EnchantedLearning.com Biomes - Habitats

Biomes Calendar A calendar to print, color, and read.

There is also a lot of land within the Arctic Circle (northern parts of Asia, Europe, and North America). Land within the Arctic Circle is tundra, and it supports less life most other biomes because of the cold temperatures, strong, dry winds, and permafrost (permanently-frozen soil). Long periods of darkness (in the winter) and light (in the summer) also affect Arctic life.

Arctic Land Zones:
The most extreme Arctic land (the closest to the North Pole) is called the High Arctic Zone; this polar desert supports very little animal or plant life (less than 5 percent of the land area is covered with vegetation) due to a very short, dry growing season, dry air, permafrost, poor soils, and a lack of pollinating insects. The warmer Arctic region is called the Low Arctic Zone. This area supports more life, with more than 90 percent of the land area covered with hardy, cold-and-dry-adapted vegetation.

Arctic Animals:
Animals that live in the Arctic (either full time or seasonally) are adapted to extreme conditions. Many animals who overwinter in the Arctic (like the Arctic fox and the ermine) have a coat that thickens and changes color to white during the winter as camouflage in the snow (blending into the background is called cryptic coloration).

Some animals hibernate during the cold season; they go into a very deep, sleep-like state in which their heartbeat slows down. These animals often hibernate in an underground burrow or pit. Some hibernators include skunks, chipmunks, and some bears (but these bears are not true hibernators, they go into a state that is closer to a normal deep sleep).

Many animals (like the Arctic tern) spend the summer months in the Arctic, but leave as the weather turns frigid and food becomes scarce (these animals return again the next summer, repeating this pattern year after year). This behavior is called migrating.

How Many Arctic Animals? A short book about Arctic animals and counting to print for early readers. The book has pages for the student to cut out, animals to count, pictures of Arctic animals to color, and short phrases to copy. The animals include the reindeer, polar bear, Arctic fox, narwhal, walrus, seal, ox, moose, orca, and snowy owl.

Alaskan Malamute The Alaskan malamute is a powerful sled dog from Alaska.

Arctic Fox This small, white fox lives farther north than any other land animal.

Arctic Hare This white hare lives in the Arctic and has huge hindfeet.

Arctic Tern A small bird that flies from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again each year.

Arctic Wolf Arctic wolves are carnivores that live in Northern Canada.

Beluga Whale A small, white, toothed whale that lives mostly in cold, Arctic waters.

Beluga Whale (Unlabeled) A large, unlabeled picture of a beluga whale to print.

Dall Sheep A wild, white sheep from the Arctic and sub-Arctic of North America.

Ermine Also known as stoat or short-tailed weasel, this tiny, ferocious mammal lives in cold areas.

Greenland Shark A large, slow-swimming shark with glow-in-the-dark eyes.

Harp Seal Harp Seals live are marine mammals that live in the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean.

Killer Whale A toothed whale that lives in small pods in the Arctic.

Lemming Lemmings are small, short-tailed rodents from North America and northern Eurasia.

Moose The moose is the largest member of the deer family.

Musk Ox Musk oxen are large, hairy mammals that live in the far north.

Narwhal A whale from the Arctic. Males have a long, spiral tooth.

Narwhal Quiz Printout Answer questions about this toothed whale from the Arctic. Or go to the answers.

Narwhal (Unlabeled) A toothed whale from the Arctic. The male has a huge, spiral tooth.

Northern Fur Seal The Northern Fur Seal is a marine mammal that lives in the northern Pacific Ocean.

Polar Bear Polar Bears are meat-eaters who live in the Arctic.

Polar Bears A Printable Activity Book A short, printable activity book on polar bears for fluent readers.

Puffin Puffins are Arctic sea birds.

Reindeer Reindeer are herbivores that live in Arctic regions.

Reindeer Shape Book to Printout A short activity/information book about reindeer to print, with pages on connect-the-dot, word unscrambles, anatomy, facts, and questions.

Short-tailed Weasel Also known as stoat or ermine, this tiny, ferocious mammal lives in cold areas.

Snow Goose Snow Geese are migratory birds from North America.

Snowy Owl A white owl that lives in the North American tundra.

Walrus The walrus is a large mammal that spends most of its life in icy seas.

Wolverine The Wolverine is a large, ferocious weasel that lives in cold areas.

Woodland Caribou A rare caribou from Canada that eats lichens.

Zooplankton Zooplankton are tiny animals that float in the seas and other bodies of water.