Animals of the Arctic. Description, names and characteristics of Arctic animals

Herbivores

Lemming

Outwardly, it is little different from a hamster; it also belongs to rodents. The animal weighs about 80 grams and reaches 15 centimeters in length. The lemming's fur is brown. There are subspecies that turn white in winter. In cold weather the animal remains active.

Lemmings are Arctic animals that feed on plant shoots, seeds, moss, and berries. Most of all, northern “hamsters” love young shoots.

Herbivorous lemmings themselves provide food for many Arctic inhabitants

Muskox

It lives mainly in northern Greenland and the Taimyr Peninsula. The number of the species is declining, so in 1996 the musk ox was listed in the Red Book. The closest relatives of the northern giants are mountain sheep. Outwardly, musk oxen are more similar to bovid animals.

The approximate height of the musk ox is 140 centimeters. The animals listed in the Arctic Red Book reach 2.5 meters in length. There is only one species living on the planet. There used to be two, but one has died out.

These giant bulls are on the verge of extinction and are protected by law

Belyak

Recently isolated as a separate species, it no longer belongs to the common hare. The Arctic hare has short ears. This reduces heat loss. Thick, fluffy fur also saves from the cold. The body weight of the Arctic hare is greater than that of the common hare. The length of the resident of the North reaches 70 centimeters.

In the photo, Arctic animals often eat woody parts of plants. This is the basis of the hare's diet. However, favorite dishes are buds, berries, and young grass.

You can distinguish an Arctic hare from a regular hare by their shorter ears.

Reindeer

Unlike other deer, they have changeable hooves. In summer, their base resembles a sponge, cushioning on soft ground. In winter, the pores tighten, and the dense and pointed edges of the hooves become pronounced. They crash into ice and snow, eliminating slipping.

There are 45 species of deer on the planet, and only the northern one grows antlers, regardless of whether it is a male or a female. Moreover, males shed their hats by the beginning of winter. It turns out that Santa's sleigh is pulled by reindeer.

Both male and female reindeer have antlers

Lemming

Lemmings are small rodents that belong to the hamster family and live in Eurasia and North America. They grow to only 15 centimeters in length and weigh only 30-70 grams. But the animals eat excellently, absorbing twice as much food per day as they weigh themselves.

The largest among them is Vinogradov's lemming, endemic to the North of Russia. The animal inhabits exclusively Wrangel Island and has protected status. The body size of Vinogradov's lemming reaches 16-17 centimeters. The animal is ash-colored with spots of brown and beige. It settles in underground burrows on the slopes of hills, constructing many tunnels, storage rooms and exits in them. The area of ​​one burrow can reach 30 m2.

Where are the North and South Pole: 4 types of poles

There are actually 4 types of North Pole from a scientific point of view:

North magnetic pole

- a point on the earth's surface to which magnetic compasses are directed

North geographic pole

– located directly above the geographic axis of the Earth

North geomagnetic pole

– connected to the Earth’s magnetic axis

North Pole of Inaccessibility

– the northernmost point in the Arctic Ocean and the farthest from land on all sides

There were also 4 types of South Pole:

South magnetic pole

- a point on the earth's surface at which the earth's magnetic field is directed upward

South geographic pole

- a point located above the geographic axis of rotation of the Earth

South geomagnetic pole

- connected to the Earth's magnetic axis in the southern hemisphere

South Pole of Inaccessibility

- the point in Antarctica that is farthest from the coast of the Southern Ocean.

In addition there is a ceremonial south pole

– area designated for photography at Amundsen-Scott Station. It is located a few meters from the geographic south pole, but since the ice sheet is constantly moving, the mark shifts every year by 10 meters.

Amazing ringed seal

The smallest representative of polar seals living in the Arctic Ocean. Its body length does not exceed 100 cm, and the seal feeds on polar cod, although sometimes it does not mind feasting on other fish. Spends most of its time under ice cover. She has huge claws on her front flippers, with the help of which she creates holes in the constantly freezing ice. To breed offspring, females create burrows in the snow, which they enter through water.

Characteristics of animals of the North

The region's wildlife is unique and in some ways unusual. In order not to die from the extreme cold and the meager menu, its representatives had to try hard. Some have acquired long, thick hair, others have acquired a thick layer of fat. Due to weak vegetation cover, many inhabitants of the Arctic and Subarctic are predators and prefer to hunt other animals. Herbivorous species feed on algae, grasses, mosses and lichens.

