Arctic Tundra

The cold, barren Arctic looks uninhabited, but it’s anything but. Polar bears hunt seals on the ice and snow, and underneath, rodents burrow in their dens, and both are well equipped for their hostile environment. If you’re looking for tough animals, the Arctic Tundra is where you’ll find them. Here are some of the hardiest ones:

Polar Bear

Polar bears are the apex predators of the north. They are the largest bears on Earth, and can hunt large seals and marine animals as a result of their size. Luckily, we don’t encounter polar bears too often, as we don’t possess the warm blubber that keeps them toasty in the freezing temperatures of the Arctic. A fun fact about polar bears is that despite their white fur, they actually have black skin! We can see this on the inside of their ears and their noses.

Walrus

The large walrus, with two sharp, pointed tusks, is almost a match for the fearsome polar bear. These creatures are absolutely huge, and can weigh up to 1,000 kg. It’s a wonder that they are such good swimmers. These behemoths can live for a long time too: some can live to the ripe old age of 40! That’s half as long as humans!

Arctic Fox

Arctic foxes may be smaller than the other two creatures on this list, but they are twice as cunning. With snowy white fur that blends in with the snow and ice, arctic foxes are ruthless hunters that stalk prey like small birds and rodents across the barren wasteland of the tundra. However, these animals are not just adapted for the winter: in the spring, foxes shed their white fur in exchange for darker fur that matches the dirt and vegetation of the summertime.

Feature Creatures such as birds and whales are found in the Arctic as well. See their Feature Creature pages for more information about them.