An extensive upland plateau stands 500 to 800 feet above sea level and supports a large herd of reindeer introduced in 1920 and grown to over 4000 individuals. The reindeer are owned and managed by the Eskimos of the village of Mekoryuk, the only community on the island. Over 40 rivers combine to drain the upland. Isolated low mountains and buttes break the tundra. Vast seabird colonies nest on cliffs along the shoreline and a large variety of migratory birds flock here in their season.
Sea mammals frequent the coastal region.
Nunivak Island is probably best known for its herd of great shaggy muskoxen. Exterminated from Alaska around 1865, they were introduced here from Greenland in 1935. The herd flourished and grew to over 750 members, some being shipped to other regions of Alaska. A lottery allows a few muskoxen to be hunted each year, a chance of a lifetime for many hunters. In 1980 the state transferred ownership of the herd to the Eskimos who live off the muskoxen and the reindeer.