Surviving the Polar Winter: 10 Curious Animals of Arctic
These mates are not afraid of subzero temperatures, they love snow and cannot imagine their lives without Northern Lights. Let’s meet them!
1. Narwhal
If you see a herd of unicorns in icy waters, they are surely narwhals. These magnificent creatures are species of whales, who live in Arctic waters. The long tusk, that makes narwhals looking so unique and adorable, is a long, spiral-shaped tooth, which can grow up to 3 meters and weight 10 kilograms! However, the function of it is still undefined. The tusk might be a battle sword or special masculine attraction to get more females, although recent research discovered its high sensitivity, so it might as well serve as a thermometer or barometer.
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2. Reindeer
Another magic creature comes from the land of Santa Clause – Lapland, which covers the northern part of Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Lapps hold herds of thousands of reindeer, breeding them like cows and using their help to pull heavy sleds. Welcome to Santa’s world!
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3. Musk ox
The relative of sheep and goats has a really thick coat that protects musk ox from the winter cold. Its name derives from a very strong odor that comes from the male oxen. The scent helps them to attract the females and prove their dominance above the rest of the drove.
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4. Ermine
The snow white fur of ermine inspired our ancestors to create stories about its purity. Moralists preached that all people should follow the example of this little mammal to keep their minds and spirits spotless. And the inquisitiveness of ermine made it a symbol of curiosity.
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5. Puffin
These colorful birds are often called sea parrots. Although for winter season the beaks of male-puffins turn drab gray, they become vivid orange again in spring in order to interest some nice females.
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6. Wolverine
This fluffy Arctic animal inspired the creators of X-Men, who applied wolverine’s habits to the famous mutant character commonly known as Logan. Wolverine is a muscular, stocky and sharp-clawed carnivore that prefers a solitary way of living. It is also called a skunk bear, even though it is not a bear, neither a skunk.
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7. Walrus
Chukchi people used to believe in a walrus-headed goddess that ruled the bottom of the sea. There is really something mysterious and majestic in the look of this Arctic animal!
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8. Polar bear
Do you know that polar bears are listed among the most playful animals? Without expressing any aggression, young bears can wrestle with each other every day. They can even sleep together in an embrace.
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9. Snowy owl
These ghostly birds are perfect in hiding themselves in the snowy white environment. Only sharp golden eyes will mark their presence. The carnivore birdies are looking way out of this world, so no wonder why the snowy owl was chosen as a magical creature of the young wizard Harry Potter.
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10. Harp seal
One of the cutest Arctic animal, harp seal, spends most of its time in icy waters, which makes it an outstanding diver. In the search for herring and shrimps, it can go deep down to 300 meters! Because of the global warming, this species are endangered nowadays since they need sea ice for their whelping.
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Image sources:
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