Arctic animals story. What animals live in the arctic deserts. Polar cod fish

The Arctic is a harsh region, but the Arctic climate does not scare away birds. According to scientists, the number of birds in the Arctic is up to 50% of the world's shore birds. The species diversity of birds in these places has, according to various estimates, 150 - 290 species.

Mostly birds live here during the polar summer, when water and coastal rocks can provide shelter and sufficient food, but there are also wintering species, both marine and terrestrial.

What birds live in the Arctic

High latitudes are predominantly water (ice) expanses, with a small interspersing of island and coastal territories. Not surprisingly, the list of Arctic birds is topped by marine and waterfowl species.

Loons - ranging in size from a large duck to a goose, depending on the species:

• red-throated loon
• black-throated loon
• white-billed loon.

They belong to the migratory birds of the Arctic, spending the summer here from May to August-October. Nests are arranged in pits, lined with grass and moss, 1-2 chicks are hatched. Clumsy and helpless on land, loons are excellent swimmers and divers. In danger, they swim, deep immersing the body and leaving only the head on the surface.

The Bering cormorant is a bird 70-80 cm in size, weighing 1.5 kg. The plumage is black with a metallic sheen, the bare leathery area near the beak is painted black with red warts. This is the only cormorant species in the Russian Arctic. Dwells on rocky coasts from May to September, feeds on fish and crustaceans. In a nest lined with grass and algae, it breeds 2-5 chicks.

Auks are a large detachment of birds of the north. In color and habits, they resemble penguins, which, as you know, are not found in the Arctic. They are perfectly adapted to swimming and diving, and spend most of their lives on the water, getting ashore only to breed. When swimming under water, they can row their wings, dive to a depth of 20 meters or more. Unlike penguins, auks can fly (with the exception of the extinct wingless auk, which could not fly, but dived to a depth of 76 meters). The auks include:

• Chistik
• Thick-billed murre
• slender-billed murre
• Lurik
• Baby auklet
• white belly
• auklet
• Motley and gray fawn
• Dead end
• Ipatka
• Hatchet

Seagulls - representatives of the family are distinguished by a characteristic color with a darker back and white plumage of the lower body, black marks on the head and ends of the wings. Gulls are wintering birds of the Arctic, foraging in the open polynyas of the Northern Arctic Ocean or in bear hunting grounds. Species of these birds in the Arctic:

• The burgomaster is the largest representative of the family;
• Ivory gull - easily coexists with humans, nesting right next to populated areas;
• Ordinary kittiwake;
• polar gull;
• The pink gull is a small bird weighing only 350 g with pinkish plumage, listed in the Red Book.
• Petrels - Atlantic fulmar, Arctic petrel are common in the Arctic. The petrels got their name for their ability to predict the weather;
• Geese - up to 80% of the world's white geese are concentrated in the Arctic.
• Sandpipers - 17 out of 24 species of these birds nest in the Arctic.

ground birds

What birds live in the Arctic on its coastal part? They are not as numerous as marine ones.

• The Siberian Crane, or White Crane, is endemic to the north of Russia and is listed in the Red Book.
• The polar owl is an arctic predator that preys on birds, lemmings, cubs of fairly large animals (for example, arctic fox).
• Partridges are able to survive the Arctic winter. Like snowy owls, they are distinguished by dense feathering on their paws, which allows them to endure winter temperatures.
• Snow bunting, Greenland and Tundra tap dance are representatives of arctic passerines.

The Arctic and Antarctic are the regions around the Northern and south poles Earth, respectively. As you know, our planet has the so-called earth's axis. It is invisible and passes through the upper and lower points of the planet. These very points are the Arctic and Antarctic. unique here and animal world.

It is known that the Subarctic and Arctic deserts are inhabited by more than 20,000 various kinds plants, fungi, animals and microorganisms. It is noteworthy that each organism living in such extreme conditions is unique in its own way. In this article, we are interested in the brightest inhabitants of the eternal arctic ice. Let's get to know them better and find out how the animals of the Arctic live and what they eat.

Harsh winter in the Arctic

Life near the extreme poles of the Earth is a real survival game. Winter in the so-called Subpolar region is generally a time of cold, hunger and, of course, darkness. For this reason, many animals of the Arctic and Subarctic move to wintering areas with a more benign climate. The fact is that life at high latitudes the globe oscillates like a giant pendulum.

