Chukote Coastal Tundra
About the Area
Only about 50 miles (80 km) of ocean separate the Chukote Peninsula from Alaska's Seward Peninsula. Five million years ago a land bridge existed where there is currently ocean, allowing species to migrate between what are now Asia and North America.
The result of such a movement can be seen in this ecoregion that contains a healthy mix of species with Asian and American relicts and represents the westernmost limit of distribution for many North American species.
There is an abundance of common arctic mammals such as Polar bear (Thalarctos maritimus), Wolf (Canis lupis), Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), and Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus). Seabird colonies of Crested auklet (Aethia cristatella), Least auklet (A. pusilla), and Parakeet auklet (Cyclorrhynchus psittacula), populate the coastline along with Spoon-billed sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus), Horned and Tufted puffin (Fratercula corniculata and Lunda cirrhata) on the shores.
In Chukotka alone, approximately 50 plants are considered Berengian endemics. Examples of rare endemic plants in the Russian Red Book include Artemisia senjavinensis, Cardamine sphenophylla, and Arabidopsis tschuktschorum.
Industrial development, climate change, and lack of protected areas constitute threats. Increasing exploitation of wildlife is another area of concern, for instance the growing demand for eggs of rare birds by collectors now threatens several endangered species.
306,000 sq. km (118,000 sq. miles)
Northeastern tip of Eurasia, in Russia