Wildlife

Part of what makes the Churchill wildlife so unique is that the town is located at the convergence of three different ecosystems. It is one of the rare places on earth where you can find two or three divergent species cohabitating the same area.
        

The local indigenous fox populations are unique. The arctic fox (alopex lagopus) does better in the harsher climate of the arctic, inhabiting the area around Churchill and several miles into the Boreal Forest. The red fox is larger and has been known to prey on the arctic fox. The arctic fox averages about 11 whelps per litter. They have been noted to have as many as 22 young in one litter—a record for reproduction among mammals. The red fox does not reproduce at those rates and therefore takes longer to recover from a bad winter. These two foxes share their food preferences. Both will hunt after voles, lemmings, ptarmigan, Canada goose, snow goose and bird eggs. The arctic fox is also willing to find food on the sea ice such as seals killed by polar bears. This connects the arctic fox with that third ecosystem: the Hudson Bay.
        

The arctic hare can reach 15 pounds. It will often startle people who are not familiar with the size of these arctic rodents. They live near Churchill and in October/November are often spotted right inside the town limits. They rely on their white camouflage to keep them hidden. Of course, in a year where the snow is late in coming, these big hares will contrast with the dark tundra. The artic hare is hunted by gyrfalcons, arctic fox, red fox, and snowy awls. It eats just about anything that grows, including spruce needles, willow bark, wild berries, and grasses. Arctic hares have been known to be caught in fishing nets as they will eat fish in addition to plant life. They sometimes get big enough that there are virtually no predators they can't outrun.
        

The snowshoe hare lives just south of Churchill inside the Boreal Forest. Where arctic hare prefer the barren grounds, the snowshoe hare prefers the forested regions just south of Churchill. Its size is considerably smaller. Their predators are the same as the arctic hare, with the addition of the Canadian lynx, which feeds almost exclusively on snowshoe hare.