Among the most famous names of animals of the North: polar bear, reindeer, arctic fox, lemming, musk ox, polar owl and brown hare. In addition to them, the harsh region is inhabited by numerous cetaceans, waterfowl and land birds, as well as various marine inhabitants.

Some species are now listed in the Red Book. Animals of the North that are considered endangered or vulnerable are Atlantic walruses, ivory gulls, narwhals, polar bears, bowhead whales, and puffin birds. Beluga whales and thick-billed guillemots are considered close to vulnerable.

Narwhal

This animal of the North is the living embodiment of the unicorn. It only lives in water and is not at all like a horse. But from the animal’s mouth protrudes a long spiral-twisted tusk, reminiscent of a horn. A huge tooth weighing up to 10 kilograms and up to 3 meters in length was considered a valuable trophy and became the reason for the widespread extermination of narwhals. Today they are considered a rare species.

The narwhal is a cetacean and is similar in appearance to beluga whales. It lives in the waters of the Arctic Ocean, constantly migrating, depending on the movement of floating ice. In summer, animals stay in the depths, and in winter they move closer to the coast. They prey on medium and small fish, mollusks and crustaceans. They themselves become prey for polar sharks, polar bears and killer whales.

Dangerous land predators

The animals of the Arctic, despite the strong winds and lack of heat, are diverse. Among the inhabitants of the northern space there are many predatory mammals. Their way of life is to constantly move and search for food.

Arctic fox

Belongs to the canine family. This beautiful predator is known for its luxurious “fur coat” far beyond the Arctic. This is a small animal up to 30 cm in length and weighing up to 50 kg. The predator runs fast and is distinguished by its endurance. Often stays near polar bears during hunting and eats their leftovers. The animal can be found throughout the icy land. They are good parents. As soon as the female becomes pregnant, the male begins to hunt for both, bringing prey until the babies are born.

Reference! A notable feature of polar foxes (the second name for arctic foxes) is the change in fur color. In summer it is brown in color, and closer to winter it becomes snow-white.

Polar bear

The largest and most formidable predator that lives on land in this icy region. The animal can reach about 2.5-3 meters in length and weight up to 500 kg. The bear's skin is dark, almost black. The fur is snow-white, but in the summer, under the rays of the sun, it can become covered with yellow spots. Under the skin there is a thick layer of fat. The animal is characterized by endurance and patience in obtaining food.

Hunts walruses, penguins, seals, dolphins. The polar bear not only runs fast, but also swims well, and it is not difficult for him to get food. Therefore, all Arctic animals can fall into the clutches of this predator. Pregnant females mainly go into hibernation.

Wolf

From infancy, these representatives of the animal world become ruthless predators, although they are born deaf and blind. The weight of an adult wolf is 70-80 kg. Wolves eat their prey alive because, due to the structure of their teeth, they are unable to kill it quickly. This predator is omnivorous and can feed on any type of food. Can live for a week without food.

Outwardly they resemble a fluffy, pointy-eared dog. Nature endowed polar wolves with thick snow-white fur and sharp claws, with the help of which the animal easily moves along the icy surface.

Elephant

A branch in the forest did not crunch, a leaf did not move - a huge wild elephant silently emerged from the dense thickets of the jungle.

The elephant stands like a towering gray mountain: legs like logs, ears like two sails, long tusks, crooked and strong. The elephant stretched out its trunk, tore a bush out of the ground, put it whole in its mouth and began to chew.

Such a strong man is not afraid of anyone, no one is afraid of him.

Amazing birds

The cold region with a harsh climate called the Arctic surprises with its diversity of fauna. Birds also found their place on this piece of land.

White Owl

A very beautiful bird. This is a harsh predator that is constantly in flight for prey. The wingspan of an owl can reach up to 1.5 meters. Males are smaller in size than females and have a distinctive feature in the form of black specks. The eyes are yellow, the ears are so small that they are not visible. The beak is black, but completely hidden under the plumage.

Long claws help them hunt and perch comfortably on elevated places. The diet consists of small mammals.

Interesting fact! In times when there is not enough food, owls stop breeding for this time and fly closer to the southern regions.

Pink seagull

Despite the strong cold winds, this small bird has found its home in the Arctic. It builds nests on the shores of the ocean. The seagull is no more than 35 cm long and weighs only 250 grams. The head is pale pink, and the back and wings are gray. The paws are bright red, and on her neck there is a black collar, which disappears with the onset of severe cold. Swims well in water and can sometimes land on ice floes. It feeds mainly on small insects, fish, crustaceans and mollusks. These fragile birds are often targeted by predators. They are hunted by Arctic foxes and reindeer.

