SPARK | Page 10

Animals of the Arctic Polar Bears Reindeer (Caribou) A polar bear can Caribou is another smell prey up to name for reindeer, 20 miles away and which is what 1 metre under we call them in the snow. Their Europe. They live blubber keeps them warm and acts on the tundra, where it is flat and treeless. as reserve energy storage. Their fur They are herbivores, which means they helps to keep them warm and also eat plants; mostly moss and grasses. Like acts as a camouflage to help them a human fingerprint, no two reindeer’s creep up on their prey! They have antlers are the same, and these antlers can webbed feet to help them swim in be almost 1 metre tall! A reindeer can also the ocean and are the largest species run up to 50 miles per hour! of bear in the world. Arctic Owl Due to the freezing cold temperatures and fierce winds, animals that live in the Arctic have developed some adaptations to help them survive. Arctic Wolves Blubber Arctic marine mammals d are warm blooded, but spen cold most or all of their lives in the ch greater water. Heat loss in water is mu way to stop the than in the air, and without a y would freeze heat leaving their bodies, the freezing point. to death in water just above ses and seals Animals such as whales, walru layer under have developed a thick, fatty acts like their skin called blubber that lp a blanket for the animal, to he keep them warm. The arctic owl, or the Wolves are pack snowy owl are large animals, which means owls that breed on that they live and hunt the Arctic tundra. The in groups. They mostly eat hooved male owls are almost herd animals like the musk oxen and completely white, and reindeer, but also hunt hares and females and young owls have small flecks other small animals. They can run up of brown. They have great eyesight and to speeds of 35 miles per hour. The hearing which helps them to find prey arctic wolf has an incredible sense of that is hiding under plants or snow. Their smell and hearing to help them track food of choice is lemmings – they can eat their prey. more than 1,600 a year! 10 SPARK now? Did You K ve special es ha Arctic fish their bodies protein in e antifreeze k that acts li survive the em to help th g water! zin free Fur Animals such as the arctic hare, arctic fox and polar bears are all covered with a thick fur to help keep them warm. Air gets trapped underneath and in between the fur, which provides a blanket of warm air all around their bodies. White fur is even better for keeping animals warm, as there is no pigment (a material that changes the colour of something) in the hairs, and all of the gaps are instead filled with extra air, keeping them even warmer. Did You A polar bear Know? is ac The skin und tually black! polar bear’s w erneath the hite which helps th fur is black, extra warmth em to get from the sun . SPARK 11