Animals in Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a mass of eight different coastal islands that are located alongside of the country of Newfoundland. These islands sit adjacent to the North American continent and are especially close to the Canadian border. Due to the fact that Saint Pierre and Miquelon are both situated in the Western and Northern hemispheres, this makes the climate rainy, humid and seldom warm. For most of the year, weather is extremely foggy, wet and cool. It is also quite windy throughout the region. However, during the late summer season, there is usually a short period of sunny weather for local residents to look forward to.

Since the geography of Pierre and Miquelon mainly consists of water bodies and beach areas, there are many migratory and marine-based animals to be found here. Most of these animals have been allocated to the Cetacea order of aquatic species. The Grand Barachois lagoon in Miquelon is visited by a vast array of seals and other sea-based species. Most notably, a pod of migrating whales visits the Saint Pierre and Miquelon coastlines each year on their way to Greenland.

Animals that are native to the Saint Pierre and Miquelon islands include the Delphinidae, the Lagenodelphis, the Grampus, the Platanistoidea and the Odontoceti. All of these species are members of the Cetacea order. These aquatic mammals are variations in the many subspecies of dolphin but are uniquely inherent to the Pierre and Miquelon areas. A more commonly used term for the Grampus dolphin is "Risso's Dolphin", while the Lagenodelphis is alternatively known as the "Fraser's Dolphin". In addition, the Delphinidae are more traditionally recognized throughout the world for their classic bottle-nose appearance. All in all, the animal life in Saint Pierre and Miquelon is highly unique to the area and never lacking in diversity.