Lyurik

The little auk is the second name for these birds. They nest in high latitudes. Little auks are the most mobile and smallest inhabitants of the Arctic among birds.

They move on land very deftly and quickly. They also feel confident at sea. Great maneuverability and frequent flaps during flight resemble a large insect rather than a bird. The color of the plumage resembles a tailcoat.

Arctic animals are in a daily struggle for life. Natural selection is cruel. Despite this, the northern region shelters a variety of fauna on its land.

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Thick-billed or short-billed guillemot

The guillemot seabird is a regular at bird markets on the coast of Eurasia. It is distributed from Murmansk to Chukotka and Kamchatka, and is found in the Aleutian Islands and Alaska. Externally, the short-billed guillemot resembles a mixture of a duck and a penguin. The bird's color is two-color: the back, sides and head are covered with black plumage, and the inside of the neck and belly are completely white.

Guillemots settle on coastal cliffs and are located only in large flocks, surrounded by other seabirds, such as gulls. They are not migratory and winter in the Arctic. However, with the arrival of winter they move a little further south.

Herbivores

The vast northern spaces shelter many representatives of the animal world on their territory. And no matter how strange it may sound, herbivorous fauna also live on the icy Earth. Every day begins with a search for food. Only in constant movement can natural selection be overcome.

The Arctic is home to animals that differ in the way they feed, obtain food, and habitat.

Arctic hare

This representative of lagomorphs is an amazing animal. Previously, it was classified as a subspecies of the mountain hare, but today it is distinguished as a separate species. It has short ears, which reduces heat transfer. The fur is fluffy and very thick, which also saves the animal from extreme cold. The tail is only 5 cm, but the hind legs are long and powerful, which allows it to move through deep snowdrifts.

The hare runs very fast - 60-65 km per hour. This speed often saves him from a predator. It finds food with the help of its excellent sense of smell, and its claws help it reach plants by digging through layers of snow.

Lemming

This rodent is not much different in appearance from an ordinary hamster. The small animal reaches only 8-15 cm in length and weighs about 70-80 g. Small ears are hidden under fur, which in some subspecies turns white by winter. This camouflage helps to hide from dangerous predators. However, most representatives have completely gray or gray-brown fur. The rodent is found where there is vegetation. Well adapted to harsh climates. Lemmings feed on young shoots, moss, various seeds and berries. Life expectancy is only 2 years.

Reindeer

An elegant animal that wears branched horns on its head and has warm and dense fur. Perfectly adapted to the harsh climate of the Arctic. Reindeer feed on reindeer moss. Weighs about 200 kg, reaches a height of 1.5 meters. It lives not only throughout the region, but also inhabits nearby islands. Vegetation obtains itself with the help of wide hooves.

Interesting fact! Reindeer have variable hooves. In summer they are loose, which improves shock absorption on soft ground. In the winter season, the pores tighten, the hooves become dense and pointed, which prevents slipping on ice.

Muskox

A large and powerful animal. The musk ox can be up to 1.5 meters in height and weigh up to 650 kg. These herbivorous mammals have thick and long hair, which retains heat and protects from strong winds in such a harsh climate of the region of our planet. They live in large herds of 20-30 animals. This is how they protect themselves from predators. They feed on moss, tree roots, lichen, grass and flowers. Rounded hooves help them move freely on ice and rocks, as well as rake layers of snow to find vegetation.

Reference! The musk ox has ancient roots. These mammals were hunted by primitive people. Today there is only one single species on our planet. The animal is listed in the Red Book as a rare animal of the Arctic.

bighorn sheep

It is also called bighorn or chubuk. This is a beautiful artiodactyl animal with beautiful horns on its head. The bighorn sheep is slow and peaceful. It is more active during the day, but can search for food at night. It lives in the mountains in groups of 20-30 animals. It feeds on lichen, moss, tree roots, pine needles, dry grass and other vegetation, which it digs out from under the snow with its powerful hooves.

Despite their massive body, chibuki easily move by jumping up to 2 meters in height. The number of these artiodactyls is gradually increasing, however, the bighorn sheep is currently under protection and is included in the Red Book.

