Muskox (Ovibos moschatus)

The muskox, known as the Oomingmak to the Alaskan natives, are huge. The word Oomingmak means "the animal with skin like a beard" to the Inupiaq speaking Eskimos. Their extraordinary fur coat covers their whole body even the udder. The Muskox is closely related to the Takin, found in the Himalayas. It is classified by Taxonomists with sheep and goats.

Characteristics and Physical Features of the Muskox

Identification:

Height: 3-5 ft.
Weight: 500-900 lb.
Color: Brown shaggy, silky fur

Distinguishing Characteristics: Horns - broad and flat and plastered close to skull. Record distance between tips of horns is 29.74 in.

Breeding: 1 calf every other year.

Habitat:

Range: Northern tundra areas and Nunivak Island in Alaska. This includes northern Alaska, Canada, Ellesmere Island and Greenland.

Diet: Wide variety of plants, including grasses, sedges, forbs, and woody plants. One of their favorite foods is willow.

What is a boss?

Boss is the name of the muskox horn. Their skulls are like heavy armor to protect them from being hurt when they fight. It is estimated that when muskox bulls hit head-on its equivalent to a car driving into a concrete wall at 17 mph (27km/h). The boss is four inches of horn and three inches of bone that lies directly over the brain with no other skull in between.

How can a muskox calf stand -30ºF weather?

The muskox coat and hooves keep them warm in the cold arctic weather which can reach –70ºF. If their fur were not like it is they would die. The muskox has two kinds of fur. The outer fur is coarse and stiff. The under fur is soft and able to keep the muskox very warm. The fur of the muskox is 3-4 inches thick. Even the young calves are able to survive by themselves when the temperatures get down to -30ºF.

Will a muskox attack another muskox?

The only time that muskox fight among themselves is during breeding season. Then they fight just like a lot of other animals do. But they don't fight for dominance in the herd. They just fight for the right to breed. The rest of the time the whole herd lives together and dominance within the herd isn't a big part of their life. The older bulls are the leaders of the group.

Can a muskox kill a grizzly bear?

When muskoxen are attacked by a grizzly the first thing that the herd does is get into a circle, facing outward. They place the calves inside the circle to keep them safe. This circle is almost impossible for a predator to penetrate. Sometimes one of the bulls will break out of the circle to go fight the animal that is attacking. When he does this the rest of the circle quickly closes so that other attackers can't get in. When a grizzly attacks the muskox will always win because of its powerful charge. It uses its boss like a battering ram against predators or like a spear it picks up smaller animals like a wolf, and throws them so high that the leg of the attackers will break when it falls. Sometimes the defending muskox will throw the predator back into the herd and the rest of the herd will trample the attacker.

How do you know when a muskox is going to charge?

Before charging they always do one thing that alerts you. They tip their head down and press their nose against their knee. This releases a musky smelling liquid from a gland near their nose.

Why do muskoxen like to live near rivers?

Even though muskox live on the tundra if there is a river nearby they will try to stay near it. They do this because their favorite food grows there. The willow plant is this favorite food.

What poses the most danger to a muskox?

You might not think it but the little mosquito is very dangerous to the muskox. It is actually a danger to most animals living in the Arctic. The reason it is dangerous is because the mosquito carries a lot of diseases and when it bites the muskox it can cause a lot of infection. There aren't a lot of areas that a mosquito can bite on a muskox so it will usually go after its nose.

Do muskoxen really stink?

Muskoxen are really pretty clean animals in the wild. They only look like they would stink because of how shaggy their coat looks. Sometimes when muskox are in captivity they do smell.

Why is a muskoxen's best defense also its worst?

Although their protective ring is very effective against animal predators it makes them like "sitting ducks" to men. Since men hunt with guns the muskox is very vulnerable to being killed by man in their protective ring. After firearms came to the arctic in the mid-1800s the muskoxen were wiped out.

How did muskoxen get back in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?

After the muskoxen were all killed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased 34 muskoxen from Greenland and brought them to Alaska in 1930. They put them on Nunivak Island. It is off the west coast of Alaska. After the herd had gotten large enough they took 40 of them and moved them to ANWR. In 1980 there were nearly 400. They had divided themselves into three separate herds.

