By: Jen Holecek & Jenny Dexter
ARCTIC ANIMALS IN ACTION…
FUN FACTS: THE ARCTIC REGION o Also known as the “Desert of the North”- cold & dry with long stretches of land o Unlike Antarctica, the Arctic actually has human habitation o Summer: average 50° F, 24 hours sunlight o Winter: average -30° F, 24 hours darkness
WALRUS o Diet: krill, shellfish, clams, mussels, dead seals o Population: 250,000 o Located: Northern Asia, Northeastern Canada, Greenland o Behavior: very social, gather by the hundreds, rank determined by tusk size, 2/3 of life spent in water o Threats: climate change = melting of sea ice Exhausting swims Lower food supply
THE STRUGGLING WALRUS…
POLAR BEAR o Diet: seals, walrus, whales, birds, vegetation, kelp o Population: 20, ,000 o Located: Alaska, Canada, Russia, Norway, Greenland o Behavior: kings of the Arctic, excellent swimmers, most time spent ice hunting and mating o Threats: o Melting of sea ice loss of habitat & food o Illegal killings by humans
POLAR BEARS AND ARCTIC ICE…
KILLER WHALE (ORCA) o Diet: fish, squid, birds, marine mammals o Population: worldwide population unknown o Located: most common in Arctic, Antarctica, west coast of United States & Canada o Behavior: highly social, travel in pods (5-30 whales) led by females, calf remains/protected by mother o Threats: Pollution and chemical contamination whales more susceptible to disease & reproductive difficulties
THE SOUNDS OF A KILLER WHALE…
ARCTIC FOX o Diet: lemming (small rodent), leftovers o Population: range in the hundred thousands o Location: entire Arctic tundra, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, Norway, Iceland, Scandinavia o Behavior: incredible hearing & precise hunting skills, camouflage color of fur with the seasons, adults mate for life o Threats: prime targets of fur trade, diseases spread by domestic dogs, losing ground to the larger red fox
HI! I AM THE ARCTIC FOX…
REFERENCES o Defenders of Wildlife: o Arctic Facts: Interesting-Facts-About-the-Arctic Interesting-Facts-About-the-Arctic o Life in the Polar Regions: in the Polar Regions