Musk ox or musk ox

The massive and stocky musk ox has skillfully adapted to the harsh conditions of the North. The animal has thick, long hair and no protruding body parts, which helps it retain heat better and cope with strong winds and frosts. Its hair can reach almost 60 centimeters in length and hangs almost to the ground.

The musk ox reaches 120-150 centimeters at the withers and weighs 200-350 kilograms. Because of their fur, animals seem even larger than they really are. For example, their closest relative, the takin, looks much slimmer.

The ancestors of these animals came out of the Himalayan mountains and settled throughout Eurasia. Today they are found mainly on the islands of the Canadian archipelago, in the north of mainland Canada and Greenland. Some populations live on the Scandinavian Peninsula and Siberia.

Minerals at the North Pole

17. What is interesting is not even who was first, but what impact it had on geopolitics. Peary claimed that he was the first to reach the pole and this means that the territory belongs to the United States. But this did not mean anything and there are still territorial disputes over the northern regions.

18. Such disputes over territory occur because of the resources that lie on it. According to a 2008 study by the US Geological Survey, the Arctic contains 20 percent of the planet's undiscovered oil and natural gas reserves.

Even where there is ice, oil and other minerals can be extracted.

19. Most oil and gas fields are likely to be within the 200-mile exclusive economic zone owned by countries with Arctic coastlines. Analysts estimate that the seabed directly at the north pole is about 2.5 miles below the waves. At the same time, it is almost completely devoid of resources.

20. The future of the North Pole is unclear. In 2014, NASA launched the ARISE program to analyze how changes in the atmosphere could accelerate the melting of sea ice around the pole. Research is still ongoing, but there is no smoke without fire.

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Emperor penguins

Birds that cannot fly at all, but swim flawlessly, feed on fish and are considered record holders for survival in extremely low temperatures. The proportions of fat in their body exceed even walruses! And on top they are protected by a dense layer of fur and feathers.

The height of the emperor penguin reaches 120 cm and weighs up to 40 kg - it is one of the largest birds in the world. And they live in huge flocks - up to 10,000 individuals. Penguins breed during the harsh Arctic winter, and the parents take turns incubating the eggs. Unlike most other birds, the emperor penguin does not form nests.

North Pole City

10. There is a North Pole that never changes its position. It is the city of North-Pole (translated as North Pole), located in Alaska. It is a small settlement with an area of ​​10.9 square kilometers and a population of just over 2,000 people. North Paul is located in the suburbs of Fairbanks, hundreds of miles from the other North Poles.

Alaska is expecting a 300-meter tsunami in the next 20 years. I'm not kidding.

11. Alaskans who live in North Pole have no connection to the real North Pole, but very cleverly associate themselves with a comic book character named Doc Savage. Books were written about him and even a film was made. He was related to the North Pole and Alaskans consider him “theirs.” They need to have fun somehow.

12. And through Savage you can attract a much more famous superman to this place. Its creators were big fans of Doc and borrowed some details from that universe. Therefore, we can assume that these two heroes have something in common. At least that's what North Paul residents think.

Orangutan

This is a large red orangutan monkey. In Malay, orangutan means forest person. The Malays tell a fairy tale about the orangutan. It was as if he had previously been a man and lived, like all people, in the village. Then he didn’t want to work and went into the forest to live in the trees. He grew all red hair and became a monkey.

White or polar bear

We all associate the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) with the Arctic region. This large, white, carnivore's range is concentrated primarily within the Arctic region. However, although the name of these bears includes the word "polar", they were not previously expected to travel beyond 82° north latitude. However, in 2006, an expedition by a group of Greenpeace activists and researchers proved the opposite. During the mission to reach the North Pole, to their utter surprise, the team encountered a polar bear just 1 mile from the Geographic North Pole. When the bear approached the team's tent on Arctic sea ice at 4 a.m., researchers were able to distract it. According to them, the animal turned out to be not aggressive, but very curious in nature. The presence of seals in the polar region where the bear was spotted may explain how it managed to survive 885 km from the nearest land.

Features of animals in cold areas of the world

The fauna of the northern regions of the world differs significantly from their counterparts from the south - they have incredibly dense fur with an undercoat that retains heat. Subcutaneous fat is another integral attribute of most inhabitants of the poles.

Some animals, such as walruses and narwhals, have huge teeth and tusks that help them move across thick ice and sometimes chop it.

If you go a little lower, to regions where the temperature rarely drops below -50 degrees (for example, in the Siberian tundra), then the animals will have less fat. However, they retain fine fur with an undercoat - usually gray or snow-white.

