38 Animals and Habitats: Supplemental Guide 2A | Animals of the Arctic Habitat
Presenting the Read-Aloud 15 minutes
Animals of the Arctic Habitat
Show image 2A-2: Rattenborough in Arctic
Hello again, Rattenborough the adventurer here to take you on
a tour of one of the coldest habitats on earth: the Arctic tundra. In
the tundra, there aren’t very many plants. In fact, there are no trees
at all, and a rat like me has to wear long johns and mittens.^1
The wind here is incredibly strong, which makes the air feel
even colder. The ground is frozen and nearly everything is covered
in ice. In the winter, daylight lasts only a few hours, and at times
the sun does not come out at all. Some ice will still be here in the
summer, but in the summer, the top layer of ice melts so that the
ground gets wet and muddy. The temperatures here are so low
that most people and animals would freeze. All of these things
make the Arctic tundra one of the least friendly habitats on Earth
for plants and animals.
Show image 2A-3: Arctic plants
Some plants and animals can only live in the Arctic tundra in
the summer months when the temperature is warmer, but some
are able to live there all year long. Arctic plants grow very close
together and do not grow very tall, which keeps them from being
blown away by the Arctic winds. The kinds of plants that can live
in the Arctic tundra are mosses and different types of grasses. For
once, I’m one of the tallest things around!
Show image 2A-4: Muskox
The animals that call the Arctic tundra habitat home all year
round have adapted to the harsh conditions. When an animal
has adapted to a habitat, that means it has changed over the
years and now has special things that help it live in that habitat.
For example, many animals in the Arctic have adapted by
growing heavy fur coats that help them stay warm in the cold
temperatures.^2 This creature is called a muskox. The muskox’s2 What do you do to adapt when the
weather outside is cold?
1 What do you see in this image?