Animals That Live in the Arctic Ocean
Animals That Live in the Arctic Ocean
A polar bear heads to the Arctic ice floe border, in search of its side by side meal. Photo credit: Tina Fretwell
Reaching the Due north Pole is a travel achievement and then epic, few will always experience it in their lifetime. Actually setting foot on that point where all lines of latitude converge is definitely the pinnacle of a North Pole trek, but at that place are corking adventures to be had en road.
Every bit you cruise (and later crush your manner through thick, multi-yr body of water ice) from the Russian port town of Murmansk past Franz Josef State towards the Pole, you're in the all-time place on earth to catch a glimpse some of the fascinating Arctic animals that phone call this frigid region habitation.
Franz Josef State in detail is a peachy place to spot wild fauna in the Arctic. This archipelago of 191 islands is so remote and hard to reach that information technology wasn't fifty-fifty discovered until after the continent of Antarctica. Now an environmentally important nature reserve within the Russian Chill National Park administration, this area offers rich birdlife and a natural habitat for Chill animals.
There's plenty to do en road to the N Pole, and you might even catch a glimpse of some of the Arctic region's iconic animals: walrus, seals, whales, seabirds and polar bears.
i. Majestic, Iconic Polar Bears
Yous won't desire to encounter the Arctic's most fearsome carnivore up close, but the spectacle of one lumbering across the sea ice is a sight y'all'll never forget.
Nineteen distinct populations of polar comport roam the circumpolar region and if you're lucky, you might just see one prowling the edge of an water ice floe or gliding through cold, dark waters. The male of the species are, on average 600 to 1200 lbs, though the largest can tip the scales at as much equally 1,540 lbs (700 kg). Females are about one-half the size and ranging from 400 to 700 lbs (181 to 318 kgs).
You're prophylactic on the deck of fifty Years of Victory , out of reach of even the most curious or tenacious of these massive predators. Continuing on their hind legs, the largest polar bears are an intimidating 10 feet tall--this isn't an animal you'd want to friction match wits with in the wild.
Your Trek Leader and squad are e'er on the spotter for wild animals. You might want to head out on deck, conditions permitting, or up to the span and keep lookout for polar bears if you pass by Cape Tegetthoff or through the Cambridge Strait on your Due north Pole expedition. Of form, no 1 can predict when one might decide to brand an appearance, but these are pop hunting grounds for our massive, hirsuite friends. Venturing south again through the Arctic Ocean on your render from the Northward Pole offers more opportunities to spot them.
A polar comport peers beneath the water ice, hoping to catch a glimpse of a ringed seal caught unaware. Photo credit: Sam Crimmin
2. Ringed (and Occasionally Harp) Seals
They're the most widespread marine mammal in the Chill by far, which is actually great news for their top predator, the polar bear. You're most likely to spot ringed seals on your North Pole expedition, although harp seals have been seen on a few occasions in Franz Josef State, too.
You'll recognize a ringed seal by its night coat, with silver rings on the backs and sides. Its silverish belly glistens in dark Arctic waters, and the ringed seal's small caput and short, cat-like snout give it an adorable and distinctive look. Claws on its fore flippers help the seal propel its plump body over the ice.
A ringed seal hauled out on the ice surveys the Arctic landscape for whatsoever sign of its nemesis and greatest threat: the polar conduct.
Photo credit: Nansen Weber
Ringed seals feed on a variety of pocket-sized prey, including 72 species of fish and invertebrates. Weighing in at 110-150 lbs (50-70 kg) with an length of average 5 ft (1.5 yard), it takes a skillful deal of small fish to satiate his ambition. Dining is an issue almost Olympic in scale, as they dive to depths of 35 to 150 ft (eleven to 46 k) and stay submerged for upwards to 45 minutes.
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On your N Pole expedition, watch for ringed seal along the edges of ocean water ice, where they feed on Chill cod.
iii. Walrus, Sometimes in Colonies & Rookeries
A walrus spotted in the wild is an exciting find, fifty-fifty when he'due south feeling lazy and doesn't experience like performing for the camera. One of our onboard medical team, Dr. Sam Crimmin, captured a truly special moment when she defenseless sight of this female walrus and her calf hanging out on a clamper of ice in the Arctic Body of water. Walrus will calve only in one case every 2 to three years, making her find all that much more meaningful.
A female walrus keeps close sentinel over her dogie, spotted here on a summer expedition in the Arctic. Photo credit: Sam Crimmin
Walrus typically feed on mussels, clams, fish and worms, simply they're non above attacking a seal. Every bit for its predators, only ii Arctic animals are equipped to tangle with a walrus, but even the killer whale and polar deport don't often bother. Weighing in at 900 kg to 1400 kg (2000 to 3000 lbs) and up to 12 ft in length, the male walrus is a formidable opponent. His long, sharp tusks tin exist lethal weapons, if provoked. They have other practical applications, also; tusks come up in handy when the walrus needs to jab breathing holes in the ice, or hoist itself out of the h2o.
Every bit with all polar expeditions, we're guided by bounding main, weather condition and ice conditions--that'southward part of the excitement! But at that place are a number of places it may be possible to see walrus in Franz Josef Land. Walrus colonies at Greatcoat Flora, Northbrook Island, and Cape Rubini on Hooker Island are an often noisy (and always smelly!) experience.
