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Adaptation
of Animals
in the North Pole
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Adaptations of a polar bear
Polar bears are strong swimmers;
they swim across bays or wide leads
without hesitation. They can swim for
several hours at a time over longdistances. A polar bears front paws
propel them through the water,
dog- paddle style.
The hind feet and legs are held flat
and are used as rudders.
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A thick layer of blubber (fat), up to 11cm(4.3in)
thick, keeps the polar bear warm whileswimming in cold water. Polar bears can
obtain a swimming speed of 10kph.
The hair of a polar bear easily shakes free of
water and any ice that may form
After swimming. A polar bears
nostrils close when
under water.
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Adaptations of
a harp seal
The white coat of a baby harpseal makes
ithard for enemies to spotthe young seal
on ice. Harp seals are clumsy on land but
very good swimmers. Their strong flippersand smooth bodies help them move easily
in the water. Seals are able to dive deep
and stay underwater for half and hour.
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The seals fur and thick layer of fat
under their skin help them keep warmin the freezing cold water. Harp seals
are mammals and need to come upfor air. If ice forms on the surface of
the water they gnaw (chew) the ice tomake breathing holes. They also bashthe ice with their heads.
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heads
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Adaptations of a penguin
The downy under portion of the feathers trap a
layer of air against the skin. This layer of air is then
warmed by body heat, muchthe way our body heats
the air in a down jacket. Their feathers overlap like
shingles on a roof and form a barrier, keeping wateraway from skin. Penguins also have a layer of
blubber, or fat, under the skin.
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As a rule, larger penguins like colder areas. This is
because larger, rounder bodies lose heat slower than
smaller, slimmer bodies. This explains why
Antarctica's emperor penguins which survive in the
harshest winters, are the largest penguins in the
world.
Some penguin species have bare patches (heat
windows) around their eyes. These
areas have no feathers and allow
excess heatto escape. The patches
become pink when the penguin is
warm.
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Penguins can voluntarily raise theirfeathers to let warm air escape. Penguins have many
tiny blood vessels (capillaries) close to the skin on
their wings, whichhelps them to cool down by justholding their wings out and letting the air move
across them.
Penguins can also release heatthroughtheir feet,
Where they have a counter- current blood exchange.
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Their streamlined body,
webbed feet and oar
like wings enable
penguins to shoot
through the water atspeeds up to 15 miles per
hour. It is often said that
penguins look like they
are flying through the
water.
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Underwater quickness
and the ability to hold theirbreath aid penguins in
catching prey. All penguins
use their short, stiff wing
for propulsion and their
webbed feet for steering.
The position of the body
aids in both steering and
hydrodynamics.
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Penguins have black backs and white bellies.
This pattern of coloration is called counter
shading and serves to camouflage the birdwhen it is in the water. Since penguins spend
most of their time in the ocean, this coloration
is an effective form of protection.
Countershading also helps the penguins huntwith more success.
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Most birds have hollow bones,
making them lighter for flying.Penguins ,however,have solid bones , making
them heavier and making it easier to dive
underwater for food. Penguins have almond-shaped glands beneaththe skin above their
eyes thathelp them filter outthe excess salt
from the ocean. When the salt drips downtheir beak,the penguins make a sneeze- like
sound, and they are able to shake it off.
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Adaptations of an arctic wolf.
The wolf may be the most misunderstood
animal in the world, and the Arctic wolf
the least- known of all wolves. Arctic
wolves live on the island of Canadian
Arctic, and the north coast of Greenland.
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Their world is extremely harsh as well as remote,and few scientists venture there. As a
result, the details of their lives through much of
the year are virtually known. Arctic wolves have
special adaptations that make them distinct
from other members of the Lupus family (graywolves).
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They are nearly pure
white and their fur thicker than agraywolf. To minimize exposure to thecold, their ears are smaller and more
rounded muzzles are slightly shorter.They are bulkier in build as well and oftenweigh over 100 pounds (45 kg).Their huntingranges are extensive, often 800-1,000 square
miles, and they will kill and eat virtually anyanimal they can catch. Birds are alsooccasionally part of the diet.
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Adaptation of a walrus
To be equipped for the ice,the walrus has reversible
hind flippers which enable itto keep its balance. The
flippers are also bumpy to keep it sliding offthe ice,
where it spends most ofits life. To survive,the
walrus has an extremely thick coat of blubber. The
coat remains to protectthe walrus all year. This layer
can be up to 3 inches thick. Ifit did nothave this
extra flesh,it would freeze.
