What Animals Can Survive In The Arctic And Antarctic Regions?

The polar bear is well equipped to live in its icy environment. Its very thick hair protects it from the cold; even its feet are hairy to stop it slipping on sheets of ice. One of the largest carnivores in the world, a mature male can reach a length of 2.75 metres (9 feet) and a height of 1.5 metres (5 feet). The polar bear prefers to eat seals and walrus cubs, but it will also hunt  caribou, foxes, birds and shellfish. Polar bears can live for up to twenty-five years.

Walruses and seals are found in shallow water round the Arctic coasts. Adult males may reach a length of 3.7 metres (12 feet); females are a little smaller. Both males and females have tusks, but those in males are larger, growing to be over a metre long. Penguins are only found in the Southern Hemisphere. Two species, the larger Emperor penguin and the smaller Adelie penguin are found in Antarctica.

Insects such as scorpions also manage to survive in cold deserts. Like the chuckwalla, their body temperature and activity goes up and down with their environment. They are formidable hunters and their tails carry enough poison to stun and kill animals many times their own size. They also have strong, clasping claws to deal with living prey. Their thick, waterproof cuticle stops them drying out in the dry environment of the desert.

Penguins polar bears seals whales