Mini Project 3

Endangered Species in Norway:

1. The Blue Whale

The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived on earth. It can weigh up to 136,400 kg (300,000 lb) and grow as long as 34 m (110'). It has a slim outline, especially in the winter, although it fattens in the summer. The tiny dorsal fin is set well to the rear of the body. 55 - 68 flexible throat grooves run along half the body length. Its coloration is mainly pale blue-gray.
The Blue Whale is found in all major oceans of the world. Its populations have been severely depleted throughout its range due to commercial whaling, which ceased in 1964. There have been reports of increased sightings in some areas, but in other areas the number of Blue Whales remains low.
There are several other types of whales in Norway under the same category. They are unfortunantly also endangered species.

2. The Polar Bear

The polar bear has an elongated neck and a stocky body. It can be up to 285 cm (9.3') long, stand 160 cm (5.2') high at the shoulder, and weigh up to 800 kg (1800 lb). A polar bear is completely furred except for the tip of its nose and its foot pads. Polar bear fur appears white when it is clean and in normal daytime sunlight. However, because the fur actually has no pigment, a bear may take on the yellow-orange hues of the setting and rising sun. In spring and late winter, many polar bears are "off-white" or yellowish because of oils from their prey and other impurities that have attached to their fur.
The polar bear occurs throughout the Arctic. It is still found in most of its original range. Significant depletion of polar bear populations, due to over-hunting, occurred in the early and middle 1900's. As a result, an international agreement was reached in which the five nations with polar bears (Canada, Norway, USA, the former USSR and Denmark/Greenland) agreed to prohibit unregulated hunting and to outlaw the hunting of the bears from aircraft and icebreakers. This agreement and the resulting actions by the signatory nations were responsible for a significant recovery of the polar bear by the 1980's.

3. The Wolf

The wolf (Canis lupus) became a protected species in Norway in 1973 and is cited on their red list of endangered species as 'critically endangered'. The Norwegian Ministry of the Environment is ultimately responsible for ensuring that there are viable populations of all red-listed species. Only last May, the Norwegian Parliament decided on a national goal of sustaining at least three family packs. The current hunt will reduce the number of packs to two, a clear breach of a parliamentary directive. In 2001, there were an estimated 50–80 wolves in the southern part of Norway and Sweden, consisting of several families. In that year, the Norwegian government approved the culling of 8 out of its 25 wolves. Today, there are reported to be only 20 left in Norway.

4. Arctic Fox

The fox is endangered on the mainland, but there is a stable population on Svalbard. Even though the Arctic fox has been totally protected in Norway since 1930, the situation for the mainland population is now critical. The species is classed as endangered in Norway's Red List. Arctic foxes are totally protected on Jan Mayen and Bjørnøya, but may still be trapped in the rest of Svalbard, except in protected areas. The population density in Svalbard is relatively high when compared to the alpine regions of Scandinavia. The Arctic fox was eradicated on Jan Mayen in the 1930s as a result of trapping.

5. Wolverine