"Visiting the Northward Pole and Franz Joseph Land was an boggling experience made perfect past the amazing crew and staff, who work very hard to assure a quality experience on every level." - Fran Ulmer, The Nature Conservancy
Go on an eye out for Atlantic walrus at Cape Tegetthoff and at Greatcoat Forbe, Grant Land, where a Norwegian hut used for walrus hunting in the 1930s nonetheless stands. Tiny Apollonov Island offers us a ridge that can serve as a smashing vantage point for viewing a walrus rookery and fifty-fifty if we don't make it to shore, Zodiac cruising is as well a possibility hither.
4. Minke, Humpback & Bowhead Whales
Cruising the open up waters of the Arctic Bounding main and Barents Sea before you really go into the ice nearer the Due north Pole offers plenty of whale watching opportunities. Head to the Victory Bar or up to the span to keep an eye over the water. If a fluke or tell-tale spout of h2o is spotted, be sure to tell your Trek Team, which will let other passengers know.
Guide and biologist Fabrice Genevois recommends that we watch for minke and humpback whales as we traverse the Barents Ocean. This is besides a region beautiful white beaked dolphin are known to frequent just, despite its name, its nose might actually be gray or black. You'll have plenty of face-time with Trek Squad members to help yous place whatever Arctic animals you see, and to sympathise their behavior.
This satellite view of Franz Josef Land through the clouds was captured past the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA'south Terra satellite on August 17, 2011. Photo credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
If you're going to see bowhead whales, it'll about probable be in Franz Josef Land, although Fabrice notes that they're sometimes seen as far north as 86°N. The waters around Hooker Island are a good identify to head out on deck, weather permitting, and watch for this fourteen to 18 meter baleen whale.
Narwhals and belugas have been spotted in the waters effectually Rudolf Island, only only rarely. If you have your heart assail seeing beluga whales, Arctic Watch Wilderness Lodge is where you desire to be.
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5. Then Many Chill Seabirds!
The multifariousness and book of seabirds yous can see on a polar expedition is surprising to many. Often, seabirds glide along overhead as we traverse open h2o, communicable a ride in our draft.
Seabirds are an important indicator of the overall health of Arctic ecosystems. In fact, a special squad of researchers from Seabird Watch traveled with usa in summer 2017 to deploy monitoring cameras in some other area of the Arctic.
Seabirds dive and swoop against a murky Arctic sky at a bird cliff in Franz Josef Land. Photo credit: Николай Гернет
As he prepared for his expedition, Dr. Marker Jessopp from the MaREI Eye, Academy Higher Cork, explained in this post the important biological interaction between seabirds and the sea ice. Phytoplankton (microscopic establish-similar organisms) aggregate under the surface of the sea water ice, particularly around its edges. This forms the basis of the Arctic food concatenation. Zooplankton graze on the phytoplankton, and small fish graze on the zooplankton. In turn, seabirds feed on the small fish and zooplankton. Dr. Jessopp and his Seabird Watch colleague, Dr. Tom Hart, aim to monitor how seabirds are reacting to climate alter in club to influence policy that could help ensure not simply the survival of our feathered seabird friends, but of the Arctic ecosystem as a whole.
Your journeying to the North Pole is an excellent opportunity to larn more about seabirds in their natural environment. Weather permitting, you may visit a number of different areas of Franz Josef Land where seabirds gather to breed and nest. The massive bird cliffs at Greatcoat Flora on Northbrook Island are a pop end when it'southward on the itinerary, and Cape Rubini on Hooker Island is considered by many to be home to the most impressive birds cliffs anywhere in Franz Josef Country.
An developed and juvenile kittiwake together on bounding main water ice in Franz Josef Land. Photograph credit: Peter Prokosch
The Bukta Tikaya sea cliff, a well-nigh-vertical basalt rock wall, houses a large seabird colony of generally kittiwakes and dovekies. At Victoria Isle, where the icecap is virtually 100 meters thick in places, ivory gulls breed in great numbers.
"One of the locations we may visit is Rubini Rock. Unlike many basalt areas where the pillars are vertical, this has become contorted and many of the layers are horizontal. This gives ideal nesting places for thousands and thousands of birds. This is i of the biggest bird colonies not just in Franz Josef State, only in the world." - Laurie Dexter, historian and Expedition Leader
The westernmost island in Franz Josef Land, this is besides an ideal habitat for polar comport and walrus. Elsewhere in Franz Josef State y'all might see fulmar, common eider, glaucous gull, kittiwake, arctic tern, Brünnich's guillemot, black guillemot, or little auk.
Prepare… Gear up… Pack Your Camera!
We travel and explore at the whims of Mother Nature, just like those brave and heroic polar explorers who went before us. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, but one thing is for sure: you won't run into these fascinating Arctic animals at all if you're not hither!
Between skillful talks and lectures, organized parties and events, sports, games, and kicking dorsum to relax around the ship, there are plenty of options to proceed you busy en route to the North Pole. Just don't forget to grab your photographic camera and head to the deck whenever you can. You're an sectional houseguest in a vast wilderness where human interactions are and then rare, the wildlife take no reason to fear us.
Bank check out these helpful photography tips from Nansen Weber, Arctic Lookout man guide and polar wildlife photographer, to help you ready for your trip.
Want to learn more than about planning your ain epic journey to the superlative of the world?
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More than Content by Paul Schuster
Animals That Live in the Arctic Ocean
Source: https://explore.quarkexpeditions.com/blog/arctic-animals-you-might-see-on-a-north-pole-expedition
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