Far in the Arctic is the Kingdom of eternal cold and winter. Here every six months gives way to day and night, almost no precipitation, and the sun almost warm.
In these harsh cold lands live only well-adapted to cold live creatures and a lot of them. In conditions of polar night they need to fend for himself in the darkness and among the terrible cold.
Best of all in the Arctic life of birds. Most of them are migratory birds and fly away before the onset of winter. Summer in the Arctic is very short, just two months, and even during this period the heat in the Arctic only bring the warm Atlantic currents.
All those living in the Arctic living creatures have an impressive reserve of subcutaneous fat, dense hair or feathers. Basically all the inhabitants of the Arctic have white coloring that allows them to camouflage on the ground. In this article we consider the main inhabitants of the animal world of the Arctic.
Animals Of The Arctic
- Polar bear
This is probably the most popular representative of Arctic animals. He lives mainly on wandering ice floes, from which a fine hunting walrus and other inhabitants of the ocean. From cold it makes a six-inch layer of fat.
These seemingly huge clumsy animals are capable of very fast and long to swim and dive. They can swim a distance of six hundred miles in one swim.
Females give birth to a polar bear once in two years. The female bear gives birth to a maximum of three bear. Accordingly, one dipper for all life can give birth to fifteen cubs.
The hunting of polar bears in the world is limited.
Reindeer have long been domesticated Northern peoples. They serve the locals as transport. But there are wild reindeer, which are hunted.
Mainly reindeer feed on reindeer moss, it rips up the snow with their front hooves to get it from under the snow. Wild reindeer are much more picky eaters than their domesticated relatives. Reindeer in the polar day conditions, active constantly, only take breaks at the gum.
The largest pinnipeds representative of the Arctic fauna. They reach five meters in length. Because meter long tusks walrus is afraid of even the most formidable predator of the Arctic – the polar bear.
Walruses feed on shellfish. For protection from the cold, a walrus has a thick four-inch leather and pjatnadtsatisantimetrovaja a layer of fat. Basically walruses live in herds. Walrus is listed in the Red book and hunting is prohibited all over the world.
By numbers of individuals experience in the Arctic of course seals. These mammals lead solitary lifestyle, they dig themselves holes in the snow where hiding from the frost.
Seals eat mostly fish, so I live closer to the water.
On land, seals are clumsy, but in water they are able to quickly and far to swim. Seals holds the record for deep sea diving and being under water for a long time.
- Sea leopard
This resident of the Arctic got its name from its coat, covered with spots like a leopard. He is a member of the family of seals.
The leopard seal eats penguins and seals. Thanks to its sharp teeth, this predator is the biggest threat to most animals of the Arctic desert just as the killer whale.
- Polar wolf
Lives throughout the Arctic. Very beautiful animal with thick white fur. They can live without food for weeks. It is believed that the Arctic wolves are the ancestors of the Samoyed. Arctic wolves live in small flocks of ten individuals. The whole pack obeys the leader and his mate. Giving birth in the flock only female wolf – leader, the pups of the other females are destroyed by leader.
They are representatives of the oldest inhabitants of the Arctic. They were hunted by primitive people. It’s quite large animals that can weigh up to six hundred pounds. On the head of females and males are powerful horns to protect themselves from predators. Their body is covered with long thick fur that help them stay out of the cold.
- Arctic hare
It is a large Arctic hare with short ears. It feeds on grass, tree bark and berries.
While running they reach speeds up to sixty miles per hour. They usually come out of hiding in the dark, as there is less risk of being eaten by a predator.
A very common resident of Arctic and tundra. In winter, the color of his fur pure white, in summer brown and white. The ermine feeds mainly on mice. Can live anywhere, from the haystack, ending the ruins of a building. It is very well climbs trees and swims, but prefers mainly terrestrial way of hunting. He is very quick and moves per day to fifteen kilometers.
This is a very beautiful Arctic carnivore, which is famous for its unusually beautiful coat. Foxes feed on small rodents, as well as herbs and berries. Very often they eat the dead carcass of a polar bear next to the bear. The Arctic Fox lives in dug holes, in which live ten to fifteen years, as in permafrost is difficult to find a suitable place to stay.
This Arctic resident extremely voracious. He constantly hunts. There were even cases of attacks on livestock and humans, therefore they began to destroy. In summer, wolverines eat grass, fruit and birds ‘ eggs. It is omnivorous, and may have fish and meat and vegetable food. Is a vicious predator that can kill an animal larger than its size five times.
Migratory Arctic whale, which can reach six meters in length. Narwhal can dive to a depth of one kilometer and a very long stay under water. They feed on molluscs and sometimes fish. The biggest enemies of the narwhal are polar bears and killer whales.
- Bowhead whale
Huge whale with a body length of up to twenty meters and weighing up to two hundred tons. It feeds mainly on plankton, which it filters from the water through hair.
This is the most harmless creature of the Arctic are of such impressive size.
Currently hunting of the bowhead whale is forbidden around the world.
One of the most dangerous predators of the Arctic is the killer whale. It has a unique black and white color, which distinguishes it from other whales. Orca has no rivals in the marine nature. They are even able to kill a whale, if you’re going groups. They began to actively use in dolphinariums, but since the genes of the predator still remains, there is a danger of attack on the handler and other inhabitants of the pool.
Birds Of The Arctic
A very rare bird that can be found mainly in the Arctic. This owl with white feathers feeds on mice, which often ruin bird nests and hares and stoats. It can also become a victim of the many predators. Owls never hunt near their nests, so as not to attract predators.
It is mainly a marine bird that only comes ashore for procreation. Gaga eats mainly mussels, which it pulls from the bottom of the sea, as well as crustaceans and molluscs. The main dangers for gag are the Arctic Fox and the snowy owl, who often hunt them.
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Polar gull
Is an Arctic bird which feeds mainly on fish, and eggs of other birds, sometimes even carrion. This large bird is gray much larger than their marine relatives. Live Arctic gulls about twenty years.