For example, when winter reigns in the northern hemisphere of the planet, it retreats from the Arctic, advancing on the Antarctic. It is there that many birds roam at this time. When birds fly north in summer, winter is already setting in Antarctica. Here is such a natural arithmetic. But we are not interested in the climate and the change of seasons in this area, but what animals live in the Arctic. We'll talk about this.

Arctic tern

Above, we compared life in the Arctic to the swing of a giant pendulum. If we continue to speak the language of metaphors, then the tip of this very pendulum is inevitably embodied in the annual flights of a uniquely painted Arctic bird - the Arctic tern. In the so-called northern summer, it nests in the highest latitudes of the North, and when winter comes, it moves to the coast of the Antarctic Islands. Here are such mobile birds.

It is interesting to know what the animals of the Arctic that have wings and plumage eat, in particular, the arctic tern? The "menu" of this bird is so harsh conditions survival is not particularly diverse. Arctic terns feed on small crustaceans, mollusks and fish, which they love to catch in Arctic waters. Every autumn and winter, these birds make long flights - 10,000 km long. They cross the equator to settle in the Arctic and not live in the eternal darkness of the polar night. For them, this is a real test!

Master of the Arctic

The generally recognized symbol of the North is recognized, of course, polar bear. Moreover, it is the largest land predator in the world. Adult males can reach 3 m (or more) from the muzzle to the edge of the tail and up to 1.5 m at the withers. Moreover, their weight can exceed a whole ton! A bear standing on its hind legs generally becomes a four-meter giant! But such individuals, fortunately, are quite rare here. Usually males weigh about 400 kg and females about 200 kg. The smallest polar bears are found in the south of Greenland.

The life of animals in the Arctic is also subject to certain laws of nature. For example, one of the conditions for survival in such extreme conditions is the ability to merge with environment. This is why many inhabitants of the Arctic are light or pure white in color. By the way, the color of the polar bear's coat cannot be called exclusively white. Polar bears usually stand out against the background of snow and ice with a certain yellowness of their cover. The fur of these predators is wavy, but tight to the body. Its length is also different. Very long hair covers the back of the animal's paws, and short hair covers its head.

Polar bears are mobile predators. They easily overcome deep snow and icy waters. Speaking about what the animals of the Arctic eat, one cannot fail to mention the diet of polar bears. These animals live on drifting sea ​​ice, where, in fact, they hunt. They are happy to bully seals, walruses, etc. As soon as the victim just sticks his head out of the water, the polar bear immediately stuns it with a lightning strike of a healthy paw, after which he pulls it out of the water onto the ice and regales itself with pleasure.

Another inhabitants of the Arctic - harbor seals!

What animals still live in the Arctic? Well, for example, harbor seals. These mammals, like polar bears, are regulars in the icy Arctic deserts. Most famous for him hallmark is a beautiful and specific pattern on the skin. Another type of seal - sea ​​hares are among the largest in the Arctic. Along with them, there are those with beautiful and expressive eyes, as well as ringed seals. This species is much smaller than its counterparts, but its representatives perfectly dig holes in the snow. Sea seals feed mainly on fish and shellfish.

Penguin to all penguins!

Penguins are birds that cannot fly. Among them there are also "kings". The king penguin is one of the most large species these birds all over the world. Its height reaches 1 m in height, and its weight is 15 kg. King penguins love to gather in numerous flocks on the islands of the Arctic. There they mate, after which they unite in colonies of more than 1000 individuals and raise new offspring. What do Arctic animals called king penguins eat? Of course, fish and small shellfish! By the way, these birds can dive into icy water to a depth of 50 m.

Eternal companion of the polar bear

It's about the northern fox. This is a small polar fox, which at all times is the companion of the polar bear. Unfortunately, these predators are exterminated for their thick and beautiful fur. They are currently under protection. Arctic foxes are animals of the Arctic and the tundra (other natural areas outside the northern limits of forest vegetation). In addition, they are real wanderers. Like polar bears, they roam the Arctic: leaving their native tundra is the most common thing for young polar bears. In summer, these beauties feed on small rodents, and in winter they pick up the remains of their food after polar bears. Such is the harsh living Arctic!

Animals of the Arctic. Wolverine

It is impossible not to mention the so-called demon of the North, or wolverine. This predator from the weasel family is a real glutton and a ferocious hunter. Often, wolverines attack livestock, and sometimes people, for which they were massively exterminated not so long ago. Currently, these animals are found only in remote corners of Alaska, Canada and Siberia. AT summer time As the years go by, the wolverine feeds on carrion, insect larvae, bird eggs, nuts, and fruits. This is explained by the fact that in summer these predators cannot hunt as professionally as in winter.

