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A diversity of habitats and large areas of undeveloped land allows a wide variety of wildlife species to thrive in and around Pender Harbour.
Large Land Animals
Roosevelt Elk, deer and black bear are common, and frequently encountered.
The elk were transplanted here from Vancouver in 1989 by the Wildlife Department, and they have thrived... much to the distress of local nursery owners, the golf club and many residents who suffered property damage from the huge, voracious and fearless beasts.
Present but rarely seen in Pender Harbour are Canada's biggest feline and canine, the cougar and wolf.
Small Animals
Raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, otters, beaver, skunks, weasels and a wide variety of rodents, reptiles, amphibians and insects inhabit the fields, forests, shorelines and mountains of Pender Harbour.
Fish and Marine Life
Otters are common along the shoreline, and boaters rarely go far without seeing seals, dolphins or even a pod of killer whales (orca). A large and diverse population of undersea life is one reason that Pender Harbour is a world-famous diving destination.
Stickleback “species pair” found on Nelson Island
UBC scientists announced the discovery of a stickleback “species pair” in a Nelson Island Lake in 2007. The species pair consists of two related but distinct species, one living near the lake bottom (benthic) and the other closer to the surface (limnetic).
Species pairs of fish are common but this variety, descended from the marine threespine stickleback, has been found only in southwestern British Columbia. The stickleback is a small, minnow-like fish with three characteristic spines that project upward from its back. Stickleback species pairs are studied to learn more about evolution.
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