Wildlife in Iceland

Wild land mammals

The Arctic fox, which Icelanders call tófa or refur, is the only land mammal that lived in Iceland before the settlement. It is thought to have arrived on sea ice at the end of the last Ice Age. The fox occurs in two colour morphs: the blue fox is dark brown all year, while the white fox changes colour and is white in winter. In Hornstrandir the fox has been protected since 1994 and is unusually tame. The Arctic Fox Centre in Súðavík teaches visitors about foxes and fox hunting.

Other wild mammals were brought by people. Reindeer were imported from Norway between 1771 and 1787 and now live wild in East Iceland. American mink escaped from fur farms in the 20th century and have harmed birdlife. The wood mouse, house mouse and brown rat also followed people to the country. Occasionally polar bears come ashore after drifting on sea ice from Greenland.

Whales and seals

More than twenty species of whale have been seen in the waters around Iceland. The most common are minke whales, humpback whales, harbour porpoises and dolphins, but blue whales – the largest animals on Earth – fin whales, sperm whales and orcas are also seen. Whale watching tours depart from Reykjavík, Húsavík, Akureyri, Dalvík, Hauganes, Ólafsvík and elsewhere. Húsavík has been called the whale-watching capital of Europe and is home to the Húsavík Whale Museum.

Two seal species breed in Iceland: the harbour seal and the grey seal. Others, such as harp seals, ringed seals and hooded seals, visit from the Arctic. Good places for seal watching include Vatnsnes in Northwest Iceland, Ytri Tunga on Snæfellsnes and Jökulsárlón. The Icelandic Seal Centre is in Hvammstangi.

Icelandic farm animals

The Icelandic horse

The Icelandic horse came with the settlers and has been kept pure for more than a thousand years. In 982 the Althing passed a law banning the import of horses, and today no horse that leaves the country may return. The horse is small but strong, hardy and good-tempered. It has five gaits: walk, trot, canter, tölt and flying pace. The tölt is a smooth four-beat gait that makes the horse exceptionally comfortable to ride. There are over 250,000 Icelandic horses in the world, about half of them outside Iceland.

The sheep

The Icelandic sheep belongs to the Nordic short-tailed breeds and for centuries was the foundation of life in the country. It provided meat, milk, wool and skins. Its wool has two layers: a coarser outer coat (tog) and a fine inner coat (þel), which makes it exceptionally warm. It is used to knit the traditional lopapeysa sweater. In autumn farmers round up the sheep from the mountain pastures, followed by the réttir, when the sheep are sorted into pens.

Other farm animals

• The Icelandic sheepdog is the only native dog breed, a cheerful herding dog with a curled tail.
• The Icelandic settlement chicken is a hardy and colourful breed that nearly died out in the 20th century.
• The Icelandic goat, sometimes called the settlement goat, is endangered and protected.
• The Icelandic cow is a distinct breed, often spotted or brindled, and one of the few cattle breeds in Europe that has not been crossed with others.

Fish and marine life

The sea around Iceland is one of the richest fishing grounds in the world. Here warm Atlantic water meets cold water from the north, creating high primary production. The most important commercial species are cod, haddock, saithe, herring, capelin, mackerel and blue whiting. Rivers and lakes hold salmon, brown trout, Arctic char and eel. Lake Þingvallavatn is unique in having four forms of Arctic char that have evolved there since the end of the Ice Age.