How do arctic people benefit from the muskoxen?

The soft underfur of the Oomingmak is used by native people to create many knitted items. They use the fur of them muskox because it is one of the warmest furs known to man. Native people call this underfur "Qiviut". It is eight times warmer than wool and it is much lighter too. It is even lighter than cashmere.

Narwhal Whale (Monodon monoceros)

The narwhals are usually in pods of about 10 up to 100 whales that swim solely in the Arctic waters. The name Narwhal means “corpse whale” because it often swims belly up, laying motionless for several minutes. Narwhals usually take their time going places, slowly breathing and rolling, but when chased, they are remarkably quick. Sometimes they travel in small family groups, in these groups they communicate by means of a great variety of squeals, trills, whistles, and clicks. If you were in the middle of a pod you would find out that the sound is deafening.

The male narwhal sometimes duel in the summer feeding ground, crossing tusks in a friendly manner. Nobody knows why narwhals dual, it might be to “scratch an itch”, (the base of the tusk is usually infected with lice) or this tusk crossing might be a greeting, no one knows for sure.

Contrasted with the huge tusk are two round little eyes and a small, turned up mouth located just below the large tusk. Instead of a dorsal fin. The narwhal has a low, bumpy ridge that begins in the middle of his back and goes to the flukes. The biggest narwhal ever found weighed 3,500 pounds. They are shaped like a beluga and have about four inches of fat to insulate them from the cold Arctic waters.

Just about everything about the narwhal is a mystery even what they eat. Scientists have gotten a clue to their diet since they have been able to examine the contents of their stomachs. The most common thing they found is squid, occasionally they have seen flatfish and Greenland halibut. How the narwhal catches their prey nobody really knows. Some scientist think that the narwhal makes a real loud sound and stuns its prey. But they do know that the long tusk is not used in hunting.

Characteristics and Physical Features of the Narwhal

Identification:

Length: 10-20 ft.
Weight: 1 ton
Color: White and green and brown spotted.

Distinguishing Characteristics: 9 foot long ivory tusk.

Breeding: Unknown.

Habitat:

Range: West Greenland to Mid-eastern Canada.

Diet: Squid and flatfish.

What is the most striking feature of the narwhal?

The ivory tusk protruding from a tooth socket is the most distinctive feature of the narwhal. This tusk is actually a tooth that grew out, it varies in length but can reach nine feet in size. Embedded 15 inches into the head of the whale, the tusk is straight as an arrow, spiraled up to five inches from the tip where it is polished and smooth.

Why is the narwhal called “The Unicorn of the Sea”?

The narwhals long spirally tusk earned it that title because it has the appearance of the legendary unicorn.

How does the narwhal hear?

Like many other marine mammals the narwhal uses its forehead sense of echo location to find things. It also uses this part of the forehead to “feel” sound waves as they bounce through the water.

In a race between a narwhal and a killer whale (Orca) who would win?

The narwhal would win. However, when the narwhal is caught unawares the killer whale will win. The orca would over take the narwhal and ram it head on, knocking it unconscious. Where upon the killer whale will eat the narwhal.

Where do narwhals go to retreat?

When orcas are hunting, they can’t see the narwhals so they have to use echo location to find them. The narwhals retreat to shallow water, the orca’s echo location gets all mixed up in shallow water and they can’t find the narwhals.

Has a narwhal ever attacked a person?

No. However, if by chance you see one, you best leave it alone.

How do arctic people benefit from the narwhal?

In some times and areas, there people entire existence depended on them. They burn the oil because it is good quality and doesn’t smoke. They feed the meat to their sled dogs while they eat the skin which tastes like seafood and is high in vitamin C. In the past the tusk has been used for tools, but now it can be sold for up to $4,500. It is illegal to import whale products into the United States so the tusks are often sold to Eurasian countries.

Polar Bear (Ursus Maritimus)

Polar bears live only in the northern Arctic where they spend most of their time on ice floes. They are the largest land meat-eater in the world and the largest of the bear family. They are well suited to the cold Arctic ice and snow.

Characteristics and Physical Features of the Polar Bear

Identification:

Height: Average adult male 8.5 ft. (2.6 m)
Average adult female 6.5 ft. (2 m)
Weight: Average adult male 900 lbs. Average adult female 500 lbs.
Color: Off-white fur with black nose, eyes and mouth.