The largest right whale in the North

The bowhead whale is marine mammal. Another name for it is the baleen whale. What is interesting about this inhabitant northern waters? This is a member of the family of smooth whales. They are named so because of the absence of all kinds of furrows and stripes on the throat and belly. Maximum length bowhead whale- 22 m with a weight of 140 tons. It lives in the cold waters of the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth. These animals feed exclusively on plankton, consisting of crustaceans and molluscs. It's hard to believe, but an adult male bowhead whale is able to eat up to almost 2 tons of food every day!

Message "Animal World of the Arctic" will tell you about the peculiarities of the fauna of this amazing corner of our planet. The story about the animals of the Arctic will help you find out what specific structure of the body helps them survive in the conditions permafrost.

"Animals of the Arctic" message

It is the region that surrounds North Pole and includes Greenland, the Arctic Ocean, the northern territories of Canada, the USA, Iceland, Russia and Scandinavia.

It has cold, long winters and cool, short summers. Precipitation mainly falls in the form of snow. Most of the territory is arid and receives less than 500 mm of precipitation per year. Approximately two dozen species of animals and plants live in such harsh conditions. The vegetation of this part of the planet is hardy and compact in size, and the animals that live in the Arctic are forced to forage for themselves in the long darkness, illuminated by the northern lights.

What features of the body structure help animals survive in the Arctic?

Nature took care that animals could keep warm, which is not enough even during short summer. Animals have long thick fur, and birds have suitable plumage. Most representatives of the fauna have a thick layer of subcutaneous fat. For large animals, their impressive mass produces a large number of heat. And some animals have small ears and legs, which helps them not to freeze.

The most surprising thing is that many representatives of the animal world of the Arctic interact with each other in a harsh climate. We offer you a selection of the most common representatives of the fauna of the permafrost zone and what the animals of the Arctic eat.

What animals live in the Arctic?

• arctic fox

This type of fox has thick fur, thanks to which it maintains in cold extreme conditions. normal temperature body. Arctic foxes feed on small animals - voles, lemmings, rabbits, birds and carrion.

• Arctic tern

This species of tern is the migration champion. They spend their breeding season in the Arctic. A small beak and thick plumage allows them not to freeze. They feed on fish and plants.

• polar bear

Is the most large predator on the planet. Thick fur, dark segmented skin and a thick layer of subcutaneous fat perfectly accumulate and retain heat. They feed mainly ringed seals and seals. They do not disdain the carcasses of whales, walruses and bird eggs thrown ashore.

• Walrus

These pinnipeds have a streamlined body shape and a large layer of fat. He eats shellfish sea ​​cucumbers, shrimp, crabs, tube worms and marine invertebrates.

• Tundra partridge

The peculiarity of the bird is that it changes its color in summer to gray-brown, in winter to white. They eat birch and willow buds, seeds, flowers, leaves, berries.

• musk ox

Long and thick coat keeps you warm. The outer layer of outer coarse hairs protects against gusts of wind, and the short inner layer provides insulation. They feed on lichens, mosses, flowers, roots and grass.

• arctic hare

They have a thick layer of fur. Eats plant food.

• harp seal

It has a large, strong body and a flat head. Thanks to the layer of subcutaneous fat and waterproof fur, animals do not feel the cold. It feeds on fish, cephalopods and crustaceans.

• Reindeer

This is large animal with a somewhat elongated body and relatively low limbs.

In addition, the Arctic is home to wolverines, stoats and long-tailed ground squirrels.

In the polar summer, millions nest in the tundra migratory birds. In the seas of the Arctic live seals, as well as several species of cetaceans: baleen whales, narwhals, killer whales and beluga whales.

As you can see, the nutrition of animals in the Arctic is determined by climatic features and species diversity, which is not much. inhabitants sea ​​depths they feed mainly on crustaceans and mollusks, and the inhabitants of the land are either meat-eaters or eat vegetation.

In general, the food chains of animals in the Arctic can be represented as follows: Algae - Crustacea and Invertebrates - Fish - Birds - Seals - Polar Bears.

We hope that report about the animals of the Arctic Helped you prepare for class. And you can leave your message about the animals of the Arctic through the comment form below.

