Polar Biodiversity Polar environments are in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Arctic regions are in the northern hemisphere, and it contains land and the islands that surround it. Antarctica is in the southern hemisphere and it also contains the land mass, surrounding islands and the ocean. Polar Regions also contain the sub-antarctic and sub-arctic zones which separate the Polar Regions from the temperate regions. Antarctica and the Arctic lie in the polar circles. The polar circles are not visible on the earth but it is shown on maps to be the areas that receive less sunlight due to less radiation. These areas either receive sunlight or shade 24 hours a day because of the earth's tilt. Plants and animals in the Polar Regions are able to withhold living in harsh weather conditions but are facing environmental threats that limit their survival. Arctic has more land than Antarctic. Polar climates are cold, windy and dry. Much of the radiation from the sun that is received is reflected off the snow making the Polar Regions cold. When the radiation is reflected, the heat is also reflected. The Polar Regions reflect 89-90% of the sun radiation that the earth receives. Water is an important part of human survival. Because of its cold temperature much of the earth's water comes from the Polar Regions. 90% of the world’s water comes from the Antarctic ice cap although a lot of this water is not used. Due to the cold weather it is hard for plants to grow. Frozen ground covers most of the polar regions for the majority of the year. Due to the harsh weather in the Polar Regions, there are not many animals. The animals that do exist in the polar region are similar between the Antarctic and Arctic regions. The animals do differ by the temperature. In the Arctic some invertebrates include spiders, mites, mosquitoes and flies. In warmer areas of the Polar Regions moths, butterflies and beetles can be found. Some of the larger animals that exist are foxes, wolves, rabbits, hares, reindeer and caribou. There are various bird species that have been spotted in the Arctic. Eight species of birds reside on the polar tundra year round while only 150 breed in the Arctic. The birds that do breed go to the Arctic between May and July. One of the known birds is the snowy owl. The owl has enough fat on it to be able to survive in the cold temperatures. In the Antarctic some invertebrates that exist are mites, fleas and ticks. Antarctica is the only continent that does not have a land mammal population. There are also no birds that reside in Antarctica. Though, it has been known that various birds from South America have been spotted in Antarctica. There is a wide source of vegetation in the polar region but there are few species in common in the Southern and Northern Polar Regions. The Arctic consists of desert and tundra vegetation. The Antarctic vegetation consists of algae or lichens, and some bacteria and fungi. Mosses and lichens dominate though.
Following species are available in our model Polar Biodiversity (made in 2015) as part of Project Biodiversity Park: Penguins, Polar Bear, Arctic Fox, Beluga Whale, Orca Whale, Seals and Walruses.
Penguin Penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have counter shaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have evolved into flippers. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid and other forms of sea life caught while swimming underwater. They spend about half of their lives on land and half in the oceans. Penguins are superbly adapted to aquatic life. Their vestigial wings have become flippers, useless for flight in the air. In the water, however, penguins are astonishingly agile. Penguins' swimming looks very similar to bird's flight in the air.[31] Within the smooth plumage a layer of air is preserved, ensuring buoyancy. The air layer also helps insulate the birds in cold waters. On land, penguins use their tails and wings to maintain balance for their upright stance. Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Infraclass: Neognathae Order: Sphenisciformes, Sharpe, 1891 Family: Spheniscidae, Bonaparte, 1831
Polar Bear Binomial name Ursus
maritimus
Phipps, 1774
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a carnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is a large bear, approximately the same size as the omnivorous Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi). A boar (adult male) weighs around 350–700 kg (770–1,500 lb), while a sow (adult female) is about half that size. The polar bear is often regarded as a marine mammal because it spends many months of the year at sea. However, it is the only living "marine mammal" with powerful, large limbs and feet that allow them to cover miles on foot and run on land. Its preferred habitat is the annual sea ice covering the waters over the continental shelf and the Arctic inter-island archipelagos. The polar bear is the most carnivorous member of the bear family, and throughout most of its range, its diet primarily consists of ringed (Pusa hispida) and bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus). The Arctic is home to millions of seals, which become prey when they surface in holes in the ice in order to breathe, or when they haul out on the ice to rest.[57] Polar bears hunt primarily at the interface between ice, water, and air; they only rarely catch seals on land or in open water.
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Ursidae Genus: Ursus Species: U. maritimus
Arctic Fox Binomial name Vulpes
lagopus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. It is well adapted to living in cold environments. It has a deep thick fur which is brown in summer and white in winter. It averages in size at about 85.3 cm (33.6 in) in body length, with a generally rounded body shape to minimize the escape of body heat. They prey on any small animals they can find, including lemmings, voles, ringed seal pups, fish, seabirds, and bird eggs. They will also eat carrion, berries, and seaweed. They form monogamous pairs during the breeding season and usually stay together in family groups of multiple generations in complex underground dens.