Distinguishing Characteristics: The polar bear has many unique adaptations for dealing with the Arctic cold. The polar bear's skin is actually black, which allows it to soak up as much heat as possible from the sun. They are also great swimmers and will swim from ice floe to ice floe. They have been seen swimming 50 miles away from any ice or land.

Breeding: Sexually mature at 4-8 years. Breed polygamously, April through June, with 1-3 cubs every 28 months. Pregnant females dig a den in October through December where cubs are born December to January and stay until March or April. Lactation lasts 28 months. May live 25-30 years.

Habitat:

Range: They spend their entire life associated with pack ice. Females may prefer ice along the shoreline while others prefer moving sea ice at the floe edge -usually within 180 miles of shore.

Diet: Eats mostly ringed and bearded seals. They will occasionally eat other mammals, eggs, vegetation and beach-cast carrion. Polar bears don't drink water. They get all the liquids that they need from the animals that they eat.

Can a polar bear be different colors?

Polar bears have fur that is made up of "hollow guard hairs." Sometimes when polar bears live in zoos that are in a warmer climate, they can have algae growing inside the hollow guard hairs of their fur. This makes them have a greenish tint to their fur. These hollow hairs also keep their hair from matting down when they swim in water.

Do polar bears stay in groups?

Polar bears are usually solitary except for female-cub groups, during mating season, and at abundant food sources.

Do polar bears hibernate?

Pregnant females den up for winter but do not hibernate. All polar bears may den temporarily to avoid bad weather.

How do polar bears swim?

They dog-paddle with their head and much of their back above water. Their blubber helps to float them as they swim. They can swim at an average of 6 miles per hour.

How do polar bears catch seals when they live under the ice?

Polar bears find a seal air hole and sneak up on it slowly and sit there until a seal comes up to breathe and then they scoop him right out of the hole.

How do the native arctic people benefit from the polar bear?

Polar bear hide is very useful it can be used as clothing, rugs, and blankets. The hollow guard hairs of the polar bear fur can be sold for fly tying. Polar bear meat can also be eaten.

Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca)

Many birds come to the Arctic in the summer to live and breed but not all of them live here year round. Ptarmigan, snow bunting, and snowy owls are some of the Arctic birds that live here year round. Snowy owls live on the tundra.

They stay in the Arctic during the winter unless their food sources are scarce. If they leave the arctic in the winter they overwinter in northern Greenland, the Canadian islands, northern Eurasia, Wrangel Island as well as North America.
They are called snowy owls because their coloring is almost pure white when they are full grown. The feet of snowy owls are covered with feathers and have extra thick pads.

Snowy owls have incredible vision. They can see from high up in the sky and swoop down silently to capture their prey. Like all owls they have good night vision. They are nocturnal and diurnal hunt at night but in the Arctic it doesn't get dark in the summer so the owls hunt in the daylight too. When the owl gets food it swallows it whole or tears it into large pieces to swallow.

The mother stays on the nest and the father brings her food and protects her. After the owlets are born both parents work to feed the owlets. In eight weeks the owlets are ready to leave the nest. This is important because the summers are so short in Arctic regions. If the owlets weren't ready to take care of themselves they would not survive the cold winter.

Characteristics and Physical Features of the Snowy Owl

Identification:

Height: Up to 27 in. - it is one of the biggest owls.
Wingspan: 45-60 in.
Color: In the summer, snowy owls are brownish with dark spots and stripes. In the winter, they are completely white.

Distinguishing Characteristics: All white color, ability to hunt silently, hunts during the day unlike most owls.

Breeding: 8-10 eggs, eggs are laid on the ground or on hummocks because there aren't trees in the Arctic.

Habitat:

Range: Northern most Canada, Alaska, also circumpolar - prefers open spaces; tundra, grasslands, or frozen lakes.

Diet: Lemmings, hare, vole, and shrews. It also sometimes will eat hare or small birds. During the spring breeding season, owls will also eat eggs of waterfowl like swans.

Why are snowy owls white?

The feathers of the snowy owl have no pigment. This leaves more space for air which helps to keep the owl warmer because air is such a good insulator and it also makes the owl white.

