Animals of the Polar Regions

The Coldest Places on Earth

At the very top and the very bottom of our planet lie the polar regions, the coldest places on Earth. Here the wind howls, the sea freezes, and the land is covered in ice and snow for much of the year. In some parts the sun does not rise at all in winter, and in summer it does not set.

There are two polar regions. The one at the top of the world is called the Arctic, and the one at the bottom is called the Antarctic, around the icy land of Antarctica. Both are freezing cold, but they are not quite the same, and different animals live in each.

You might think nothing could survive in such cold, but you would be surprised. In this book we will meet the tough and amazing animals that call the poles their home, and find out how they stay warm, find food and raise their young in a world of ice. Wrap up warm, and let's go.

Two Frozen Worlds

Before we meet the animals, let's learn the difference between the two polar regions.

The Arctic, in the north, is mostly a frozen ocean covered in floating sea ice, surrounded by the cold edges of countries like Canada, Greenland and Russia. Polar bears, Arctic foxes and reindeer live here, and people live here too.

The Antarctic, in the south, is different. At its centre is a huge land called Antarctica, buried under thick ice. It is even colder than the Arctic, and almost no land animals live there. But the seas around it are full of life, and it is the home of the penguins.

Here is an easy way to remember the difference: polar bears live in the Arctic in the north, and most penguins live near Antarctica in the south. They never meet in the wild.

Staying Warm in the Cold

The biggest challenge for any polar animal is staying warm. Cold can be deadly, so these animals have clever ways to keep the heat in.

One of the most important is blubber. This is a thick layer of fat just under the skin. Seals, whales and walruses all have blubber, which works like a cosy blanket wrapped around the body. It keeps the cold out and the warmth in.

Many polar animals also have thick fur or feathers. A polar bear's fur is so thick that very little heat escapes. Penguins have a dense coat of feathers, packed tightly to trap a layer of warm air against their skin.

Polar animals are often large and round, too. A round shape with small ears and a short tail loses less heat than a thin, bony one. And some animals, like the Arctic fox, change to a thick white coat in winter, which keeps them warm and helps them hide in the snow.

The Mighty Polar Bear

The polar bear is the king of the Arctic and one of the largest meat-eating animals on land. Everything about it is built for the cold.

Under its thick white fur, the polar bear has a layer of blubber to keep it warm. Its fur is not really white at all — each hair is clear and hollow, and it only looks white because it reflects the snow around it. Its black skin underneath helps soak up the warmth of the sun.

The polar bear is a brilliant hunter. Its favourite food is the seal, which it catches by waiting patiently beside holes in the ice where seals come up to breathe. Polar bears are also strong swimmers, paddling with their huge front paws across the freezing sea between sheets of ice.

A mother polar bear digs a cosy den in the snow, where her tiny cubs are born in the depth of winter. She keeps them warm and feeds them until spring, when they are big enough to follow her out onto the ice.

Penguins of the South

Far away at the bottom of the world live the penguins. Penguins are birds, but they cannot fly. Instead, they are wonderful swimmers, using their stiff wings like flippers to zoom through the water after fish and tiny shrimp-like creatures called krill.

The largest of all is the emperor penguin, which is taller than a toddler. Emperor penguins are amazingly tough. In the bitter Antarctic winter, the father penguin balances a single egg on his feet, tucking it under a warm fold of skin, and stands in the freezing wind for weeks without eating until the chick hatches.

To survive the cold, penguins huddle together in great crowds, packing close to share their body heat. The birds on the outside slowly shuffle inward to take their turn in the warm middle, so everyone gets a chance to keep warm. By working together, they make it through the coldest weather on Earth.

Seals, Walruses and Whales

The polar seas are full of life, and some of the largest animals there are the marine mammals.

Seals live in both polar regions. They have a smooth, rounded body and a thick layer of blubber. On land or ice they look slow and clumsy, but in the water they are fast and graceful swimmers. Seals must come up to the surface to breathe air, just as we do.

The walrus lives in the Arctic. It is a large, wrinkly animal with two long tusks, which it uses to haul itself out of the water and to dig for shellfish on the sea floor. Walruses gather in big noisy groups on the ice and beaches.

Whales swim in polar waters too. The huge bowhead whale lives among the Arctic ice, while the clever orca, or killer whale, hunts in both polar seas. These giant mammals feed on the rich food that the cold seas provide.

Animals of the Arctic Land

The Arctic, unlike Antarctica, has land where animals can roam. Several tough creatures make their living here.

The Arctic fox is a small, hardy hunter. In winter its coat turns thick and white to keep it warm and hidden in the snow, and in summer it turns brown to match the rocks and earth. It follows polar bears to feed on their leftovers and digs for small animals beneath the snow.

Great herds of reindeer, also called caribou, travel across the Arctic land searching for moss and plants to eat. Their wide hooves stop them sinking into the snow and help them dig down to find food.

The mighty musk ox survives the cold with a shaggy coat that hangs almost to the ground. When wolves attack, musk oxen stand in a circle with their horns pointing outward, keeping the young safe in the middle.

A Fragile World

The polar regions may seem harsh and unchanging, but they are surprisingly fragile, and they are changing fast.

The world is slowly warming, and as it does, the ice at the poles is melting. This is a serious problem for the animals that depend on the ice. Polar bears need sea ice to hunt seals, and when it melts they find it harder to catch food. Penguins and seals can lose the safe places where they raise their young.

We can help by looking after our planet and not wasting energy, which helps slow the warming. Scientists also study the poles carefully so that we can understand and protect these special places before it is too late.

What We Learned

What a chilly adventure! Let's remember what we found.

The polar regions are the freezing lands at the top and bottom of the Earth: the Arctic in the north, where polar bears live, and the Antarctic in the south, where penguins live. To survive the cold, polar animals use blubber, thick fur and feathers, round bodies and clever teamwork, like the way penguins huddle together. We met the mighty polar bear, the tough emperor penguin, seals, walruses, whales, the colour-changing Arctic fox and the shaggy musk ox.

We also learned that these icy worlds are fragile and need our care as the planet warms. The poles are among the most amazing places on Earth, home to some of nature's toughest survivors.

Want to explore more of the natural world? Meet animals from every habitat in Amazing Animals of the World, or dive into the deep in Explorers of the Deep Sea.