Conquerors of the North and South Pole

Who was the first to reach the North Pole?

There have been several expeditions to the North Pole since the 18th century. There is disagreement over who was the first to reach the North Pole. In 1908, American explorer Frederick Cook became the first to claim to have reached the North Pole. But his compatriot Robert Peary refuted this statement, and on April 6, 1909, he was officially considered the first conqueror of the North Pole.

First flight over the North Pole: Norwegian traveler Roald Amundsen and Umberto Nobile on May 12, 1926 on the airship "Norway"

First submarine at the North Pole: nuclear submarine Nautilus on August 3, 1956

First trip to the North Pole alone: ​​Japanese Naomi Uemura, April 29, 1978, traveling 725 km by dog ​​sled in 57 days

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The first ski expedition: expedition of Dmitry Shparo, May 31, 1979. Participants covered 1,500 km in 77 days.

Lewis Gordon Pugh was the first to swim across the North Pole: he swam 1 km in water with a temperature of -2 degrees Celsius in July 2007.

Who was the first to reach the South Pole?

The first conquerors of the South Pole were the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and the British explorer Robert Scott, after whom the first station at the South Pole, the Amundsen-Scott station, was named. Both teams took different routes and reached the South Pole within a few weeks of each other, first by Amundsen on December 14, 1911, and then by R. Scott on January 17, 1912.

First flight over the South Pole: American Richard Byrd, in 1928

The first to cross Antarctica without the use of animals or mechanical transport: Arvid Fuchs and Reinold Meissner, December 30, 1989

Crocodile

A crocodile lies in warm water in the very sun, warming itself. He closed his toothy mouth and did not move his combed tail. It’s like it’s just a rotten snag lying in the water, and not a living animal.

A crocodile lies in the water near the shore, waiting for prey. When a zebra or antelope comes to the river to drink water, he will hit the animal with his strong tail, knock him off his feet, grab him with his toothy mouth and drag him into the water, to the bottom.

Leopard seal

A ferocious arctic predator belonging to the seal family. Prefers solitude, so leopard seals seem to be few in number. However, scientists believe that their population size is estimated at half a million individuals.

The animal has a snake-like body, is equipped with sharp teeth, but looks quite elegant, although in appearance it is significantly different from the representatives of its family.

Pictured is a leopard seal

The largest pinniped inhabitant of the Arctic, measuring more than 5 m and weighing about one and a half tons. Walruses by nature have impressive tusks almost a meter long, with which they are able to repel even the most dangerous predator - the polar bear, which prefers not to get involved with such prey, rarely showing interest in it.

Walruses have a strong skull and spine, and thick skin. With the help of their sharp tusks, they tear apart the sea muddy soil, finding mollusks there - their main delicacy. This amazing creature, like many animals of the Arctic, is listed as rare in the Red Book.

a lion

Watch out, zebras are striped horses! Beware, fast antelopes! Beware, steep-horned wild buffalos!

The lion is out hunting!

It was as if thunder thundered and rolled through the bushes and thickets. This is a lion's roar, a lion's roar. And all the animals hid.

The lion is the strongest, the most terrible of all. His mane is thick, his claws are sharp, and his teeth are strong.

Who will he catch this night?

Some fun facts about the North and South Pole:

1. There is an annual tradition at Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole. After the last food plane leaves, the researchers watch two horror films.

: the film "The Thing" (about an alien creature that kills the inhabitants of a polar station in Antarctica) and the film "The Shining" (about a writer who is in an empty remote hotel in winter)

, flying more than 70,000 km.

3. Kaffeklubben Island - a small island in the north of Greenland is considered the piece of land that is closest to the North Pole

707 km from it.

What animals live at the South Pole

The fauna of the far south is completely unique. Perhaps the most amazing inhabitants of Antarctica are penguins - non-flying birds that look like people dressed in tails. 7 species out of 18 known live here, from the largest - emperor and royal, whose height reaches 160 and 100 cm, respectively - to the smallest, whose size does not exceed 50 cm. All penguins are excellent swimmers and divers. In water they are capable of speeds of about 25 km/h. They feed on fish, shellfish, squid, and krill. 4 species of these birds nest on the mainland and on the Antarctic Peninsula. The most numerous is the Adelie penguin.

