What Animals Live At The North Pole
A polar conduct heads to the Arctic ice floe border, in search of its next meal. Photo credit: Tina Fretwell
Reaching the North Pole is a travel achievement so epic, few volition ever experience it in their lifetime. Actually setting foot on that signal where all lines of breadth converge is definitely the tiptop of a Northward Pole trek, simply there are great adventures to be had en road.
Equally you cruise (and afterward beat your way through thick, multi-yr bounding main ice) from the Russian port town of Murmansk past Franz Josef Country towards the Pole, yous're in the best identify on world to take hold of a glimpse some of the fascinating Chill animals that call this frigid region home.
Franz Josef Land in particular is a corking place to spot wildlife in the Arctic. This archipelago of 191 islands is so remote and difficult to attain that information technology wasn't even discovered until after the continent of Antarctica. Now an environmentally of import nature reserve within the Russian Arctic National Park administration, this surface area offers rich birdlife and a natural habitat for Arctic animals.
At that place's plenty to do en route to the N Pole, and yous might even catch a glimpse of some of the Arctic region's iconic animals: walrus, seals, whales, seabirds and polar bears.
1. Imperial, Iconic Polar Bears
You won't want to run into the Arctic'south most fearsome carnivore up close, but the spectacle of one lumbering beyond the sea ice is a sight you'll never forget.
Nineteen distinct populations of polar behave roam the circumpolar region and if you lot're lucky, you might merely meet i prowling the edge of an ice floe or gliding through cold, dark waters. The male of the species are, on boilerplate 600 to 1200 lbs, though the largest can tip the scales at as much equally i,540 lbs (700 kg). Females are about half the size and ranging from 400 to 700 lbs (181 to 318 kgs).
Yous're safe on the deck of fifty Years of Victory, out of reach of even the most curious or tenacious of these massive predators. Standing on their hind legs, the largest polar bears are an intimidating 10 feet tall--this isn't an animal you'd want to match wits with in the wild.
Your Expedition Leader and team are e'er on the watch for wildlife. You lot might want to head out on deck, weather condition permitting, or up to the bridge and continue watch for polar bears if yous pass by Greatcoat Tegetthoff or through the Cambridge Strait on your North Pole expedition. Of course, no one can predict when one might make up one's mind to make an advent, merely these are popular hunting grounds for our massive, furry friends. Venturing south again through the Chill Ocean on your return from the Due north Pole offers more opportunities to spot them.
A polar bear peers beneath the ice, hoping to take hold of a glimpse of a ringed seal caught unaware. Photo credit: Sam Crimmin
2. Ringed (and Occasionally Harp) Seals
They're the nearly widespread marine mammal in the Arctic by far, which is really 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 Land, too.
You'll recognize a ringed seal past its night glaze, with silver rings on the backs and sides. Its silver belly glistens in dark Arctic waters, and the ringed seal'southward small head and short, true cat-similar snout give it an adorable and distinctive look. Claws on its fore flippers help the seal propel its plump trunk over the ice.
A ringed seal hauled out on the water ice surveys the Arctic mural for whatever sign of its nemesis and greatest threat: the polar behave.
Photograph credit: Nansen Weber
Ringed seals feed on a diversity of small casualty, including 72 species of fish and invertebrates. Weighing in at 110-150 lbs (50-70 kg) with an length of average 5 ft (1.five m), it takes a good deal of small fish to satiate his appetite. Dining is an result almost Olympic in scale, as they dive to depths of 35 to 150 ft (11 to 46 1000) and stay submerged for up to 45 minutes.
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On your North Pole expedition, scout for ringed seal along the edges of sea ice, where they feed on Arctic cod.
3. Walrus, Sometimes in Colonies & Rookeries
A walrus spotted in the wild is an exciting discover, even when he'southward feeling lazy and doesn't feel like performing for the camera. One of our onboard medical team, Dr. Sam Crimmin, captured a truly special moment when she caught sight of this female person walrus and her dogie hanging out on a clamper of water ice in the Arctic Ocean. Walrus will calve only once every two to three years, making her find all that much more meaningful.
A female person walrus keeps shut watch over her calf, spotted hither on a summertime expedition in the Arctic. Photo credit: Sam Crimmin
Walrus typically feed on mussels, clams, fish and worms, simply they're not above attacking a seal. As for its predators, only 2 Arctic animals are equipped to tangle with a walrus, only fifty-fifty the killer whale and polar comport 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 can exist lethal weapons, if provoked. They have other applied applications, also; tusks come in handy when the walrus needs to jab animate holes in the ice, or hoist itself out of the water.
Every bit with all polar expeditions, nosotros're guided by sea, conditions and water ice conditions--that'southward role of the excitement! Merely there are a number of places it may exist possible to see walrus in Franz Josef Land. Walrus colonies at Cape Flora, Northbrook Island, and Cape Rubini on Hooker Island are an often noisy (and always smelly!) experience.