Can you find a snowy owl in Oregon?

When food supplies become scarce in Arctic regions around the world the snowy owls that live in those regions migrate to other area to find more food. In the areas of Canada and Alaska this would mean that they would migrate to the northern states which would include Oregon.

Why are the snowy owl's feet furry?

The Arctic regions are very cold. Sometimes the temperatures can reach -155ºF in the winter. Even the average would be well below 0ºF. Having well insulated feet is important in the region where they live because it is so cold and also because there are not many trees so the owls have to nest and live on the ground a lot.

How can an owl find its food in the dark?

Owls have keen hearing. The ears of an owl are positioned in different locations on either side of its head. The sound of its prey reaches the ears at two different times. The different times help him pinpoint the exact distance away from the lemming or other prey.

Can an owl digest all of the animal it eats?

It is able to digest its prey whole because it has strong acid in its stomach. Hair, bones and feathers are things that it can't digest so after the food is digested the owl spits the undigested food back out as a "pellet".

What's a snowy owl's favorite food?

Owls live mostly off lemmings. If there are a lot of lemmings the owl population increases. But if the lemming population is down during the winter the owls leave the Arctic are in search of food. Some people think that the owls die if there is only a little food but really a lot of them fly south searching for food. They come back when the food becomes more abundant.

Why do owls like airports?

When snowy owls fly south looking for more food they will often land at airports. We think that they do this because the wide-open space of the airports reminds them of the tundra.

What makes an owl able to fly silently?

They way that an owls feather fit together make them able to fly without making any sound. The front edge of the owls wing feathers breaks up the air as it goes over it. This breaks up the sound level so that the flapping of the wings is almost silent. It does this because the leading edge of the wing is frayed and can break up the air.

How much does an snowy owl eat every day?

Owls help control the rodents population. They are able to eat about a dozen rodents each day. If they have owlets they catch even more to feed them.

Snowy Owl
During Winter

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)

Walruses are pinnipeds. Pinni means wing or fin and pedis means foot. Seals and sea lions are also pinnipeds. Walruses are the largest pinnipeds in the Arctic and Subarctic areas. They like to live in shallow water by ice floes or land. Their habitat is the entire polar basin. There are two types of walrus - the Pacific and the Atlantic. There are more pacific walrus than Atlantic.

The walrus migrate in the spring and fall following the food. The ice floe advance and retreat tells the walrus when to migrate.

Characteristics and Physical Features of the Walrus

Identification:

Size: Bulls 10-12 ft., Cows 8-9 ft.
Weight: Bulls 2 tons, Cows over 1 ton.
Color: Pink-to-cinnamon brown.

Distinguishing Characteristics: Tusks, whiskers, and sounds they make.

Breeding: Occurs in February and March but the fetus doesn't begin to grow until later in June. Calves weigh 85-140 lb. The calves are dark gray-brown in color when born.

Habitat:

Range: St. Lawrence Island, Chukchi Sea, Bristol Bay, Bering Sea, islands in Russia's Gulf of Anadyr

Diet: Clams, snails, crabs, shrimp and worms

What does a walrus have in common with a tree?

You can tell how old a walrus is by the number of rings you can find in a cross-section of its teeth just like you can tell how old a tree is by the number of "growth rings" it has. Most walrus don't die from old age but from hunting but some will live to be 35 in the wild. The longer the walrus tusk is the more important their rank in their group.

What is the first thing that you notice on a walrus?

The tusks are the first thing that you notice on a walrus. They are huge canine teeth and both male and female walrus have them. Tusks are made of ivory and grow to be two feet long in the cows and four feet long in the bulls. Bull tusks are straighter, thicker, and heavier. The longer the walrus tusk is the more important their rank in their group.

How is a walrus like a man?

Walrus walk on all four fins. He can even move on land as fast as a man canrun. Other pinniped have to drag their hind ends around but a walrus can walk.

What weighs more a walrus or a polar bear?

The walrus weighs more. Adult males will often weigh near two tons and the females are over one ton. Females can get to be as big as 2,000 pounds and the males continue growing until they are 14 or 15. Polar bears weigh about 900 pounds when they are full grown.

