1. By: Jen Holecek & Jenny Dexter

2. ARCTIC ANIMALS IN ACTION…

3. 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

4. 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

5. THE STRUGGLING WALRUS…

6. POLAR BEAR o Diet: seals, walrus, whales, birds, vegetation, kelp o Population: 20,000 - 25,000 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

7. POLAR BEARS AND ARCTIC ICE…

8. 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

9. THE SOUNDS OF A KILLER WHALE…

10. 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

11. HI! I AM THE ARCTIC FOX…

12. REFERENCES o Defenders of Wildlife: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/index.php http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/index.php o Arctic Facts: http://vanchen.hubpages.com/hub/Arctic-Facts-The-Most- Interesting-Facts-About-the-Arctic http://vanchen.hubpages.com/hub/Arctic-Facts-The-Most- Interesting-Facts-About-the-Arctic o Life in the Polar Regions: http://www.umassk12.net/ipy/sess09/polar.ppt#256,1,Life in the Polar Regions