How Much Do You Know About Biological Diversity in Canada?

Take this quiz to test your expertise

Quiz May 20, 2021

Triangle Island — Located amid an upwelling of nutrient-rich waters in the Pacific Ocean, the Scott Islands archipelago provides essential habitat for millions of birds, including half the world’s population of Cassin’s auklets.

Spanning the North American continent east to west, and from the Great Lakes north to the top of the world, Canada is one of the largest countries and has the longest shoreline on Earth. Its lands and oceans include wetlands, peatlands, and forest; the icy waters of the Arctic; deep-water trenches off the west coast that host unique methane-based plants and animals; and Atlantic coast whale migration routes that connect waters off Florida in the southeastern U.S. to the Hudson Bay.

Together, Canada’s crown lands and those of Indigenous communities account for 20% of the world’s freshwater and 25% of its wetlands. And the “Amazon of the North,” as the boreal forest is known, provides a carbon sink that helps keep the global climate temperate.

Take this quiz to learn more about the unique biodiversity found within Canada and why it is so important to protect the lands, watersheds, and oceans that support it.

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Thank you for testing your knowledge of Canada’s land and marine biodiversity. Learn more about the International Boreal Conservation and Conserving Life in Canada’s Oceans projects.

# wrong text: Sorry, that's incorrect. # right text: That's correct! # social text incomplete: What do you know about Canada’s biodiversity? Find out on this %40PewEnvironment quiz. # social text complete: What do you know about Canada’s biodiversity? I took the quiz and got a {score} out of {total_questions} correct! Find out on this %40PewEnvironment quiz. ? How many different species have been identified in Canada? - 300,000 - 25,000 + 80,000 ! According to the Canadian government’s latest estimates, Canada has around 80,000 wild species, excluding bacteria and viruses. - 5,000 - None of the above ? True or false: 14% of oceans and 12.5% of lands in Canada are protected. + True. ! And 14% of oceans and 12.5% of lands is only a starting point. Under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada plans to protect 30% of its lands and oceans by 2030. - False ? Which Canadian island chain was left mostly untouched by the Laurentide ice sheet that covered most of North America during the ice age? - Galapagos Islands + Haida Gwaii archipelago ! Known as the Canadian Galapagos, the more than 200 islands in the Haida Gwaii archipelago are the ancestral home of the Haida Nation, and they feature exceptional biodiversity, coastal rainforests, old-growth cedar forests, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Scott Islands - Aleutian archipelago ? Once one of the most prolific whale species in the northern Atlantic Ocean, which whale is now endangered? - Beluga whale - Pacific gray whale - Killer whale - Bowhead whale + North Atlantic right whale ! Hunters gave this whale species its moniker for being “right” for easy hunting. Now, only about 350 North Atlantic right whales remain, and less than 25% are breeding females. The leading causes of death for right whales are fishing gear entanglement and vessel strikes. The Pew Charitable Trusts is working with partners to expand use of ropeless gear technology and improve fisheries management practices to reduce entanglements. ? True or false: The boreal forest in Canada is the largest intact forest on Earth. + True - False ! The boreal is the largest intact forest on the planet. Its trees, wetlands, and lakes provide valuable habitat for hundreds of plant and animal species. Indigenous peoples have been interconnected with these lands for millennia. ? Which animal is considered central to the Arctic food web? + Arctic cod ! Arctic cod is a keystone species for the marine mammals that eat them—such as beluga and bowhead whales—as well as for Indigenous peoples who depend on marine mammals for traditional hunting, making it a central component of the Arctic food web. But despite its importance, very little is known about Arctic cod, and Pew supports a treaty to prevent unregulated fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean until research can provide greater insight into the species. - Pacific halibut - Narwhal - Phytoplankton - Arctic char ? How many migratory birds leave the boreal forest in Canada to fly south in the fall? - 300 million + 3 billion to 5 billion ! Between 3 billion and 5 billion birds migrate south each year from Canada’s boreal forest, known as North America’s bird nursery, to warmer climates in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. - 1 trillion - 500 million - 1 billion ? Which Arctic mammal is sometimes called “the unicorn of the sea”? + Narwhal ! Narwhals are known for their distinctive tusk-like horn, and one of their most important habitats is Baffin Bay in the Canadian Arctic. Their lifespan averages 100 years, and they are the deepest-diving cetacean, having been tracked to depths of more than 1,000 metres. - Bowhead whale - Beluga whale - Blue whale - Manatee ? Which Pacific island chain supports the highest concentration of breeding seabirds in Canada? - Haida Gwaii archipelago + Scott Islands ! The Scott Islands archipelago rises off the British Columbia coast and provides vital breeding, resting, feeding, and foraging ground for up to 10 million migratory seabirds each year. - Hawaiian Islands - Aleutian Islands - Arqvilliit (Ottawa Islands) ? What is the name of the largest polynya—an open-water area surrounded by sea ice—in the Arctic? - Arqvilliit (Ottawa Islands) + Pikialasorsuaq ! Pikialasorsuaq, meaning “Great Upwelling.” The area, also called Sarvarguaq, is one of the largest polynyas in the world. The upwelling of relatively warm water makes it one of the most biologically productive areas north of the Arctic Circle, with habitat that supports the world’s northernmost Inuit communities and vast populations of marine mammals. - Pimachiowin Aki - Tallurutiup Imanga - None of the above