Why do people say the walrus has armor?

The walrus' skin is very wrinkly. These wrinkles are like armor and protect the walrus when they "joust" with thether males. Their thick skin also helps protect them from all predators except the orca whale, polar bear, and man.

Does the cold water make living in the Arctic hard for the walrus?

Living in the Arctic is not hard for the walrus to do because they have blubber under their skin. Blubber is their body fat. This protects them from the cold water in the Arctic.

Why does a walrus change colors?

Walrus change from pink-to-cinnamon brown to a lighter shade when it gets into cold water because it's blood vessels get smaller. Walrus are able to adjust to the surrounding temperatures with their blood circulatory system. When they get hot their blood is pumped to its blubber and skin and it gets cooled by the air or the water. When they're cold they can reduce the blood flow to the skin and blubber to save heat.

Where does a walrus spend its summer vacation?

In the winter they live in the ice pack of the Bering Sea. The ice recedes between April and June and the walrus move with it. During the summer the Pacific walrus move with the pack ice to the Chukchi Sea in Russia.

What do walrus use their tusks for?

Bull walrus fight or joust with other bulls during mating season with their tusks. They do this to earn the right to mate. Both male and female walrus use their tusks to pull themselves out of the water and to crack breathing holes in the ice during the winter.

How do walrus get their food?

The walrus have big whiskers. They use their whiskers to feel around until they find food. Then they blow to get the food loose or to make it move so they can get it. They need it to move because they can't get to it because of their tusks. Walrus mainly eat bottom-dwelling invertebrates. This would be things like clams, snails, crabs, shrimp and worms.

How do arctic people benefit from the walrus?

The arctic people in Alaska use the walrus for many things. The meat is eaten by the villagers and fed to the dogs, the skin is used to make umiak (walrus hide boats) boats, and the intestines are used for rain coats, window-covers, and floats. They use the ivory tusks and carve beautiful pictures on them and make a lot of different objects with them like necklaces. The bones are used to make spear heads.

In the past native mothers would use the walrus blubber as a pacifier for her baby. She would take a chunk of blubber, put a stick through it sideways and let her baby suck on it.

The oil is also used for food, light in oil lamps and to help heat arctic homes. Natives will tan and oil the hide to make durable covers for their large skin boats.

Wolverine (Gulo gulo)

Despite it’s name, the wolverine is not related to the wolf. The wolverine is very clever like a wolf, but he is much more resourceful than a wolf. The wolverine is related to the weasel, they are known to be very shy and like most weasels the wolverine is scarcely seen. There are people who have spent years in the Alaskan wild and never seen one. Although you may not see them, you can smell them because like most weasels the wolverine has glands that it often uses to mark territory. Even though they have a shy nature, those who have seen the wolverine attest to their feistiness. The wolverine is also very fierce, fearless and protective of it’s young. The wolverine inherited the weasel’s powerful back and legs.

The wolverine is always on the move and is always trying different ways to get the job done. Sometimes in order to do that he uses rocks or his body as a wedge, he might use his head to push up his obstacle, if he can’t push an obstacle, he will literally stand on his head to see if that will move his obstacle. Because of his work and eating ethics, I consider him one of the most resourceful animals in the Arctic.

Characteristics and Physical Features of the Wolverine

Identification:

Length: 3-4 ft.
Weight: 30-40 lb.
Color: Brown

Distinguishing Characteristics: Two pale stripes down it's back.

Breeding: Once a year.

Habitat:

Range: The Arctic mainland of Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland.
Diet: Carrion (dead animals)

Does the wolverine deserve his name?

The name wolverine means glutton. The wolverine doesn’t eat more than he needs. If he kills a caribou or bear he will spray it with musk and bury it. Later he will come back and finish it.

Is the wolverine fast?

The wolverine has two speeds, fast and stop. If the wolverine is not “sprinting” it is at a complete stop. Therefore to catch prey, the wolverine must ambush, pounce or find a slower animal.

Why do wolverines go at their top speed?

Going as fast as possible helps the wolverine stay on top of the snow. This MUST be done or it can’t cover the distance it has to for finding food.

What does the wolverine do if he is slower than his prey?

