What are Polar Regions?« Back to Questions List

Living in a polar region is the same as living inside the freezer. Well, not all but only a very few species can survive life in a polar region. We know that the Earth has two poles – the North and the South Pole. These poles have very harsh habitats. 

Around the North Pole lies the Arctic region. Most of this region is taken up by the Arctic Ocean. Rest is made of ice. It’s known that the sun rises just once a year at the North Pole due to the position of earth relative to that of sun. 

The Antarctic region covers the South Pole. South Pole is actually in the middle of the continent Antarctica. Ninety-eight percent of this region is ice. Because of this, though Antarctica has 70% of world’s fresh water it is as dry as a desert.

Lack of sunlight causes the Polar Regions to be often dark most of the times during a year. Freezing winds keep blowing letting only a very few animals to survive. Animals surviving here are normally big in size because large animals tend to lose heat more slowly than the smaller ones.  These animals are normally warm-blooded meaning they can regulate their body temperature keeping them at a temperature that is higher than their surroundings.

Penguins, Polar bears, seals, reindeer, arctic fox, musk ox, snowy owl and lemmings are few species that survive life in the polar region. All these animals have been gifted with thick fur coats to survive the cold. Polar bears have a thick layer of fat under their skin. This layer is called blubber that help keeps out the cold. A musk ox looks like a hairy buffalo. Its coat is said to be eight times warmer than a sheep’s wool. Its hairs are as long as our arms.
 

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