A polar bear or the Ursus maritimus (sea bear) is the only bear classified as a marine animal. They are at the top of the food chain in the Arctic, eating mostly seals. Male polar bears normally weigh around 775 to 1,300 pounds, while the females weigh 330 to 650 pounds. Polar bears live on average 15 to 18 years, but some have lived to 30. Polar bears have two layers of fur and a thick layer of fat to keep them warm in the Arctic, where the temperature can drop to -50 F. In fact sometimes polar bears overheat, especially when they run.
Female polar bears most often have twins, but they can also have just one cub or triplets.
Most polar bears dig their dens in a snow drift by a mountain or a big hill, or they will dig it over the sea ice. They have their cubs in November or December. At birth, the cubs weigh about one pound, are toothless, blind, and are covered in short fluffy fur. They stay with their mothers for about two and a half years.
Seals are one of polar bears most common prey. Seals live in colder waters all around the world. There are over 30 different species of seals. They are carnivores: they eat fish, squid, crab, and shrimp. Some types of seals are the caspian seal, the elephant seal, the gray seal, and the leopard seal. Seals spend half of their lives in water and half on land. Seals normally live till they are around twenty, but some species live to forty. They can be 230 to 6,000 pounds. Seals are herd animals. Their predators are humans, sharks, and killer whales. Seals normally only have one pup. They can be brown, tan, white, and black. They have smooth skin and thick fur.
Living in the Arctic Circle along side the polar bear and the seal is the Arctic fox or the Canidae alopex a small white fox. They can be 28 to 43 inches and weigh from 3 to 21 pounds. They are omnivores: they eat lemmings, berries, and insects. They can be white, black, and gray. Thier predators are wolves, snowy owls, and polar bears. An Arctic fox can give birth to up to 15 cubs, but the average is 5 in early summer. They are mostly independent by the time winter starts. In the winter the Arctic fox has white thick fur, but in the summer it fur turns brown.
Swimming in the waters of the Arctic Circle with seals are orcas also known as killer whales a black and white whale that mainly eats seals, squids, and fish. Their predators are humans or large sharks. They live in the ocean and coastal waters all around the world. An orca is the largest animal in the dolphin family. They hunt in groups called pods which is made up of 6 to 40 whales. Ocras have a top speed of 30 mph, but they mostly travel at 26 mph. They can live up to sixty years, but in captivity they live to twenty-five. Killer whales only have one baby.
One of the Arctic foxes main prey is the Arctic hare. The Arctic hare lives in the northern regions of the Arctic Circle. The hares most common predators are foxes, wolves, and bears. An Arctic hare eats shoots, berries, and buds. Arctic hares can be from 9 to 121 pounds and are 48 to 60 cm. They live in herds of around 200. Arctic hares only live from 3 to 8 years. They are white and grey. Their average litter size is 6.
There are other predators besides the Arctic fox and the polar bear in the Arctic Circle The Arctic wolf is a white or gray wolf that lives in the Arctic circle. They eat lummings, Arctic hare, and other small rodents. They will also eat larger prey when they can get it like: musk ox, caribou, deer, elk, and moose. They are 55 to 88 pounds, and live from 7 to 10 years. They live in grass plains and tundra forests. Their only predators are humans. They have a litter of two to three in April and May.
There are also predators in the air. The snowy owl also known as the Arctic owl or the great white owl lives in the arctic circle. It weighs 2.4 to 4.4 pounds, and they live from 10 to 17 years. Their average clutch size is seven ,but they can have up to 14 owlits. There predators are humans, foxes, and wild dogs. Their main prey is lemmings, vole, and fish.
The number one piece of prey for many species the lemming is a tiny rodent that lives in the Arctic circle. They can be grey, brown, or white. Its main predators are foxes, wolves, and owls. Lemmings live in burrows that protect them from their predators.The lemmings favorite food is seeds, and they eat lots of them. There are over 30 different species of lemmings.
Not all of the plant eaters are small the reindeer or the caribou lives in large herds in the northern part of the world. They can be 132 to 705 lbs. Reindeer eat grass, lichen, and other plants. A reindeer has two layers of fur to keep it warm. Reindeer's hooves change from season to season in the summer when the ground is soft and wet the reindeer’s pads become sponge like so it has a bigger surface area on the ground. In the winter the footpads shrink so the hoof can cut through ice and snow to keep the deer from slipping.
Not all of the sea creatures are small and graceful the walrus is a large marine mammal that lives in the cold waters of the Arctic circle. It lives from 40 to 50 years. They eat shellfish, worms, and snails. Walruses live in large herds on ice floes. They normally have only one pup. The pups mature around the age of two years.
Not every animal is tough some are delicate butterflies live all around the world. Butterflies eat/drink pollen and can live to be .2 to 12 inches. The butterflies average litter size is around 100. Some of the butterflies predators are bats, frogs, and reptiles.
http://a-z-animals.com/animals/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVery good work. I liked how you made them all come from the same place the Arctic Circle.
ReplyDelete