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Canidae Genus: Vulpes Species: V. lagopus
Beluga Whale Binomial name Delphinapterus
leucas
(Pallas, 1776)
The beluga or white whale, Delphinapterus leucas, is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. This marine mammal is commonly referred to simply as the melonhead, beluga or sea canary due to its high-pitched twitter. The beluga’s body size is between that of a dolphin’s and a true whale’s, a male can be up to 5.5 m (18 ft) long and it can weigh up to 1,600 kg (3,500 lb). This whale has a stocky body; it has the greatest percentage of blubber. Its sense of hearing is highly developed and it possesses echolocation, which allows it to move about and find blowholes under sheet ice. Its body is round, particularly when well fed, and tapers less smoothly to the head than the tail. The sudden tapering to the base of its neck gives it the appearance of shoulders, unique among cetaceans. The tailfin grows and becomes increasingly and ornately curved as the animal ages. The flippers are broad and short—making them almost square-shaped. The adult beluga is rarely mistaken for any other species, because it is completely white or whitish-grey in colour. They are opportunistic feeders; their feeding habits depend on their locations and the season. For example, when they are in the Beaufort Sea, they mainly eat Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida). In general, the diets of these cetaceans consist mainly of fish; apart from those previously mentioned, other fish they feed on include capelin (Mallotus villosus), smelt, sole, flounder, herring, sculpin and other types of salmon. They also consume a great quantity of invertebrates, apart from shrimp, such as squid, crabs, clams, octopus, sea snails, bristle worms and other deep-sea species.
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Clade: Synapsida Order: Therapsida Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea Family: Monodontidae Genus: Delphinapterus Species: D. leucas
Orca Whale Binomial name Orcinus
orca
(Linnaeus, 1758)
The killer whale (Orcinus orca), also referred to as the orca whale or orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Killer whales as a species have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as sea lions, seals, walruses, and even large whales. Killer whales are regarded as apex predators, lacking natural predators. Killer whales are highly social; some populations are composed of matrilineal family groups which are the most stable of any animal species. A typical killer whale distinctively bears a black back, white chest and sides, and a white patch above and behind the eye. Calves are born with a yellowish or orange tint, which fades to white. It has a heavy and robust body with a large dorsal fin up to 2 m (6.6 ft) tall. Behind the fin, it has a dark grey "saddle patch" across the back. Antarctic killer whales may have pale grey to nearly white backs.
Conservation status
Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea Suborder: Odontoceti Family: Delphinidae Genus: Orcinus, Fitzinger, 1860 Species: O. orca
Harp Seal Binomial name Pagophilus
groenlandicus
Erxleben, 1777
The harp seal or saddleback seal is a species of earless seal native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and parts of the Arctic Ocean. The harp seal has a silvery-gray body. Its eyes are pure black. It has black harp or wishboneshaped markings on the back. Adult harp seals grow up to be 1.7 to 2.0 m (5 to 6 feet) long and weigh from 140 to 190 kg (300 to 400 pounds).
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Superfamily: Pinnipedia Family: Phocidae Genus: Pagophilus Species: P. groenlandicus
Leopard Seal Binomial name Hydrurga leptonyx
The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). Along with all of the other earless seals, it belongs to the family Phocidae, and is the only species in the genus Hydrurga. The name hydrurga means "water worker" and leptonyx is the Greek for "small clawed". The leopard seal is large and muscular, with a dark grey back and light grey on its stomach. Its throat is whitish with the black spots that give the seal its common name. Females are slightly larger than the males. The overall length of this seal is 2.4–3.5 m (7.9–11.5 ft) and weight is from 200 to 600 kilograms (440 to 1,320 lb). They are about the same length as the northern walrus, but usually less than half the weight. Its front teeth are sharp like those of other carnivores, but its molars lock together in a way that allows them to sieve krill from the water, in the manner of the crabeater seal. The leopard seal lives in the cold waters surrounding the Antarctic continent. Where most seals remain restricted within the pack ice throughout the year, some (mostly young animals) move further north in the austral winter to subantarctic islands and the coastlines of the southern continents. They are difficult to survey by traditional visual techniques because they spend long periods of time vocalizing under the water during the austral spring and summer - when visual surveys are carried out. This trait of vocalizing underwater for long periods however has made them available to acoustic surveys. Leopard seals are solitary and widely distributed throughout the pack ice. Higher densities of leopard seals are seen in the Western Antarctic than in other regions.
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[2] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order:Carnivora Family: Phocidae Subfamily: Monachinae Tribe: Lobodontini Genus: Hydrurga; Gistel, 1848 Species: H. leptonyx
Walrus Type species Phoca
rosmarus
Linnaeus, 1758
The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. Adult walruses are easily recognized by their prominent tusks, whiskers, and bulkiness. Adult males in the Pacific can weigh more than 1,700 kg (3,700 lb) and, among pinnipeds, are exceeded in size only by the two species of elephant seals. Walruses live mostly in shallow waters above the continental shelves, spending significant amounts of their lives on the sea ice looking for benthic bivalve mollusks to eat. Walruses are relatively long-lived, social animals, and they are considered to be a "keystone species" in the Arctic marine regions. Walruses prefer shallow shelf regions and forage primarily on the sea floor, often from sea ice platforms. The walrus has a diverse and opportunistic diet, feeding on more than 60 genera of marine organisms, including shrimp, crabs, tube worms, soft corals, tunicates, sea cucumbers, various mollusks, and even parts of other pinnipeds. However, it prefers benthic bivalve mollusks, especially clams, for which it forages by grazing along the sea bottom, searching and identifying prey with its sensitive vibrissae and clearing the murky bottoms with jets of water and active flipper movements. The walrus sucks the meat out by sealing its powerful lips to the organism and withdrawing its piston-like tongue rapidly into its mouth, creating a vacuum. The walrus palate is uniquely vaulted, enabling effective suction.
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Order: Therapsida Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Clade: Pinnipedia Family: Odobenidae Genus: Odobenus, Brisson, 1762