Due to the type of activity, one often has to deal with the fact that the “Internet generation”, having lived to the age of 18, cannot imagine all the diversity of the nature of our planet. For them, trees grow in the taiga, and grass in the tundra, they cannot imagine African savannah and do not know why hard-leaved forests are called hard-leaved.

Let's start our excursion into the diversity of the world from the northernmost natural zone - the zone of the Arctic deserts.

1. The Arctic deserts are shown in gray on the map.

arctic desert is the northernmost of the natural zones, characterized arctic climate, all year round Arctic air masses. The islands of the Arctic Ocean lie in the zone of the Arctic deserts (Greenland, the northern part of the Canadian archipelago, the Svalbard archipelago, Severny Island of Novaya Zemlya, the New Siberian Islands, and a narrow strip along the coast of the Arctic Ocean within the Yamal, Gydansky, Taimyr peninsulas, and further east to Chukotka Peninsula). These spaces are covered with glaciers, snow, rubble and rock fragments.

2. Arctic desert in winter

3. Arctic desert in summer

The climate is extremely harsh. Ice and snow cover lasts almost the whole year. In winter, there is a long polar night here (at 75 ° N, its duration is 98 days, at 80 ° N - 127 days, and in the region of the pole - half a year). Average January temperatures are about -30 (for comparison, in Tomsk the average January temperature is -17), frosts are often below -40. North-east winds blow almost constantly at a speed of more than 10 m / s, snowstorms are frequent. In February-March, the sun rises from the horizon, and in June, along with the onset of the polar day, spring comes. Snow cover on well-warmed southern slopes disappears by mid-June. Despite round-the-clock lighting, temperatures rarely rise above +5, soils thaw by several centimeters. average temperature July, the warmest month of the year 0 - +3. In summer, the sky is rarely clear, usually it is covered with clouds, it's raining(often with snow), thick fogs form due to the evaporation of water from the surface of the ocean. Precipitation falls mainly in the form of snow. The maximum precipitation falls on summer months. There is not much precipitation - about 250 mm / year (for comparison, in Tomsk about 550 mm / year). Almost all moisture remains on the surface, not seeping into the frozen ground and evaporating slightly due to low temperatures and the low position of the sun in the sky.

4. Typical vegetation of the Arctic deserts - mosses and lichens.

The Arctic desert is practically devoid of vegetation: there are no shrubs, lichens and mosses do not form a continuous cover. Soils are shallow, arctic desert, with insular distribution, localized under vegetation, which consists mainly of sedges, some grasses, lichens and mosses. Plants rarely reach a height of 10 cm, usually pressed against stones ( cold air heats up from the surface of the earth, so the plants tend to cling as tightly as possible to the relatively warm earth), and grow mainly in depressions, on the southern slopes, on the leeward side of large stones and rocks. The disturbed vegetation cover is restored extremely slowly.

5. Sedge

6. Moss cuckoo flax (right)

6.1. Moss moss lichen (light), lingonberry leaves (lower left). Cowberry leaves are covered with a wax coating, which protects them from excessive solar radiation- the polar day can last for many days, weeks and even months.

The fauna is predominantly marine: walrus, seal, in summer there are bird markets- goose, eider, sandpiper, guillemot, guillemot arrive and nest in summer. Terrestrial fauna is poor: arctic fox, polar bear, lemming.

7. Lemming - a mouse with a very short tail and ears hidden in fur. The shape of her body is spherical, the most favorable for keeping warm - this is the only way to avoid frostbite in the Arctic climate.

8.

9. Most lemmings live under the snow

10.

11. And this is a polar fox - a lemming hunter

12. Arctic fox on the hunt

13. Do you still want to wear a coat with a fox fur collar?

14. The white (polar) bear prefers to live on the coasts. Its main food lives in the waters of the Arctic Ocean.

15. Seal with her cub

16. Walrus

17. Beluga dolphin - an inhabitant of the waters of the Arctic Ocean

The color of the beluga whale is monophonic, it changes with age: newborns are dark blue, after a year they become gray and bluish-gray; individuals older than 3-5 years are pure white (hence the name of the dolphin).

