	158
Scarlet Sea Cucumber	Psolus fabricii	Other animals	158
Arctic comb jelly	Mertensia ovum	Other animals	157
Arctic Hiatella	Hiatella arctica	Mollusks	157
Orca	Orcinus orca	Mammals	156
North Atlantic Humpback Whale	Megaptera novaeangliae novaeangliae	Mammals	155
Western Capercaillie	Tetrao urogallus	Birds	155
Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Birds	154
Yellowhammer	Emberiza citrinella	Birds	154
American Golden-Plover	Pluvialis dominica	Birds	154
Red-throated Loon	Gavia stellata	Birds	152
Baird's Sandpiper	Calidris bairdii	Birds	151
Thayer's Gull	Larus glaucoides thayeri	Birds	151
Barnacle Goose	Branta leucopsis	Birds	150
Boreal Astarte	Tridonta borealis	Mollusks	149
Great Skua	Stercorarius skua	Birds	149
Rock Ptarmigan	Lagopus muta	Birds	148
Pacific Capelin	Mallotus catervarius	Fish	146
Spotted Redshank	Tringa erythropus	Birds	145
Arctic Green Sea Urchin	Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis	Other animals	144
Bar-headed Goose	Anser indicus	Birds	141
Razorbill	Alca torda	Birds	140
Transverse Lady Beetle	Coccinella transversoguttata	Insects	139
Grey Whale	Eschrichtius robustus	Mammals	138
Northern Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe	Birds	137
Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus	Birds	136
Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Birds	135
Hazel Grouse	Tetrastes bonasia	Birds	135
Myrtle Warbler	Setophaga coronata coronata	Birds	135
Northern Horse Mussel	Modiolus modiolus	Mollusks	133
Great Spider Crab	Hyas araneus	Other animals	129
Red King Crab	Paralithodes camtschaticus	Other animals	128
Echiurus sitchaensis	Echiurus sitchaensis	Other animals	128
Sabine's Gull	Xema sabini	Birds	124
Naked Sea Butterfly	Clione limacina	Mollusks	122
Semipalmated Sandpiper	Calidris pusilla	Birds	122
Pacific Common Eider	Somateria mollissima v-nigrum	Birds	121
Purple Sandpiper	Calidris maritima	Birds	120
Cranberry Blue	Agriades optilete	Insects	119
Arctic Sand Lance	Ammodytes hexapterus	Fish	119
Atlantic Halibut	Hippoglossus hippoglossus	Fish	118
Dunlin	Calidris alpina	Birds	118
Semipalmated Plover	Charadrius semipalmatus	Birds	116
Brant	Branta bernicla	Birds	114
European Green Crab	Carcinus maenas	Other animals	112
Spotted Seal	Phoca largha	Mammals	111
European Elk	Alces alces alces	Mammals	110
Pagurus trigonocheirus	Pagurus trigonocheirus	Other animals	110
Arctic Loon	Gavia arctica	Birds	106
Yellow-billed Loon	Gavia adamsii	Birds	106
Greenland Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos conboschas	Birds	105
North Atlantic Great Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo carbo	Birds	105
Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Birds	103
Arctic Woodland Ringlet	Erebia polaris	Insects	103
Eurasian Oystercatcher	Haematopus ostralegus	Birds	102
Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	Birds	102
Atlantic Dogwhelk	Nucella lapillus	Mollusks	99
Common Gull	Larus canus	Birds	96
Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	Birds	92
Common Snipe	Gallinago gallinago	Birds	92
Common Whelk	Buccinum undatum	Mollusks	91
European Common Frog	Rana temporaria	Amphibians	89
Parasitic Jaeger	Stercorarius parasiticus	Birds	88
Hyperia medusarum	Hyperia medusarum	Other animals	86
Pink-footed Goose	Anser brachyrhynchus	Birds	85
Ocean Quahog	Arctica islandica	Mollusks	80
