Page 73 - World of Animals - Issue #33

Spot the puffin Predators of the north
– it’s easy

Its national bird may be the white-throated dipper, but one of

Norway’s most iconic birds is the charismatic puffin, and there
are many breeding hotspots. One is the island of Lovund where

every year, on exactly 14 April, over 200,000 puffins gather to
breed. Why and how they always return on this precise date
remains a mystery.
Common European adder
This snake, known as the huggorm or hoggorm in
Norwegian, is quite common throughout Europe, but
the largest specimens are found in Scandinavia. They
are venomous, but not lethal.

Wolverine
The wolverine has a feisty attitude, a strong jaw and
a nasty bite, and can take down animals much larger
than itself. They can be a particular nuisance for
reindeer herders.

Go king crab fishing Eurasian lynx
The Eurasian lynx can be found in forested areas in the
eastern and southern parts of Norway (or in wildlife
parks), and while they’re ferocious predators they are
Red king crabs look like creatures from a (22 lbs) and have a legspan of 1.8 metres (5.9 shy and pose little threat to humans.

fantastical world, but they’re real, and they can feet). In many places you will find opportunities

be found in the Barents Sea to the north of for tourists to go king crab fishing, such as in
Norway. They can weigh up to a hefty 10 kilos Kirkenes on the border with Russia.
Discover the

elusive polar bear

Brown bear
Yes, there are polar bears in Europe! Norwegian The 2014 census stated that there are only 136 brown

polar bears can be found on the Svalbard bears leƒ in the wild in Norway, so they rarely pose a
archipelago north of the mainland in the Arctic threat to hikers and travellers, but be on the lookout if
you venture into deep woods.
Ocean. Their population there has steadily been
rising and is thought to be over 3,000.
Svalbard is an amazing place for wildlife. Situated
between mainland Norway and the North Pole
its extreme temperatures allow for animals like
the arctic fox, the Svalbard reindeer, whales and
walruses to thrive, and it’s also a very important
hunting ground for many birds, including the snow
bunting and the thick-billed murre.
Until relatively recently polar bears were hunted
as a sport, but in 1973 the International Agreement European grey wolf
on the Conservation of Polar Bears put a stop to They might be related to the Alaskan husky, but don’t
try to strap these predators to your sled – they are very
this. Locals are allowed to shoot polar bears in self- aggressive when threatened. Unfortunately there are

defence, and many carry a rifle just in case. only 30 leƒ in Norway, with most in natural parks.

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