The Arctic Tundra corresponds to a large area, the northernmost on the planet, which corresponds to the area that surrounds the polar ice in the North American Continent and the Eurasian Continent.
In this region with a radical climate, diverse animal species coexist. The best known, among many others, are: the polar bear, the arctic fox, the ringed seal, the beluga, the arctic wolf, the walrus and the narwhal.
In this article on our site we are going to review the animals of this area, keep reading to learn more about the fauna of the Arctic Tundra.
The polar bear
The polar bear, also called white bear, is together with its relative the kodiak bear, the largest species of Ursids on the planet.
When they reach adulthood, male white bears weigh between 450-600 Kg., although exceptional specimens weighing more than a ton have been observed. The weight of the females ranges between 350-500 Kg.
Adult female white bears measure up to 2 meters. Males reach up to 2.6 meters.
The polar bear's main food is ringed seals, although they also eat belugas and other polar bears. They also occasionally capture baby walruses, although they avoid confronting the adults because they are the only arctic animals that can harm or even kill them.
Most of the polar bear's existence lives on the ice floe, which is the area of floating frozen seawater that covers vast expanses of the Arctic Ocean. The polar bear is a great swimmer and moves in this way for many kilometers.
Polar bears live 30 to 40 years. The white bear is in danger of extinction due to pollution and climate change.
The arctic fox
The arctic fox, Alopex Lagopus, is a small fox that lives in the Arctic Tundra and further south. It is not a species that is in danger of extinction, since it has adapted well to coexistence with humans. There are even specimens that have become pets.
There are four subspecies of arctic fox: Greenland Arctic Fox, Icelandic Arctic Fox, Bering Islands Arctic Fox, and Arctic Fox of the Pribilof Islands. The Arctic Fox in particular is small in size, 55 to 85 cm., plus the tail that is almost as long as the canid's body.
During the winter this fox sports a white coat, which is why the Arctic Fox is also called the White Fox. It is a very thick and silky hair, which looks snowy white that helps it effectively camouflage itself between ice and snow.
In the short summer period this fox sheds its fur that darkens to dark brown tones and occasionally some specimens appear with a beautiful blue tone. When she sheds her hair, it reduces its length and its quantity thins, until at the end of autumn she sheds her hair again and her coat recovers its characteristic white tone. The White Fox is omnivorous, and this condition allows its comfortable survival in those icy northern latitudes. It feeds on lemmings, birds, carrion, etc.
During the winter dozens of arctic foxes follow polar bears to feed on the remains that plantigrades leave behind after their hunts.
The Ringed Seal
The ringed seal is the favorite prey of the polar bear: they are the smallest and most numerous seals in the Arctic. They measure 100-110 cm. when they are adults and weigh up to 110 kg.
They are called ringed, or spotted, seals because their short, metallic-looking fur is covered in oval spots that are darker brown/greyish than the rest of their fur. The fur on this seal resembles toothbrush bristles. They are short and rough.
They build underground galleries in the snow to give birth and protect their young. Their main enemies are: polar bears, killer whales and walruses.
They live in the upper part of the sea ice and hunt their food under the mentioned sea ice. Their favorite food is cod, although they also consume crustaceans. Its average life is estimated to be around 25 - 30 years.
The Beluga
The Beluga is a beautiful cetacean of considerable size. Adult males measure between 3, 4 and 5 meters, weighing between 800 and 1500 kg. Adult females measure between 3, 3 and 4 meters. They weigh from 550 to 800 kg.
At birth they are pale gray and gradually lighten in color until they turn ivory white. They are eventual prey for polar bears that hunt them when they emerge through holes scattered in the ice pack, which are also used by seals. Many belugas have markings on their skin that show their mishaps with white bears.
Belugas feed on octopus, squid, crabs and fish. They are gregarious animals that live in groups that range between half a dozen individuals and thirty. Sometimes they are grouped in very large congregations of thousands of specimens.
Its status is "vulnerability", and it is a protected species.
The Arctic Wolf
The polar wolf does not live on the arctic sea ice, it lives on land, either on the boreal islands or on the mainland.
The polar wolf is somewhat smaller than common wolves Adult males measure a maximum of 2 meters, tail included. Its morphology is more compact and solid than that of the common wolf. Their weight ranges from 45 to 80 kg, with females being smaller than males.
The arctic wolf hunts in packs, just like other wolves. Their usual prey are musk oxen and caribou. They also hunt snow hares, lemmings, seals and arctic partridges.
When the pups are born they are gray, as they grow their tone lightens until they look white, which distinguishes them from the rest of the common wolves.
Walrus
The Walrus lives in waters where icebergs are common. They gather for breeding in very large groups of hundreds of individuals in the rocky areas of the coast. They also tend to rest in small groups on the floating icebergs of the Arctic sea ice.
The body shape of the walrus is similar to that of the seal, but much larger. Adult males measure up to 4 meters, with a weight that can reach 1600 kg. The females have a smaller size that can reach 2.6 meters with a weight of 1250 meters.
Apart from size, the most distinctive feature of walruses is their pair of super-developed tusks that grow throughout existence, reaching up to 1 meter in the longest-lived specimens. Also characteristic are the bushy vibrissae, or whiskers, that they have on the upper lip. They use this organ to detect the buried clams and crustaceans with which they feed.
The tusks are used to dig up their food and for support when moving on the ice. The predators of the walrus are the Orca and the Polar Bear.
The Narwhal
The narwhal is a cetacean that lives in the frigid arctic waters in groups of about 20 individuals. During the summer hundreds of individuals gather. Adult males measure up to 4.7 meters, weighing 1,600 kg., and females measure up to 4.2 meters, weighing up to 1,000 kg.
The male narwhal boasts a spectacular tusk that grows outwards, forming a kind of horn that grows in a spiral. There are specimens that this tusk can measure up to 2.7 meters.
Narwhals eat squid, shrimp, cod, and other pelagic fish. The natural enemies of the narwhal are killer whales and white bears. It is not in serious danger of extinction, but its hunting is very limited. Only the Inuit people are allowed to hunt them.