Formica truncorum	Formica truncorum	Insects	77
White-rumped Sandpiper	Calidris fuscicollis	Birds	76
Ruff	Calidris pugnax	Birds	75
Common Eider	Somateria mollissima	Birds	74
Atlantic Wolffish	Anarhichas lupus	Fish	74
Atlantic Puffin	Fratercula arctica	Birds	73
Pollock	Pollachius virens	Fish	73
Thick-billed Murre	Uria lomvia	Birds	72
Meadow Pipit	Anthus pratensis	Birds	71
Western Yellow Wagtail	Motacilla flava	Birds	69
Common Minke Whale	Balaenoptera acutorostrata	Mammals	69
Hebrew Character	Orthosia gothica	Insects	68
Arctic Ground Squirrel	Urocitellus parryii	Mammals	68
Iceland Gull (Iceland)	Larus glaucoides glaucoides	Birds	67
Sea Strawberry	Gersemia rubiformis	Other animals	66
Coccinella trifasciata trifasciata	Coccinella trifasciata trifasciata	Insects	61
Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Birds	61
Nearctic Brown Lemming	Lemmus trimucronatus	Mammals	60
Freija Fritillary	Boloria freija	Insects	59
Thor's Fritillary	Boloria thore	Insects	58
Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Birds	57
Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons	Birds	56
Slaty-backed Gull	Larus schistisagus	Birds	56
Ivory Gull	Pagophila eburnea	Birds	55
Eurasian Jay	Garrulus glandarius	Birds	54
Rose Sun Star	Crossaster papposus	Other animals	54
Small Whiteface	Leucorrhinia dubia	Insects	53
Rustic Bunting	Emberiza rustica	Birds	52
Brown Trout	Salmo trutta	Fish	50
Great Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	Birds	48
Azure Hawker	Aeshna caerulea	Insects	48
Arctic Hare	Lepus arcticus	Mammals	47
Eurasian Red Squirrel	Sciurus vulgaris	Mammals	47
Yellow-margined Marsh Fly	Helophilus lapponicus	Insects	43
Dewy Ringlet	Erebia pandrose	Insects	42
Beluga	Delphinapterus leucas	Mammals	42
Alpine Grizzled Skipper	Pyrgus andromedae	Insects	41
Baltic Macoma	Macoma balthica	Mollusks	41
Common Crane	Grus grus	Birds	39
King Eider	Somateria spectabilis	Birds	38
Eurasian Tree Sparrow	Passer montanus	Birds	38
smooth ground beetle	Carabus glabratus	Insects	37
Arctic Atlantic Fulmar	Fulmarus glacialis glacialis	Birds	37
Pacific Herring	Clupea pallasii	Fish	36
Large Pine Weevil	Hylobius abietis	Insects	35
Norse Greyling	Oeneis norna	Insects	34
White-tailed Eagle	Haliaeetus albicilla	Birds	33
Arctic Tern	Sterna paradisaea	Birds	31
Merlin	Falco columbarius	Birds	29
Eurasian Blackbird	Turdus merula	Birds	27
Blackbottle	Protophormia terraenovae	Insects	23
Common European Limpet	Patella vulgata	Mollusks	23
European Shag	Gulosus aristotelis	Birds	20
Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Birds	19
Long-tailed Jaeger	Stercorarius longicaudus	Birds	14
Painted Lady	Vanessa cardui	Insects	11
European Golden-Plover	Pluvialis apricaria	Birds	10
Threespine Stickleback	Gasterosteus aculeatus	Fish	8
European Herring Gull	Larus argentatus	Birds	7
Snow Crab	Chionoecetes opilio	Other animals	7
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Birds	6
Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Birds	6
Little Stint	Calidris minuta	Birds	4
Temminck's Stint	Calidris temminckii	Birds	3

Arctic & Tundra

About the Arctic & Tundra

Featured animals of the Arctic & Tundra

Most-recorded wild species here

Full species checklist

Groups found here

Mammals

Birds

Fish

Amphibians

Insects

Arachnids

Mollusks

Other animals