There are about 50 species of flying birds in the Arctic - albatrosses, skuas, petrels, cormorants, kelp gulls, Arctic terns, white plovers, etc. Some of them fly to the shores of Antarctica in the summer, but there are also those that nest here and raise their chicks. They are all fishermen and live off the sea, although some, such as the skua, are also vultures and scavengers. The albatross is the largest flying bird, not only in Antarctica, but throughout the world. The span of its powerful wings reaches 3.5 m. In a week, the albatross can cover about 8,000 km. Not far behind it is the giant petrel, whose wingspan reaches 2 m. Most petrels do not have such impressive sizes. The southernmost bird is considered to be the snow petrel, which nests in the interior of the mainland at a distance of 300 km or more from the coastline.

There are no four-legged inhabitants in Antarctica. This is the territory of pinnipeds and cetaceans. The former are represented by several species of seals. Their largest representative is the southern elephant seal, whose body length reaches 6.5 m and weight up to 3.5 tons. Unfortunately, due to ruthless destruction, the number of these animals has greatly decreased; now they can only be found on the coast of the Antarctic islands. Some species - for example, Weddell seal, Ross seal, and Antarctic fur seal - live here permanently. Others migrate, preferring to wait out the winter in warmer waters. Most species feed on fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. But there are also exceptions. The leopard seal is a large seal, weighing up to 500 kg, and is a predator that kills penguins in large numbers. There are known cases of leopard seals attacking people. One of them ended in the death of a person.

Cetaceans off the coast of Antarctica - killer whales, sperm whales, blue and humpback whales. The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet. The length of its body reaches 30m. Migrates. The winter period of cold is spent at Australian latitudes.

Another inhabitant of Antarctic waters, the ice fish is the only white-blooded vertebrate on earth. Notothenia, a type of cod, also lives here, an interesting feature of which is the ability to hibernate. In general, off the coast of Antarctica there live many different species of fish that have adapted to life in icy water.

Typical representatives of the marine fauna of the far south are the Antarctic octopus, Arctic starfish, crustaceans, jellyfish, some species of sponges, Arctic krill, solitary madrepore coral, colonial pterobranch, giant polychaete worm, etc.

There are surface lakes on the Antarctic mainland. In winter they freeze almost to the bottom, and in summer a thin strip of melting ice appears near their shores. Microorganisms and invertebrates similar to insect larvae - rotifers and tardigrades - were found in the lakes.

The mosses and lichens of the marginal strip of Antarctica shelter insects - these are the tick, the wingless mosquito, and the Belgica fly. The islands are inhabited by beetles, spiders, and wingless butterflies.

Atlantic dead end

The puffin seabird from the auk family looks a little exotic. Its back, upper head and neck are black, its chest, belly and large eye patch are white, and its legs and beak are bright orange. The bird got its name due to its large rounded beak, with which it not only captures prey, but also attracts a partner during the mating season.

The puffin settles in burrows on the coasts of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The bird is found mainly in Northern Europe, the Kola Peninsula, on the Ainovsky and British Islands, on the shores of Spitsbergen, Newfoundland, Labrador and Greenland.

It feeds on fish, mollusks and crustaceans. The Atlantic puffin is an excellent diver, swims quickly and can hold its breath for a minute underwater. In winter, birds spend all their time in the water, staying afloat even in their sleep. They arrive on the coast only during the breeding season.

Polar bear

The polar bear is the most powerful and powerful land predator on the planet. Neither lions, nor tigers, nor brown bears can compare with him. In the largest individuals, the body length can reach 3 meters, the weight can reach up to a ton. Basically, the length is 2-2.5 meters, weight 450-500 kilograms. The height at the withers of these animals is usually 1.5 meters. Females are smaller than males. They weigh almost one and a half times less.

The habitat of this formidable predator is limited to the Arctic zone. In the north, the polar bear reaches 88° N. w, in the south it reaches Newfoundland. On the mainland it can only be found in the Arctic desert. It does not enter the tundra. Drifting ice is the home of the polar bear. Sometimes they carry a traveler to the Bering and even the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Finding himself in such a situation, he always strives to return back. Obeying his inner instinct, the bear strictly follows the north and, as a rule, reaches the Arctic lands after long days of ordeal and wandering.

Nature carefully covered the body of the polar bear with warm white fur. Sometimes it is diluted with yellow spots. The bright summer sun's rays are to blame for this, affecting the bear's coat in such a unique way. The skin of the animal is black or very dark in color. Beneath it is a thick layer of subcutaneous fat. In the back of the body its thickness can reach 10 cm. On the chest and shoulders it is 3-4 cm.