To attack prey, the wolverine will climb to the top of a rock or a tall stump, then when a deer of some other medium to large animal comes along the wolverine will jump squarely on the unfortunate animals back, breaking or severing vital organs.

Why are big feet helpful for the wolverine?

The wolverines big furry feet act as snowshoes in the winter allowing the wolverine to bound along on the top of the snow and chase caribou, moose or other large animals. The prey exhausts itself where as the wolverine can move quickly.

Does the wolverine have any handicaps?

The wolverine has bad eyesight, is slow, and clumsy. The wolverines bad eyesight and slow pace requires it to hunt in an ambush type way, and the clumsiness doesn’t help any either.

How big is a wolverine’s territory?

The wolverine’s territory can be quiet large, sometimes reaching 200 square miles. It will leave it’s scent on hills and on rocks to say to other wolverines “back off, this is my spot!”

How do arctic people benefit from the wolverine?

Although the Alaska natives don’t let any part of the wolverine go to waste, they prize the soft warm fur to keep them warm in subzero temperatures. This fur is used in making ruff for parkas (the lining of the face opening on the hood). Wolverine fur has a durability rating of 100 which means it’s hairs do not break off so it lasts for years. It is used around the face because frost will not form on it.

Arctic Animal Stories

Caribou

The tall, bull caribou stopped to rest on high knoll above the arctic tundra that he had just fled from. He had been driven in a furious rage racing from the army of mosquitoes and flies which tortured him. He began to breathe easier and to eat moss growing up on top of the knoll. His small herd of 15 were on their way to join the northwest Alaskan herd. Soon the rest of the herd was peacefully eating beside him. They ate for a few minutes until the pests arrived. The caribou ran for a quarter of a mile before coming to stop for another rest. This time instead of eating all the caribou laid down to sleep. The next morning, the caribou woke up and resumed their quest for the northwest Alaskan herd of 200,000. Later that day the caribou were crossing a river and they found that all the pests were gone! Two days later they found the large northwest herd and peacefully rested with them.

Narwhal

The large pod of about 75 narwhals milled around the bay in the summer feeding grounds. Sounds of chirps, whistles, clicks and sometimes screams filled the the warm current swishing in what seemed like mass confusion. But there was no confusion at all in this pod, the whales were communicating with each other very well. The young whales played with little bits of seaweed and playfully fought each other while their mothers kept a close eye on them. The large bulls leisurely crossed tusks and dove for food.

Meanwhile 20 deadly enemies lined up across the mouth of the bay, locking in on the narwhals. Huge dorsal fins broke the surface and the killers moved in.

Suddenly the blood curdling sound of an Orca filled the water and with a cry all the orcas rushed upon the unsuspecting narwhals. The narwhals were momentarily paralyzed with fear.

An old bull began to sprint towards shallow water. All the whales followed him while the narwhals held perfectly still. The orca whales echo location was thrown off by the breakers on the shore. The hungry orcas milled around for 2 hours waiting to hear a narwhal.

From across the bay, a family of narwhals traveled into the range of the 20 hungry orcas. The orca left the one pod of narwhal and went after the family that had just arrived in the bay. They had no chance of escape. They were rammed head-on and hit by muscular tails, never to dive again.

Wolverine

The young wolverine opened it’s eyes after sleeping well for six hours to discover that the air was ten degrees below zero. After stretching and arching his back, he scampered out of his den into the crisp morning air to search for food. He was always hungry.

He went to his usual food stash, a tree stump about 5 feet away from the opening of his den. In his hunger the wolverine failed to notice the difference in his food stash. The two rabbits he had killed the day before were moved from inside the tree stump to the edge of the tree stump.

As the wolverine ran up to his rabbits, a loud snap filled the air. The wolverine’s foot was caught in a trap. He felt excruciating pain and began to thrashing around, tugging to free his foot. Finally, he pulled himself free from the trap leaving part of his foot behind. At first he wondered what had happened. His foot was bleeding and hurting more than it had ever hurt before.

He howled and whimpered as he went back into his den to nurse his wound. It took three days before the wolverine could walk out of his den and find some vegetation to eat. After a couple of months, the wolverines partially amputated foot healed and he was able to hunt again. But, for the rest of his life the wolverine carried around the remembrance of that day that he was not alert.