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