Arctic Animals habitat, diet and insulation

A table of arctic animals

Name of the winter animals Habitat Food Insulation

Polar Bear Lives in arctic snowy place. Lives in Alaska (U.S.), Canada, Denmark(greenland) Russia and Norway. Polar bears mostly eats the fats of their prey. Birds, seals, walrus. has a layer of fat/blubber(4.5 inches) under its skin which helps it stay warm.

Penguin Lives in the southern Hemisphere. Smallest fairy penguins found in Australia and New zealand. Their habitat range from frozen places to warmer water. Finds food in the sea or ocean. They eat fish, squid, krill, shrimp. Penguins have thick skin and lots of fat to keep it warm in cold weather.

Musk Oxen Canada, Greenland, Polarland, Alaska and Ellesmere Island. Grasses, lichens, sedges, woody plants, leaves and mosses. The muskox fur coat and hooves keep them warm in the cold weather. The fur of the musk ox is 3-4 inches thick.

Wolverine Northern United States, Canada,Alaska, Siberia, Northern Europe. Mice, rats, small mammals, birds, eggs. Eats reindeer in snowy time. Thick coat of brown far protects it from cold temperatures.

Arctic fox Lives in dry and cold places. Lives in Canada, Greenland and Alaska. Eats small mammals, lemmings, tundra voles, seabirds, puffins. Have fur and fats to protect themselves as insulation from wind and snowy weather.

Arctic Hare Lives in tundra of Canada. It is also found on Arctic Island and greenland. Woody plants, mosses, lichens, buds, berries, leaves, seaweed, bark, willow twigs and roots. Arctic hares short, thick and warm under-fur is protected by the longer, silky top fur. A hare with fat for 20% of its body weight could live for 15 days at -24°C (11°F) on that stored fat alone because of this excellent insulation.

Arctic Wolf Lives primarrily in the arctic region. The land is covered with snow and ice most of the year.Alaska, part of Canada. Their habitat ranges from frozen tundra,snow covered mountains,to the forests of the north. Arctic hares, birds,caribou, musk oxen, lemmings, seals, sometimes catches fish. They have white fur to help reduce heat loss. They have hair between the pads of their feet and long, thick fur to keep them warm in temperatures that can drop to minus 70° Fahrenheit.

Snowshoe Rabbit Their habitat is in the forests, swamps, thickets. Never far from forest or woods. They are found in northern USA, Alaska and Canada. Snoeshoe rabbits are herbivores; eats plants. Eats grass, clover,bark, twigs and buds in the winter. They have large rear feet, toes can spread out to act like snoeshoes. Their feet have fur on the bottom. This protects them from the cold and gives them traction in the snow.

Snowy Owl The Snowy Owl is a bird. Their habitat is in the Arctic tundra of North America and Eurasia. They are found in open grasslands and fields or or frozen expanses of water. Sometimes they appear around the lakeshores, marshes, and roost on buildings in cities and towns. Also found in Canadian Arctic. In the Arctic, they normally roost on pingaluks (rises in the tundra). Breed from low valley floors up to mountain slopes. Their diet includes mice, rats, hares, moles and other mammals;including rabbits. They also eats various birds (dove, grouse, quail) and water foul (ducks, grebes and medium sized geese). It catches it`s prey from the air or while on the ground. They even catch fish, amphibians, and crustaceans. They puffed out their feathers for insulation. Dense thick layers of feathers cover the legs and feet. With this type of insulation Snowy Owls can maintain a body temperature of 38-40º even in -50º weather.

