Wildlife of the Arctic
The Arctic is vast, barren and freezing for most of the year. Remarkably a large variety of wildlife thrives here, and much of it is very visible. The seas, especially in coastal waters and around island archipelagos, are very rich, with whales, walrus, dolphins, seals and Polar bears (Ursus Maritimus) all abundant and mostly (apart from the bears) recovering well from persecution.
The land too can be surprisingly lively, with caribou, musk ox, wolves, bears, moose, foxes, hares and, wolverine and many more all managing to exist in the frozen north. Birdlife is prolific and dominated by sea birds who use some of the enormous sea cliffs to roost. Many birds that winter further south spend their summers in the High Arctic so there is much to see.
Explore run a series of Arctic Cruises and Spitzbergen Polar Bear watching holidays.
Recent Arctic news
- 80 percent decline in Caribou blamed on big industry
- Alaska grizzlies targetted to boost moose and caribou hunts
- Critically endangered Spoon-billed sandpiper chicks arrive in the UK
- First Bewick swans return to UK
- Arctic seal visits Scottish nature reserve
- Arctic development boosts predators – bad for prey
- Urgent need for action to save polar bears
- Deadly skin-lesion disease hits Alaska’s seals
- Narwhal tracking project helps chart whale’s future
- Some species and regions won’t be troubled by climate change – Some will suffer
- New breeding population of Spoon-billed sandpipers discovered
- US court upholds Endangered Species Act protection for Polar bears
- Hunt for the Spoon-billed sandpiper – Help save this Critically Endangered bird
- Death of Knut the Polar bear re-opens zoo debate
- Russia bans winter den hunt for bears – countless cubs saved
More Arctic news
- Join an expedition to search for the Spoonbilled sandpiper.
- Geese flocking to Scotland in record numbers
- Growing extinction risk for Arctic wildlife
- Polar bears and glaucous gulls most at risk from pollution
- Hungry polar bears a threat to conservation success story
- Tracking a Humpback whale across the Atlantic Ocean
- Russia to create new national parks and reserves the size of Switzerland
- Polar bears threaten endangered Barnacle geese
- Questions raised over Greenland’s ‘subsistence’ whaling as supermarkets and hotels fuel demand
- Polar region is shrinking – It's official
- Killer whales are probably several different species
- High Arctic species in worrying decline
- Polar bear species just 150,000 years old
- Animal kingdoms longest known migration revealed.
- Place your bets on endangered species
Polar bears on SpitzbergenRelated News Articles
80 percent decline in Caribou blamed on big industry
Killer whales are probably several different species
Photographing and spotting Polar Bears around SpitzbergenFly to Spitzbergen and join an expedition cruise to see these fantastic beasts, as well as much more.
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THE WILDLIFE OF BAFFIN ISLAND, LANCASTER SOUND AND THE HIGH ARCTIC.Read the full article.
