Despite being a cold and harsh place, the Arctic region has many different animals living there. Find out more about them.
The Arctic region is found in the northernmost part of Earth. The name ‘Arctic’ comes from a Greek word meaning ‘near the bear’. The coldest recorded temperature in the Arctic is around −68 °C (−90 °F). A number of different types of animals make their home in the arctic, including polar bears, wolverines, squirrels, birds, walrus and seals.
Let’s take a look at some animals that belong to the Arctic region and learn more about them and their unique adaptation mechanisms. Solve each grid to see their full image.
Arctic fox
Do you know how Arctic foxes create their homes? Being fantastic burrowers, they tunnel their way under the snow to create dens that serve as their hideout to store food and stay safe. Their incredible hearing allows the foxes to locate their prey under the snow; they then leap to break the snow and gather the prey below.The Arctic fox’s thick fur helps shield it from the dipping temperatures and terrible winds. Its summer coat is thinner and the colour varies from dark grey to brown. In winter, it changes into a luxurious white winter coat camouflaging it against the snow. The animal also uses the thick fur on its tail to wrap around itself for extra insulation.
Beluga whale
Did you know that the beluga whale is the only one that can turn its neck? This white whale will surely not go unnoticed. They feed on schooling fish, crustaceans, worms and molluscs. They use their special sonar skills to echo-locate their prey and use their incredible communication to work together to force fish into compromising situations. Beluga whales are warm-blooded mammals. They have an internal metabolic process that helps stabilise their body temperature in the cold waters of the Arctic. They also have a thick layer of blubber (oil) that surrounds their body and insulates them. Another adaptation mechanism is the dorsal ridge instead of a dorsal fin – a fin located on the back of most marine vertebrates. This is because a dorsal fin may be prone to injury from ice and heat loss.
Polar bears
The largest living carnivores on Earth, they grow up to eight feet in length and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds. Because of their weight, they need a lot of caloric intake. Their strategic advantage is to wait by seal breathing holes in the ice. Once the seals are close, the bears can leap and snatch them up for a fat-filled meal. In fact, they use their highly sensitive sense of smell to locate the seals even if they are three feet under water. Polar bears also scavenge for carcasses of other mammals, birds and eggs and, on land, can smell prey that is up to 10 miles away.
Reindeer
Reindeer, or caribou, is a true Arctic mammal that lives on the tundra as well as in the boreal forests. Both the males and the females grow antlers, which fall off every year to regrow. They have special noses that help regulate their body temperatures by altering the temperature of the air that goes into their lungs. Did you know that they migrate over 4500 km a year. They travel in herds of 10 to a few 100 and are known shift their migration routes each year to avoid overgrazing.
Narwhal
Narwhals are one of Earth’s most unusual creatures. Often referred to as the unicorn of the seas, because of their tusks, they use their special features to survive in the harsh environment. The tusk is actually a spiral tooth that can grow as long at 10 feet. Even more interesting is the fact that it is a specialised sensory organ with 10 million nerve endings that allow the narwhals to pick up changes in the environment that, in, turn help them to locate food.