Snow Goose The Snow Goose spends its winters in southern U.S.A. and northern Mexico. It spends its summers in northern areas of Asia and North America. There are two types of snow gooese. Lesser and Greater snow goose. The Lesser Snow Goose leaves its wintering grounds in february, which are in Texas, Louisiana and California. The Greater Snow Goose used to spend its winters in the coastal marshes of North Carolina and Virginia . Now, it winters mainly in Delaware and Maryland around Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay because of the recent increase in the land being used to raise grain. Found on shallow lakes, marshes and flooded fields. Feeds by browsing in cultivated fields on winter wheat, or on waste grain in stubble fields, also by dig in to the soil to roots, tubers and soft parts of sedges, rushes, marsh grasses, and aquatic plants. Feeds almost entirely on plant material including the seeds, leaves, roots of wild grasses and some berries in the fall. Their strong feathers help them fly and protect them from wind and rain. Down feathers are fluffy and soft. They lie snuggled next to a bird`s body under the contour feathers. They help keep the snow goose warm.

Ermine Ermine are found in the north temperate regions of Eurasia and North America, Russia. they range from east to west in a broad belt from the Arctic Ocean and adjacent islands of the Canadian Archipelago southward into the northern United States. Ermines live in the Arctic. They also live in forests, wood lands,brush lands, stones, walls, wood piles,barns, old buildings, hollow logs, under tree roots and mountains. Ermine are carnivores. Eats birds, eggs, frogs, fish, rats, cotton tails, small hares and insects. ermine frequently hunt under snow and survive entirely on small rodents and lemmings. Ermines have thicker layer of fur, which traps more still air. Thus the greater the insulating power(more still air is trapped). This keeps them warm in arctic region (windy, ice and snowy places).

Arctic Lemmings The Lemmings live in meadows, woods, marshes, and the tundra in North America, Asia, Europe, and Alaska. They like to live around glaciers. The Lemmings eat mostly plants such as mosses, grasses, herbs, shoots, and lichen. Arctic Lemmings are heavily furred above and buffy beneath, and are stockily built. Their stockily built heavy fur keeps them warm in snowy climate.

Harp seals Harp seals inhabit the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans from northern Russia, to Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Canada. Lives in open sea and edges of ice packs. They are carnivores. Eats Cod, capelin, herring, halibut and small crabs. They have a body with blubber(thick layer of fat) for insulation. And front and hind flippers (broad, flat limbs) used for swimming. Blubber and flipper helps heat transfer in harp seals.

Dall sheep Dall’s sheep are found in Alaska and northwestern Canada.Dall’s sheep live mostly above timberline on ridges, dry meadows, and steep mountain slopes. Dall sheep are herbivores that eat primarily grass, sedge stems, with lichens and moss. Dall sheep`s hollow hair in their furry coat keeps them warm.

Walrus Walrus are found in the region of Arctic seas from Alaska, Canada and Greenland to the USSR. Their habitat is on open water, near to shore or on ice floes. Walruses primarily eat species that dwell on the sea bottom, such as mollusks, octopus, crabs, shrimp, salt worms, other crustaceans, shrimps, worms, some fish, clamps, mussels, other pinnipeds such as spotted seals. Walrus body contains blubber. Have a layer of fat about 2-3 inches thick. This acts as insulation.

Woodland Caribou Inhabit in northen united states, north american forests, the U.S.; found in the Selkirk Mountain ecosystem of Idaho and Washington. They are found primarily in the Mackenzie Mountains and in the boreal forest between those mountains and the Canadian Shield. Caribou`s majorly eats ground and tree lichens. They also eat shrubs, grasses and willows. It takes 80 to 150 years for a forest to grow enough lichens for caribou. Caribou‘s coat consists of a crimped under-fur with a thick layer of guard hairs on top. The guard hairs are hollow, and the air trapped inside acts as insulation to keep in the caribou's body heat.

Reindeer The reindeer is distributed throughout a number of northern locales. Reindeer are found in Scandinavia and northern Russia. Reindeer are found throughout Scandinavia (including Iceland) and northern Russia, including Novaya Zemlya. They are also found in Russian Asia, to the Pacific Ocean, in North America, Greenland, Canada and Alaska. Reindeers are harbivores. Eats lichen, moss, grass, birch and willow leaves, herbs and mushrooms. Reindeer have unique hairs which trap air providing them with excellent insulation and helps the reindeer float in water.

