It lived in the shallow seas around what today is Bylot and Devon Islands in Nunavut, Canada.

Its fossils were found in rocks dated to the Campanian[2] to mid-Maastrichtian age, about 67 million years ago.

[3] It was found in the Kanguk Formation It was a member of the Hesperornithes, flightless toothed seabirds of the Cretaceous.

[4] C. arctica is one of the largest known members of the Hesperornithes, reaching a length of 2.2 metres (7.2 ft).

[1] Unlike its relatives which are mainly known from subtropical or tropical waters, this species seems to have ranged in temperate or even subarctic areas.