"Visiting the North Pole and Franz Joseph Country was an extraordinary experience made perfect by the amazing crew and staff, who work very difficult to assure a quality experience on every level." - Fran Ulmer, The Nature Salvation
Proceed an center out for Atlantic walrus at Cape Tegetthoff and at Cape Forbe, Grant Country, where a Norwegian hut used for walrus hunting in the 1930s still stands. Tiny Apollonov Island offers united states a ridge that tin can serve as a great vantage bespeak for viewing a walrus rookery and even if we don't make it to shore, Zodiac cruising is likewise a possibility here.
iv. Minke, Humpback & Bowhead Whales
Cruising the open waters of the Arctic Bounding main and Barents Sea before you actually become into the ice nearer the Northward Pole offers plenty of whale watching opportunities. Caput to the Victory Bar or up to the span to go on an heart over the water. If a fluke or tell-tale spout of h2o is spotted, be sure to tell your Expedition 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 Sea. This is also a region beautiful white beaked dolphin are known to frequent but, despite its proper noun, its nose might actually be grey or black. Y'all'll accept plenty of face-time with Trek Team members to help yous identify whatsoever Chill animals y'all run across, and to sympathize their behavior.
This satellite view of Franz Josef State through the clouds was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA's Terra satellite on August 17, 2011. Photo credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response, NASA Goddard Space Flying Center
If you're going to see bowhead whales, information technology'll most likely be in Franz Josef Land, although Fabrice notes that they're sometimes seen as far north every bit 86°N. The waters effectually Hooker Island are a proficient place to head out on deck, weather permitting, and watch for this 14 to eighteen meter baleen whale.
Narwhals and belugas take been spotted in the waters effectually Rudolf Isle, but only rarely. If you have your heart set on seeing beluga whales, Arctic Spotter Wilderness Lodge is where y'all want to be.
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5. So Many Arctic Seabirds!
The variety and book of seabirds you lot tin come across on a polar trek is surprising to many. Oftentimes, seabirds glide along overhead equally we traverse open h2o, catching a ride in our typhoon.
Seabirds are an important indicator of the overall wellness of Arctic ecosystems. In fact, a special team of researchers from Seabird Spotter traveled with us in summertime 2017 to deploy monitoring cameras in another area of the Chill.
Seabirds swoop and dive confronting a murky Arctic sky at a bird cliff in Franz Josef Land. Photo credit: Николай Гернет
Equally he prepared for his expedition, Dr. Mark Jessopp from the MaREI Heart, University College Cork, explained in this mail the of import biological interaction between seabirds and the sea ice. Phytoplankton (microscopic institute-like organisms) aggregate nether the surface of the sea water ice, especially around its edges. This forms the basis of the Arctic food chain. Zooplankton graze on the phytoplankton, and small fish graze on the zooplankton. In turn, seabirds feed on the minor fish and zooplankton. Dr. Jessopp and his Seabird Watch colleague, Dr. Tom Hart, aim to monitor how seabirds are reacting to climate change in guild to influence policy that could help ensure non only the survival of our feathered seabird friends, but of the Chill ecosystem as a whole.
Your journey to the North Pole is an excellent opportunity to learn more than about seabirds in their natural environment. Conditions permitting, you may visit a number of dissimilar areas of Franz Josef Country where seabirds gather to breed and nest. The massive bird cliffs at Cape Flora on Northbrook Isle are a pop cease when it's 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 adult and juvenile kittiwake together on bounding main ice in Franz Josef Land. Photo credit: Peter Prokosch
The Bukta Tikaya body of water cliff, a near-vertical basalt rock wall, houses a large seabird colony of mostly kittiwakes and dovekies. At Victoria Island, where the icecap is nearly 100 meters thick in places, ivory gulls brood in peachy numbers.
"One of the locations we may visit is Rubini Rock. Different many basalt areas where the pillars are vertical, this has go contorted and many of the layers are horizontal. This gives platonic nesting places for thousands and thousands of birds. This is one of the biggest bird colonies not but in Franz Josef Land, merely in the world." - Laurie Dexter, historian and Expedition Leader
The westernmost isle in Franz Josef Land, this is too an ideal habitat for polar carry and walrus. Elsewhere in Franz Josef Land you might see fulmar, common eider, glaucous gull, kittiwake, arctic tern, Brünnich's guillemot, black guillemot, or little auk.
Gear up… Set… Pack Your Photographic 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, merely one thing is for sure: you won't encounter these fascinating Chill animals at all if you're not here!
Between expert talks and lectures, organized parties and events, sports, games, and kicking back to relax around the ship, at that place are plenty of options to continue you busy en route to the N Pole. Just don't forget to take hold of your photographic camera and caput to the deck whenever you can. You're an exclusive houseguest in a vast wilderness where human interactions are so rare, the wildlife have no reason to fear the states.
Check out these helpful photography tips from Nansen Weber, Arctic Watch guide and polar wildlife lensman, to aid you prepare for your trip.
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