Name of the winter animals	Habitat	Food	Insulation
Polar Bear	Lives in arctic snowy place. Lives in Alaska (U.S.), Canada, Denmark(greenland) Russia and Norway.	Polar bears mostly eats the fats of their prey. Birds, seals, walrus.	has a layer of fat/blubber(4.5 inches) under its skin which helps it stay warm.
Penguin	Lives in the southern Hemisphere. Smallest fairy penguins found in Australia and New zealand. Their habitat range from frozen places to warmer water.	Finds food in the sea or ocean. They eat fish, squid, krill, shrimp.	Penguins have thick skin and lots of fat to keep it warm in cold weather.
Musk Oxen	Canada, Greenland, Polarland, Alaska and Ellesmere Island.	Grasses, lichens, sedges, woody plants, leaves and mosses.	The muskox fur coat and hooves keep them warm in the cold weather. The fur of the musk ox is 3-4 inches thick.
Wolverine	Northern United States, Canada,Alaska, Siberia, Northern Europe.	Mice, rats, small mammals, birds, eggs. Eats reindeer in snowy time.	Thick coat of brown far protects it from cold temperatures.
Arctic fox	Lives in dry and cold places. Lives in Canada, Greenland and Alaska.	Eats small mammals, lemmings, tundra voles, seabirds, puffins.	Have fur and fats to protect themselves as insulation from wind and snowy weather.
Arctic Hare	Lives in tundra of Canada. It is also found on Arctic Island and greenland.	Woody plants, mosses, lichens, buds, berries, leaves, seaweed, bark, willow twigs and roots.	Arctic hares short, thick and warm under-fur is protected by the longer, silky top fur. A hare with fat for 20% of its body weight could live for 15 days at -24°C (11°F) on that stored fat alone because of this excellent insulation.
Arctic Wolf	Lives primarrily in the arctic region. The land is covered with snow and ice most of the year.Alaska, part of Canada. Their habitat ranges from frozen tundra,snow covered mountains,to the forests of the north.	Arctic hares, birds,caribou, musk oxen, lemmings, seals, sometimes catches fish.	They have white fur to help reduce heat loss. They have hair between the pads of their feet and long, thick fur to keep them warm in temperatures that can drop to minus 70° Fahrenheit.
Snowshoe Rabbit	Their habitat is in the forests, swamps, thickets. Never far from forest or woods. They are found in northern USA, Alaska and Canada.	Snoeshoe rabbits are herbivores; eats plants. Eats grass, clover,bark, twigs and buds in the winter.	They have large rear feet, toes can spread out to act like snoeshoes. Their feet have fur on the bottom. This protects them from the cold and gives them traction in the snow.
Snowy Owl	The Snowy Owl is a bird. Their habitat is in the Arctic tundra of North America and Eurasia. They are found in open grasslands and fields or or frozen expanses of water. Sometimes they appear around the lakeshores, marshes, and roost on buildings in cities and towns. Also found in Canadian Arctic. In the Arctic, they normally roost on pingaluks (rises in the tundra). Breed from low valley floors up to mountain slopes.	Their diet includes mice, rats, hares, moles and other mammals;including rabbits. They also eats various birds (dove, grouse, quail) and water foul (ducks, grebes and medium sized geese). It catches it`s prey from the air or while on the ground. They even catch fish, amphibians, and crustaceans.	They puffed out their feathers for insulation. Dense thick layers of feathers cover the legs and feet. With this type of insulation Snowy Owls can maintain a body temperature of 38-40º even in -50º weather.
Snow Goose	The Snow Goose spends its winters in southern U.S.A. and northern Mexico. It spends its summers in northern areas of Asia and North America. There are two types of snow gooese. Lesser and Greater snow goose. The Lesser Snow Goose leaves its wintering grounds in february, which are in Texas, Louisiana and California. The Greater Snow Goose used to spend its winters in the coastal marshes of North Carolina and Virginia . Now, it winters mainly in Delaware and Maryland around Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay because of the recent increase in the land being used to raise grain. Found on shallow lakes, marshes and flooded fields.	Feeds by browsing in cultivated fields on winter wheat, or on waste grain in stubble fields, also by dig in to the soil to roots, tubers and soft parts of sedges, rushes, marsh grasses, and aquatic plants. Feeds almost entirely on plant material including the seeds, leaves, roots of wild grasses and some berries in the fall.	Their strong feathers help them fly and protect them from wind and rain. Down feathers are fluffy and soft. They lie snuggled next to a bird`s body under the contour feathers. They help keep the snow goose warm.