The polar bear is an excellent hunter. His vision and sense of smell are well developed. He can sense prey a kilometer away and see it several kilometers away. The beast is characterized by patience and endurance. He can lie for hours near a hole in the ice and wait for a seal's head to appear from the water. As soon as the victim sticks his nose out to take a healing breath of air, a powerful and swift paw strike follows. The bear pulls the stunned seal onto the ice, but does not eat all of it, but only its skin and fat. As a rule, he leaves the meat to the arctic foxes. He eats it only in hungry and difficult times.

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This predator hunts well in water. Sometimes he even dives under an ice floe on which there are several seals. With his powerful body, the polar bear turns it over, and the poor pinnipeds that find themselves in the water immediately become easy prey for the mighty beast. He doesn't shy away from walruses either. True, it does not attack large males - it is limited to young animals or sick and weak animals.

White bears

The mighty polar bear is the largest land predator in the Arctic (not counting the huge brown bears in Alaska and Russia). The polar bear mainly lives in coastal areas and on pack ice. In the tidal zone of the polar seas there is a lot of plankton, which feeds fish and other animals, which, in turn, become food for polar bears.

Adult animals reach sizes of about 3.3 meters in length and a height at the withers of up to 1.5 m. An adult male polar bear can weigh up to 800 kg. Hardy swimmers, they can cover long distances, and sometimes bears swim many hundreds of kilometers on drifting ice floes. .

The main prey of polar bears is small seals, there are many of them in the Arctic. In search of seals, the bear stands on its hind legs and sniffs - it can smell prey from kilometers away. The bear approaches from the leeward side, so that the wind does not carry its scent to the seals, and crawls towards the rookery on its belly. They say he even covers his black nose with his paw so as not to be noticed. Having chosen a victim, the bear grabs it in a deft throw. The bear will swim under the water to the seals resting on the edge of the ice floes and drag away the closest one. It happens that the ice traps Arctic dolphins - orcas - in small holes. The bear beats the floundering animals with its paws, drags them onto the ice and stacks them in the cold, creating a food warehouse in a natural refrigerator. The walrus is a desirable prey, but it is twice as heavy as a bear, and a predator cannot defeat it. The smart bear, knowing the timidity of walruses, runs around their rookery and growls. The walruses, in a panic, crushing each other, rush to the sea, and the bear collects the “harvest”: wounded adults and crushed walruses. In summer, bears enter the tundra to diversify their diet with lemmings, nesting birds, as well as mosses, lichens and berries.

However, the most favorite food of polar bears is ringed seals and bearded seals (sea hares). The bear waits patiently at the hole as they come up for air. Having stunned the prey with its powerful paw, it pulls it out of the water and immediately eats it. A female bear usually gives birth to one or two cubs and raises them in a den made in ice.

Rhinoceros

The branches in the forest crack, the trees sway and shake. This is a huge beast - a rhinoceros - bursting straight through the tropical thicket. He doesn’t care about thorns and thorns, hard branches and stumps. His skin is thick and strong, like armor: a spear will bounce off it, an arrow will break. Only a rifle bullet can pierce such skin.

The rhinoceros has a large horn on its nose, and its eyes are small and blind. He can't see well with them. He doesn’t really understand anything, but immediately rushes to butt heads.

A hot-tempered beast and suspicious.

Why do the poles cool differently?

What is the reason for such differences? After all, as already mentioned, both poles receive the same amount of sunlight, if we take into account only the geographical latitude of the area.

The main difference between the poles is that one of them, the South, is located on a large continent, and in its depths. And the North Pole is just an area in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. As you know, water is a kind of heat accumulator; it is almost impossible to cool it to temperatures significantly below 0º under terrestrial conditions. We will always end up with a crust of ice, under which water with a temperature even above zero will splash.

In addition, a huge current called the Gulf Stream carries its waters into the Arctic Ocean. It collects water near the equator and moves it to the very north of the planet. The Gulf Stream works like a huge pump, pumping warm water towards the North Pole.

So it turns out that the North Pole looks like a point in a huge pool of sea water. Yes, this water, according to our concepts, is very cold, covered with ice, and yet it does not allow the air to cool to the terrifying temperatures characteristic of the South Pole.

And the South Pole lies on land, and, moreover, covered with a many-kilometer layer of ice. Land, unlike water, can be cooled very much, which is what we observe.