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Since the walrus swim to find its food,it like allother pinnipeds,has a torpedo shaped body to
swim quickly throughthe water. It also has a
clear eyelid instead of a solid one to see , and
protectits eye while underwater, when the
walrus dives,the blood moves its skin to its
organs to keep the animal warm, when it
surfaces,the color ofits skin is pinkish brown.
Then,the walrus sunbathes on the ice floe to
make its blood return to its skin.
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Adaptations of a killer whale
Killer whales are found in all oceansand waters of the world fromtropical to ice bergland. The reason
killer whales are able to adapt tonext to all climates is their thick layerof body fat (blubber). The thick
blubber insulates the killer whaleand maintains their bodytemperature (around degrees) evenin the coldest of waters.
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Adaptation of a beluga whale
Beluga whales deposit most oftheir body fat
into a thick layer of blubber- a thick layer of fat
and fibrous connective tissue that lies justbelow the skin of marine mammals. Blubber
accounts for more than 40% of beluga whales
weight. This blubber layer insulates the whaleand streamlines the body. It also functions as
energy reserve.
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Beluga whales, like other marine mammals,have a slower heart rate while diving. A beluga
whales heart rate slows from about 100 to
about 12 to 20 beats per minute during a dive.
When a beluga whale dives, blood is shunted
away from the surface ofthe skin. Thisdecrease in circulation conserves body heat.
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Adaptation of the reindeer
Caribou / Reindeer
(Rangifer tarandus)
Caribou are the only member of
the deer family in which both
sexes have antlers. The
Barrenground and Woodland
caribou subspecies are native to
NorthAmerica.
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Woodland caribou were
plentiful in Nova Scotia
until illegal hunting,
disease, and the loss
oftheir habitat led to
the decrease in population
atthe turn ofthe century.
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In Scandinavian countries,the European
subspecies is commonly called reindeer.
These animals are domesticated and are used
as work animals.
Caribou have many adaptations to help them
survive the winter. Weighing as much as 250
kg, caribou have heavy outer coats with woolly
fur underneath.Most are brown or grey with
some white, butin the winter their fur is
lighter in color.
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Their hooves are broad, flat and deeply cleftto help
them walk on ice or snow and in soft bogs and
marshes. They also function as paddles whenswimming, efficient scoops to uncover lichens, and
give them a firm footing on sharp edges and rock.
The caribou's main dietis "caribou moss". They also
eat green plants and twigs from woody plants. In the
fall,the males fight for their harem of 5 to 40
females. The young calves, born in late May or early
June, walk in two hours, nurse for two months and
join the herd in fall.
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Adaptations of an Arctic Hare
The arctic hare lives in the harsh environment ofthe NorthAmerican tundra. These hares do not
hibernate, but survive the dangerous cold with a
number of behavioral and physiologicaladaptations. They sportthick fur and enjoy a
low surface area to volume ratio that conserves
body heat, most evidentin their shortened ears.
These hares sometimes dig shelters in snow and
huddle together to share warmth.
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Hares are a bit larger than rabbits, and they typically
have taller hind legs and longer ears. Like other
hares and rabbits,Arctic hares are fast and can
bound at speeds of up to 60 kilometers an
hour. In winter,they sport a brilliant white coatthat
provides excellent camouflage in the land ofice and
snow. In spring,the hare's colors change to blue-gray
in approximation of local rocks and vegetation.
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Arctic hares are sometimes loners butthey can also
be found in groups of dozens,hundreds, or even
thousands ofindividuals. Unlike many mammals,arctic hare groups disperse rather than form during
mating season. Animals pair off and define mating
territories,though a male may take more than one
female partner.
Females give birthto one litter per year,in spring or
early summer. Two to eight young hares grow quickly
and by September resemble their parents. They will
be ready to breed the following year.
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Food can be scarce in the Arctic, butthe hares
survive by eating woody plants, mosses, and lichenswhichthey may dig throughthe snow to find in
winter. In other seasons they eat buds, berries,
leaves, roots, and bark.Traditionally,the arctic hare has been importantto
Native Americans. These fairly plentiful animals are
hunted as a food resource and for their fur, whichis
used to make clothing.
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The End