As with the flora, the pre-glacial fauna of Nova Scotia is believed to have been essentially similar to that of the present day. The succesive glaciations completely obliterated animals from the area now above sea level, but it is believed that refugia existed, seaward of the terminal moraines of the ice sheet, along the edge of the continental shelf. As the climate warmed during the post-glacial hypsithermal period, the subarctic tundra began to be colonized by boreal forest. However, this was set back for a period of about 200 years by a sudden cooling event. Many species had to begin colonization again and eventually a warm-temperate fauna was established which included some "southern" or continental species. A second cooling event, in historic times (1150 to 1860 AD), was the "Little Ice Age". Many southern species were affected at this time, either being reduced to isolated populations in the south of the province (e.g., Southern Flying Squirrel) or lost completely for a time (e.g., White Tailed Deer).

This Document Includes:

Land and Freshwater Fauna

The Chignecto Isthmus (Unit 53)
Coastal-plain Refugia
Aerial Migration and Transportation
Introductions

Marine Fauna

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Additional Keywords:
landbridge, mussels, snail, slug, coyote, arctic, boreal, Acadian Whitefish, Caecidotea communis, pea clams, Bay of Fundy, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Minas Basin, Sable Island, Lady Crab, Boring Clam, Blanding's Turtle, Ribbon Snake, Menetus dilatatus, Mercenaria mercinaria, Crassostrea virginica , Europeans, ship's ballast, oyster bed fauna

Associated Topics:

T3.3 Glaciation, Deglaciation, and Sea-level Changes
T3.5 Offshore Bottom Characteristics
T4.1 Post-glacial Climatic Change
T4.2 Post-glacial Colonization by Plants
T6.1 Ocean Currents
T11.1-18 Animals
T12.11 Animals and Resources

Associated Habitats:

H1.1 - H1.2 Offshore
H2.1 - H2.6 Coastal
H3.1 - H3.6 Freshwater
H4.1 - H4.4 Freshwater Wetlands
H5.1 - H5.5 Terrestrial Unforested
H6.1 - H6.3 Terrestrial Forests