Canadians are a wild bunch, and I’m not just talking about the crazy nightlife in Canada’s cosmopolitan cities!  I’m talking about critters. Four-legged, winged, finned and flippered, there’s no shortage of wildlife to see in Canada

In no particular order, here are a fewplaces where you’re likely to see amazing wild things, and some companies that can help you do it.  Reminder: never approach wildlife.

• Elk, bison, beaver: Elk Island National Park, just east of Edmonton, AB, is renowned for its variety of viewable wildlife. Visit Alberta.
   
• Polar bears: Churchill, MB, is the polar-bear viewing capital of the world. Check ‘em out from the safety of a Tundra Buggy with Frontiers North Adventures or a Polar Rover with Great White Bear Tours. You can also see beluga whales in Churchill. Visit Manitoba.
   
• Grizzly bears: British Columbia’s mainland coast is home to many bears. Due to the region’s remoteness, tours generally start on Vancouver Island. Trips with Great Bear Nature Tours, Tide Rip Grizzly Tours and Knight Inlet Lodge are all good bets for seeing grizzlies. Two grizzlies also live in a natural habitat atop Grouse Mountain (above downtown Vancouver) and can usually be seen quite easily. Visit British Columbia.
   
• Muskoxen and caribou: Access to the Arctic region’s best wildlife viewing is easy from an ice-reinforced cruise ship. Cruise North Expeditions ships generally sail around northern Quebec (Nunavik) or Nunavut and Baffin Island, NU; staff includes Aboriginal members who show off their homeland. Visit Quebec and Nunavut.
   
• Atlantic seabirds, peregrine falcon: The Bay of Fundy, famous for the world’s most dramatic tides, separates most of the province of Nova Scotia from New Brunswick, and is renowned for seasonal migratory birdwatching. Kayak tours with FreshAir Adventure of Alma, NB could provide great sightings; peregrine falcons have been reintroduced and might be spotted in Nova Scotia’s Fundy National Park. Visit Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
   
• Salmon: In the city of Whitehorse, YT, visitors can view seasonal chinook salmon using a “fish ladder” to climb past a dam. Visit Yukon.
   
• Wolves, moose: At Algonquin Provincial Park, ON, join a park naturalist on a “public wolf howl” expedition or for possible viewings of many other mammals and birds. Algonquin is considered a top moose viewing spot in North America. Visit Ontario.
   
• Killer whales: Several local companies run tours in the Georgia Strait, between Vancouver and Victoria, BC. Common sightings (seasonally) include orcas, humpbacks, sea lions and more. Try Prince of Whales or Vancouver Whale Watch. Visit British Columbia.
   
• Puffins, humpback whales, harbour porpoises: Cute as penguins, puffin seabirds are only seen in a few north Atlantic places. They’re easily spotted near St. John’s, NL. A tour with O’Brien’s will show you the adorable flyers, and seasonal whales and icebergs. Visit Newfoundland and Labrador.