There is another important point: altitude above ocean level. Many people know that the higher you rise above the surface of the earth, the colder it gets. There is even a special gradient: with every kilometer of ascent, the temperature drops by 6.3º. The North Pole is essentially at ocean level, but the South Pole is not so lucky. Antarctica is a high continent, especially since it has a huge crust of ice, up to 4 km thick in some places! So the South Pole turned out to be at an altitude of about 2800 meters. Just because of the difference in altitude, it should be almost 18º colder here!

Thus, we not only learned that the South Pole of the Earth is colder than the North Pole, but also figured out what factors led to such a picture.

At first glance, it seems that both poles have equally low temperatures, but this is not the case. Both at the South and North Poles, polar night reigns for several months of the year and there is no heat gain from the sun, but the air temperature in these extreme places is still not the same.

The geographic South Pole is located in the center of the continent of Antarctica at an altitude of 2,800 meters above sea level. But the point of the North Pole is located in the vastness of the Arctic Ocean. And when travelers who have reached the North Pole stick a symbolic flag, at that moment there is drifting ice under their feet, about 3 meters thick, and the ocean floor in this place is more than 4,000 meters away.

But the differences between the geographical poles do not end there. If you look at the air temperature at these points, it turns out that the North Pole, compared to the South Pole, is a real resort. In summer, during the polar day at the North Pole, the temperature is around 0ºC, but the average summer temperature at the South Pole is -25ºC. The highest air temperature that was recorded in this place is -12.3ºС, but the North Pole record is higher - as much as +5ºС.

The situation is similar with winter temperatures. If at the North Pole the temperature drops to -40ºС during the polar night, then at the South Pole you cannot count on this. The norm for the southernmost point of the planet is -60ºС, but it happens that the thermometer drops to -80ºС. What is the reason for such differences in places that are so similar at first glance?

The thing is that the geographic North Pole is a point located at the level of the World Ocean in the middle of drifting ice, and the South Pole is a place at a decent altitude, and, moreover, surrounded by a large land mass - the continent of Antarctica. And the further from the coast, the more severe the climate becomes. It turns out that the climate at the South Pole is sharply continental, and even aggravated by significant altitude. And if a bold plan to conquer the Pole is brewing in your head, then it’s better to start with the North Pole, because it’s much warmer there.

The air temperature at the North Pole in winter varies from -43°C to -26°C, with an average of about -34°C. In summer, from June to August, the average temperature is around 0°C. Since salty ocean water has a lower freezing point than fresh water, in such a warm climate the ice begins to melt. From the end of March to the end of September the sun does not set over the North Pole. For the remaining six months, the region is in complete darkness.

North and its nature

The concept of “North” is rather vague and has no specific definition either in geography, ecology, or other scientific fields. Traditionally, it denotes areas close to the pole, which are characterized by extreme weather conditions.

Typically, the North includes the zone of the Arctic desert, tundra, and islands in the Arctic Ocean. The taiga zone is often included in this category. The region does not have clear boundaries, but it is believed that it partially covers the territory of Russia, Canada, the USA (Alaska), Norway, Sweden, Finland, and completely includes Iceland and the island of Greenland.

Plants and animals of the North are in very difficult conditions for life and exist rather in spite of than because of them. The region's climate tends to sub-zero temperatures. The closer to the pole, the more severe and tough it is. In the taiga the conditions are mildest and most pleasant. It is covered with forests and has sufficient food supply for animals.

The classic North begins with the tundra, and we will devote this article to it. There are no trees and very few shrubs in its expanses. The main representatives of the plant world are lichens, mosses, and ephemeral plants that appear only in short spring or summer periods. Winter here lasts from 6 to 9 months a year, and summer may not exist at all.

polar fox

The Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is a typical inhabitant of the Arctic. These animals are found in coastal, inland and alpine tundra regions of Eurasia, Iceland, Greenland and North America. The Arctic fox was discovered less than 60 km from the North Pole, at 89°40′ N latitude. These animals are opportunists and will eat almost anything, including berries, bird eggs, small mammals, fish, large mammal carcasses, etc. Due to its wide distribution, the Arctic fox is classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN. However, some populations are threatened by hunting and habitat loss.

Snow Leopard

One of the few representatives of predators from the cat family, the snow leopard, lives in the cold mountains. Its fur is silver in color with black spots. It is larger than the lynx, but smaller than jaguars and leopards, or matches their size. The leopard has small, dense ears and a very long, fluffy tail. They hunt mainly mountain goats and sheep.