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Discover how animals stay warm in the coldest places on Earth.
Imagine living in a giant freezer where the ground is made of ice! How do animals stay cozy and warm without wearing a heavy winter coat like you?
The Arctic is at the very top of our world. It is home to a special place called the tundra. The tundra is a cold, flat land where it is hard for trees to grow because the ground is often frozen. In the winter, the temperature can drop to or even colder! Because it is so windy and snowy, animals that live here need special 'superpowers' to stay warm and find food.
Quick Check
What is the name of the cold, flat land in the Arctic where trees have a hard time growing?
Answer
The tundra.
Animals like the polar bear and the snowy owl have thick layers of fur or feathers. This acts like insulation, which means it traps the animal's body heat inside. A polar bear actually has two layers of fur! Their white fur also helps them with camouflage, which means they blend into the white snow so other animals can't see them easily.
Think about how you stay warm: 1. You put on a fluffy sweater. 2. The sweater traps the warm air near your skin. 3. A polar bear's fur works the same way! It has layers of thick hair to keep the cold wind out.
Some animals, like seals and whales, spend a lot of time in the freezing water. Fur isn't enough to keep them warm when they swim. Instead, they have a thick layer of fat under their skin called blubber. Blubber is like a built-in wetsuit. It keeps their insides warm even when the water is icy enough to turn into ice!
Quick Check
What is the thick layer of fat called that keeps seals warm in the water?
Answer
Blubber.
Imagine you have two bags: 1. One bag is empty. 2. One bag is filled with thick vegetable shortening (which acts like fat). 3. If you put your hand in the empty bag and touch ice, it feels very cold. 4. If you put your hand in the fat-filled bag and touch ice, your hand stays warm! This is how blubber protects a seal.
Why would a brown bear from the forest have a hard time living in the Arctic? 1. Its fur is the wrong color, so it wouldn't have camouflage in the white snow. 2. It might not have enough blubber to stay warm if it had to swim in icy water. 3. It is used to finding food in forests, but there are no trees on the tundra!
Which animal uses thick white feathers to stay warm and hide in the snow?
What does 'camouflage' help an animal do?
Blubber is a layer of fur found on the outside of a seal's body.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember the three ways Arctic animals stay warm: fur, feathers, and blubber!
Practice Activity
Draw a picture of a polar bear and a seal. Label the polar bear's 'fur' and the seal's 'blubber' to show how they stay warm.