Arctic: Related Content
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Polar Bear Mother and Cub
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is found in the Arctic and classified as a vulnerable species by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This marine mammal can swim more than 30 miles when sea ice has receded due to warm temperatures.
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Greenland Shark: One Species at a Time
Scientists know the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) moves slowly in the Arctic's cold water. They also know that parasites attack the shark's eyes. But much about this animal remains a mystery. Marine biologist Greg Skomal says that's because the Greenland shark spends most of the year living under 6 feet of Arctic ice. Skomal works for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
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The Sant Ocean Hall: Life at the Poles Exhibit
At the Poles, Life ThrivesLocated beside the Shores and Shallows gallery (which highlights different kinds of coastal ecosystems around the world), the Poles area will take you to the ends of the earth and empower you with a broad understanding of life and physical conditions at both poles. -
Climate Change at the Poles
At the ends of the Earth, life thrives despite extreme conditions. In the Arctic and Southern Oceans, organisms have evolved adaptations to cope with year-round cold and six months of darkness. But the tough critters living in these harsh climates belie the delicate balance that holds the ecosystem together—a balance that human activities are disrupting in alarming ways.
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Archaeologists Study Early Whaling Community in Quebec, Canada
Basque Whalers Background Having already learned to hunt large whales in the Bay of Biscay in the 13th through 15th centuries, Basques began arriving in the rich whaling grounds of southern Labrador, Newfoundland, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the 1520s and by the 1530s had established whaling stations throughout the Gulf of St. Lawrence. -
Inuit Soapstone Pot
For over a decade, Smithsonian Arctic Archaeologists have been investigating an early European whaling site at Hare Harbor in Quebec, Canada. The site and the artifacts that have been recovered has revealed important information about the relationships between Inuit peoples of Northern Canada and the European Basque whalers of France and Spain.
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Early Eskimo Point
About 2,500 years ago cold climate brought the first Inuit peoples into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Early Eskimo groups, known as Groswater Dorset, occupied many sites along the Lower North Shore, and as far west as Cape Whittle. With warming climates these Eskimo groups retreated north and were replaced with Innu (Indian) peoples.
Seen here is a Dorset point made of Ramah Chert that was recovered Hare Harbor, Canada.
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Ceramic Pottery Recovered from Early Whaling Community
Research at Hare Harbor in Quebec, Canada has revealed important clues about the connections between the Inuit peoples of Northern Canada and the Basque whalers of Spain and France.
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Archaeological Site Map of Hare Harbor
The Arctic Studies Center's excavation site map of Hare Harbor maps some of the community's excavated structures that archeologists have unearthed. An Inuit house, blacksmith shop, and cookhouse are among some of the excavated buildings on site.
Learn more about what has been uncovered at Hare Harbor and how these discoveries have helped scientists understand the early whaling community and its occupants.
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Fragment of a European Bellarmine Jug
A 2011 excavation led by the Arctic Studies Center uncovered this fragment of decorated European stoneware called a bellarmine jug. Uncovering this fragment, that was likely manufactured in the 15th and 16th centuries, reveals information about European trade and influence in the Hare Harbor whaling community.
