nature

Arctic animals. North Pole: fauna, harsh climate survival features

Table of contents:

Arctic animals. North Pole: fauna, harsh climate survival features
Arctic animals. North Pole: fauna, harsh climate survival features

Video: The Unsung Heroes of the Arctic - Ep. 3 | Wildlife: The Big Freeze 2024, June

Video: The Unsung Heroes of the Arctic - Ep. 3 | Wildlife: The Big Freeze 2024, June
Anonim

The Arctic zone is a huge northern expanse stretching from the Aleutian Islands to Iceland. This is an endless kingdom of eternal cold and ice, where piercing winds howl, dense fogs creep and there are frequent snowfalls. The endless polar night and the same endless polar day promise us a sad picture. What animals live at the North Pole?

Image

It would seem impossible to survive in such harsh conditions. Nevertheless, in the north, there are wonderful Arctic birds and animals. They are not afraid of permafrost and cold and lead a full-fledged lifestyle. Especially interesting are the animals of the North Pole for children. This is due primarily to their unusual habitat and conditions of eternal ice and cold.

Fauna of the North Pole

The most ancient inhabitants of the northern latitudes are seals. These animals include sea hare. This is a fairly large seal, whose growth reaches two and a half meters, and weight - four hundred kilograms. The Greenland seal, which is slightly smaller, and the ringed seal, able to dig holes in the snow, belong to this order.

Walruses are also inhabitants of the northern latitudes. They are relatives of seals. The weight of such an animal reaches one ton. Nature has given walruses huge tusks that help them tear the bottom in order to get mollusks for food. In addition, they need them for self-defense in case of danger. Since walruses are predators themselves, they attack other animals. For example, on seals and seals.

Image

The polar bear is the largest land animal of the North Pole. His body is two and a half meters in length, and weight is about 500 kg. He actively attacks seals, walruses and seals, and does not even shun dolphins. But the arctic fox always lives close to the bear, because it eats scraps that it receives from this powerful beast. In general, bears are the most formidable and dangerous animals.

The North Pole is rich in animals and birds, despite such harsh living conditions. They are perfectly adapted to life in these parts.

Birds of the north pole

Birds are the most numerous inhabitants of the endless north. The pink gull is perhaps the smallest bird in the region. She weighs no more than a quarter kilogram, but she feels quite comfortable and good here. Kaira is another resident of the northern region. Her plumage resembles the clothes of a Catholic priest, and her habits are similar to the behavior of a brisk bazaar merchant. She nests in the most impregnable cliffs, and winters, oddly enough, on ice. Nor does she feel any cold and discomfort. For her, these are quite familiar conditions.

Image

It is worth recalling the common eider. This is such a northern duck. She dives into ice water to a sufficiently large depth. But the biggest and formidable bird is a polar owl. This is a rather ferocious predator that attacks birds and can even eat a cub of such an animal as a polar fox.

Penguins

Animals of the North Pole for children are always very interesting. Especially many questions arise regarding polar bears and penguins. Well, with bears, things are simpler. But there are many misconceptions regarding penguins. It should be noted that the animals of the North Pole are very different from the southern inhabitants. For children, this is sometimes not entirely clear. Meanwhile, penguins live only in the southern hemisphere.

Although few people know that penguin-like individuals lived at the North Pole. They were called wingless eons. Previously, these birds colonized the northern islands in huge colonies. People massively killed them for meat and eggs, melted fat. They were destroyed everywhere. The last individuals lived on islands near Iceland. But they disappeared in 1844. So, unfortunately, people caused the death of a whole species of birds. So penguins at the North Pole do not live.

Image

In the thirties of the last century, there were attempts to resettle king penguins in northern latitudes. But the experiment was not entirely successful, and after some time (20 years) they disappeared. Of course, penguins could be populated in the north. Only the question arises: will they have enough food there? They feed on fish. And trawlers catch fish so much that it even affected bird populations. So what to speak of penguins!

Cetaceans

Cetaceans live in the Arctic. Among them, the narwhal is especially interesting. He gained popularity thanks to his large horn, which reaches three meters in length and is actually nothing more than a tooth. It does not cause any inconvenience to the mammal. But why he needs him is not exactly known.

A relative of the narwhal is the bowhead whale. However, it is much larger, and instead of a tooth, it has a whalebone. Despite its enormous size, this animal is completely safe and lives in northern waters for many thousands of years. This company also includes the polar dolphin. Beluga whale is a fairly large animal weighing up to two tons and a length of six meters. She eats fish.

Image

If we talk about the peculiarities of survival in northern latitudes, then we need to recall the predators that are even in the water. If a bear is a thunderstorm on land, then a killer whale is a danger in water. She leads among the most powerful marine predators. It often appears in arctic waters. Not only belugas, but also seals, seals and walruses become its victims.

During the study at school, North Pole animals for children are of particular interest. This is due primarily to their unusual habitat and conditions of eternal ice and cold.