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Harp Seal

Harp seals spend most of their time diving and swimming in the icy waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. These sleek swimmers often hunt for fish and crustaceans at 300 feet (90 meters) and may dive to nearly 1,000 feet (300 meters). They are able to remain submerged for up to 15 minutes. Females form large colonies on floating ice and give birth to young. Seals lose their top layers of skin and grow a new fur coat every year. The young seals are famous for their snowy white coats. Their fluffy fur is valuable and has drawn hunters to the Newfoundland breeding grounds. They are mammals. They are carnivores and eat mostly Arctic cod, herring, and capelin fish. Harp seals live to be 30 years old in the wild. They can grow to be 6.25 feet (1.9 meters) long. Females are a little smaller than males. Harp seals can weigh up to 180 kilograms They live in colonies or rookeries.

Polar Bear

Polar bears live along shores and on sea ice in the icy cold Arctic. When sea ice forms over the ocean in cold weather, many polar bears, except pregnant females, head out onto the ice to hunt seals. Polar bears have been spotted on sea ice hundreds of miles from shore. When the warm weather causes the sea ice to melt, polar bears move back toward shore. Polar bears primarily eat seals. Polar bears often rest silently at a seal's breathing hole in the ice, waiting for a seal in the water to surface. It may see a seal lying near its breathing hole and slowly move toward it, then charge it grabbing it with its massive claws. A polar bear may also hunt by swimming beneath the ice. In autumn pregnant polar bears make dens in earth and snow banks, where they'll stay through the winter and give birth to one to three cubs. In spring the mother emerges from her den followed by her cubs. Generally, she will nurse them for two and a half years. During that time she will protect them and teach them how to hunt. They have paw pads with rough surfaces help prevent them from slipping up on the ice. Polar bears swim using their large front paws to propel themselves through the water and their back legs to steer. Only humans prey on polar bears. The scientific name for polar bear is Ursus maritimus, which means "sea bear." generally). Males can grow to three meters in length the height of a one-story building. Polar bears are the largest predators on land, and they are the largest of all bears. Polar bears have fur and skin that allow them to absorb sunlight for warmth. Their blubber, or fat, insulates them in cold water. Polar bears have been known to swim 100 miles.

Alaskan / Siberian Husky

The Siberian huskies come from Siberia, and Russia. Alaskan Huskies or sled dogs have been used for sledge racing at popular North American and European sports festivals where teams compete to see which team of dogs is the fastest. Huskies are very fast runners. The practice of using packs of dogs for travelling and hunting can be traced and recorded far back to the 10th century, and may be even before. The oldest and the rarest breed of sled dog is the Canadian Eskimo breed, which is a pure breed found mainly in North America. This dog has a typical wolf-like appearance and has a very muscular built. This rare breed of dog is used as a working dog or for dogsled racing. Alaskan huskies are smaller than Siberian Huskies. The coat is normally straight and rough and comes in a range of colours including black, grey, white, red and brown. The life expectancy of this breed of dog is between 12 - 14 years. Alaskan Huskies were originally bred to help with various jobs and tasks such as Pulling or hauling carts and sleds.

Emperor Penguin

Winter arrives in Antarctica in March. Nearly all creatures leave except for the emperor, the only animal that spends the winter on Antarctica's open ice. Emperor penguins are the largest of the 17 species, or kinds, of penguins, and they spend their entire lives on Antarctic ice and in its waters. They survivebreeding, raising young, and eatingby relying on a number of clever adaptations. Emperors clump together in huge, huddled masses. They take turns moving to the inside of the group, where they're protected from the icy cold temperatures and wind. Once they've had a chance to warm up, they take their turns back on the circle's edges, giving fellow penguins time in the warmer centre. A female emperor penguin lays one single egg then leaves! Female emperors leave toward the open sea to find food. They leave the eggs at the feet of the male emperors. Each penguin father balances the egg on his feet and covers it with his body, a very warm layer of feathered skin designed to keep the egg cosy. The males stand, for about 65 days, through icy temperatures, cruel winds, and blinding storms. And they eat nothing that whole time. Finally, after about two months, the females return from the sea, bringing food they regurgitate, or bring up, to feed the now hatched chicks. The males eagerly leave for their own fishing session at sea, and the mothers take over care of the chicks for a while. The youngsters stay sheltered in their mother's body for two months. If a young chick falls out of that warm spot, it can freeze to death in as little as two minutes. As the young penguins grow, adults leave them in groups of chicks while they leave to fish.

By December the chicks are at the age of independenceold enough to take to the seas and fish for their own food. Emperor penguins are the largest of all penguins, with an average length of 45 inches (115 centimeters).

Caribou / Reindeer

Caribou are called reindeer in Europe. Everyone's favourite Christmas sleigh guide, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, could be called Rudolph the Red-Nosed Caribou! Caribou are mammals that live in the northern regions of Europe, North America, Asia, and Greenland. When snow begins to fall, caribou move south and travel to more sheltered climates where can they feed on moss or lichens. These members of the deer family dig for food using their large hooves. The underside of each hoof is hollowed out like a big scoop and allows the caribou to dig through snow in search of food. Caribou also use their hooves to paddle through chilly northern rivers and lakes. The sharp outer edges of their hooves also help them to hold on to ice or rocks. Caribou are the only members of the deer family in which the males and females both can grow antlers. Caribou trek to the north in the summer in one of the largest animal migrations on Earth. They spend the summer feeding on grasses, mushrooms, and plants. They begin to move south in the winter. One adult caribou eats about 5 kilograms of food each day. Caribou are hunted by indigenous northern people throughout much of their range. Woodland caribou are listed as endangered, but other caribou populations are stable. Caribou are mammals.

They are herbivores (plant eaters). Males lose their antler velvet in late summer and their antlers fall off in October. In the wild, caribou live about 15 years. Females are called cows. Young caribou are called calves. Cows have one calf per year. Calves can stand a few minutes after birth and they are able to move on with their mother by the next day.

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