Page 33 - Barbie South Africa (May 2018)

A pet vet

Animals On the snowy, freezing

of the arctic ice and in the waters of

the arctic live a whole

host of fabulous and
interesting creatures

Narwhal

Called the ‘unicorn of the sea’, the narwhal is a
majestic sea creature with a spiral ‘horn’ on its top lip
(which is actually a really big tooth). No one quite
knows what it is for, but what they do know is that it’s
not hard like regular tusks, but rather spongy.

Polar bear

They are the largest carnivores on Earth, weighing in at just
under 700kg! Their fave meal is seals and they are excellent
at catching them – they wait at the entrance of seal breathing
holes (gaps in the ice where seals come up to breathe) and
grab them when they come up for air!

Harp seal
Snowshoe hare

Harp seals get their name
because of the harp-shaped These beautiful creatures are
marking on their backs. They snowy white in winter, but when
spend most of their time in the summer comes their fur turns
brown. Their feet are really big,
icy water, but are well adapted which helps them walk on the
to it, having a very thick coat and layer of snow. They have up to eight
blubber (fat under the skin). They can stay babies (called leverets) per
under water for 15 minutes and can year, and they only stay with
dive up to 280m down. their moms for around a month.

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