The largest males reach 6 m in length and 2 tons in weight; females are smaller. The head of the beluga whale is small, "lobed", without a beak. The vertebrae on the neck are not fused together, so the beluga whale, unlike most whales, is able to turn its head. Pectoral fins small, oval. The dorsal fin is absent; from here Latin name genus Delphinapterus - "wingless dolphin". By the way, the fact of the formation of a stable expression "to roar like a beluga" in Russian is interesting. It is connected with loud noises that the beluga whale emits. In the 19th century, the names "belukha" and "beluga" were equally used. At present, "beluga" refers primarily to the name of the beluga fish, and wingless dolphins are called white whales.

18.

19.

20. Gaga. The down of this particular bird is considered the best heat-insulating material for winter clothes - it "breathes". In such clothes it is not hot during thaws and not cold during frosts. For many decades, polar explorers' clothing was sewn using eider down. Down is harvested from empty eider nests, each nest contains about 17 grams of down.

21.

22. Kulik

23. Chistik

24. Bird market. Guillemots.

25. Guillemot in flight

26. Bird market.

To be continued.

Arctic deserts - a natural zone located in the Artik, the northern polar region of the Earth; part of the Arctic Ocean basin. This natural zone includes the northern outskirts of the continental Arctic and numerous islands located around the North Pole.

The Arctic desert zone is the northernmost natural zone with a characteristic arctic climate. The territory of such deserts is covered with glaciers and stones, and the flora and fauna are very scarce.

This message is dedicated to the peculiarities of the Arctic deserts as a natural zone.

Welcome to the Arctic!

Climate

Arctic the climate is very cold, with harsh winter and cool summers.

The winter in the Arctic is very long, strong winds snowstorms rage for several weeks. Everything is covered with snow and ice. The air temperature reaches -60 °C.

From the second half of October comes polar night. It lasts for six long months. There is no sun in the sky, and only sometimes there are bright and beautiful northern lights. The duration of the auroras is different: from two or three minutes to several days. They are so bright that you can even read under their light.

Northern lights.

In winter, all animals either hibernate or travel south. Nature freezes, but at the end of February the sun appears, and the day begins to increase.

Beginning in the second half of May polar day, when the sun doesn't set at all. Depending on the latitude, the polar day lasts 60-130 days. Although the sun shines 24/7, there is little heat from the sun.

Long, long day.

Summer is very short, but during this time hundreds of thousands of different birds fly to the Arctic, pinnipeds come: walruses, seals, seals. The air temperature rises very slowly and reaches the positive mark only by July (+2-6 °C). The average temperature in summer is about 0 °C.

Already from the beginning of September, the air temperature drops below zero, and soon snow falls, water bodies are frozen.

Flora and fauna of the Arctic

Soils in arctic deserts very scarce. from plants grow mainly mosses and lichens, and even those do not form a continuous cover. Arctic flowers and small shrubs bloom in summer:

• polar poppy;
• polar willow;
• arctic buttercup;
• semolina;
• snow saxifrage;
• asterisk.

Polar poppy.

Herbs also grow: alpine foxtail, bluegrass, sow thistle, arctic pike. All these plants, even shrubs, do not grow more than 3-5 cm. There are no trees in the Arctic deserts.

The underwater flora is richer: there are up to 150 species of algae alone. Algae feed on crustaceans, and fish and birds are the most numerous animals of the Arctic deserts.

Birds settle in nests on rocks and form noisy "bird colonies". This is:

• guillemots;
• seagulls;
• cleaners;
• eiders;
• dead ends;
• kittiwakes and other birds.

Northern bird.

On the coast pinnipeds live: walruses, seals, seals. In the sea there are whales, beluga whales.

Terrestrial fauna, due to scarcity flora not very rich. These are mainly arctic foxes, lemmings, polar bears.

The king of the Arctic deserts is the polar bear. This animal is perfectly adapted to life in harsh land. He has thick fur strong paws, sharp scent. He swims well in the water, a wonderful hunter.

White bears in search of prey.

Bear prey is mainly - Marine life: fish, seals, seals. It can eat eggs and chicks of birds.

Human impact on the natural zone of the Arctic deserts

The natural world of the Arctic deserts is fragile and slowly recovering. Therefore, the influence of man should be careful and careful. Meanwhile, the environment in this area is not very favorable:

• ice is melting;
• water and atmosphere are polluted;
• the population of animals, birds and fish is declining;
• the habitat of various animals is changing.

Man's exploration of the Arctic.

These negative processes due to human activity, active development natural resources arctic zone: mining ( natural gas, oil), fishing and seafood, shipping.

Meanwhile ecological problems Arctic deserts affect the entire climate of the Earth.