Ermine	Ermine are found in the north temperate regions of Eurasia and North America, Russia. they range from east to west in a broad belt from the Arctic Ocean and adjacent islands of the Canadian Archipelago southward into the northern United States. Ermines live in the Arctic. They also live in forests, wood lands,brush lands, stones, walls, wood piles,barns, old buildings, hollow logs, under tree roots and mountains.	Ermine are carnivores. Eats birds, eggs, frogs, fish, rats, cotton tails, small hares and insects. ermine frequently hunt under snow and survive entirely on small rodents and lemmings.	Ermines have thicker layer of fur, which traps more still air. Thus the greater the insulating power(more still air is trapped). This keeps them warm in arctic region (windy, ice and snowy places).
Arctic Lemmings	The Lemmings live in meadows, woods, marshes, and the tundra in North America, Asia, Europe, and Alaska. They like to live around glaciers.	The Lemmings eat mostly plants such as mosses, grasses, herbs, shoots, and lichen.	Arctic Lemmings are heavily furred above and buffy beneath, and are stockily built. Their stockily built heavy fur keeps them warm in snowy climate.
Harp seals	Harp seals inhabit the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans from northern Russia, to Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Canada. Lives in open sea and edges of ice packs.	They are carnivores. Eats Cod, capelin, herring, halibut and small crabs.	They have a body with blubber(thick layer of fat) for insulation. And front and hind flippers (broad, flat limbs) used for swimming. Blubber and flipper helps heat transfer in harp seals.
Dall sheep	Dall’s sheep are found in Alaska and northwestern Canada.Dall’s sheep live mostly above timberline on ridges, dry meadows, and steep mountain slopes.	Dall sheep are herbivores that eat primarily grass, sedge stems, with lichens and moss.	Dall sheep`s hollow hair in their furry coat keeps them warm.
Walrus	Walrus are found in the region of Arctic seas from Alaska, Canada and Greenland to the USSR. Their habitat is on open water, near to shore or on ice floes.	Walruses primarily eat species that dwell on the sea bottom, such as mollusks, octopus, crabs, shrimp, salt worms, other crustaceans, shrimps, worms, some fish, clamps, mussels, other pinnipeds such as spotted seals.	Walrus body contains blubber. Have a layer of fat about 2-3 inches thick. This acts as insulation.
Woodland Caribou	Inhabit in northen united states, north american forests, the U.S.; found in the Selkirk Mountain ecosystem of Idaho and Washington. They are found primarily in the Mackenzie Mountains and in the boreal forest between those mountains and the Canadian Shield.	Caribou`s majorly eats ground and tree lichens. They also eat shrubs, grasses and willows. It takes 80 to 150 years for a forest to grow enough lichens for caribou.	Caribou‘s coat consists of a crimped under-fur with a thick layer of guard hairs on top. The guard hairs are hollow, and the air trapped inside acts as insulation to keep in the caribou's body heat.
Reindeer	The reindeer is distributed throughout a number of northern locales. Reindeer are found in Scandinavia and northern Russia. Reindeer are found throughout Scandinavia (including Iceland) and northern Russia, including Novaya Zemlya. They are also found in Russian Asia, to the Pacific Ocean, in North America, Greenland, Canada and Alaska.	Reindeers are harbivores. Eats lichen, moss, grass, birch and willow leaves, herbs and mushrooms.	Reindeer have unique hairs which trap air providing them with excellent insulation and helps the reindeer float in water.

More information can be found about the arctic animals in the following subfolder. A list of reference is included in the subfolder: