Animals and Habitats: Supplemental Guide 2A | Animals of the Arctic Habitat 39long, shaggy coat has an extra layer of hair underneath that keeps
him warm when the temperature is cold enough to turn a rat into a
popsicle, and it sheds its extra coat of hair in the warmer, summer
months.
Muskoxen travel in herds so they can huddle together for added
warmth. Their hooves^3 are very wide to keep them from slipping
on the snow and ice. In the winter, muskoxen use their sharp
hooves to dig under the snow to fi nd plants to eat.
Show image 2A-5: Wolverine
Here comes an animal I want to stay hidden from. This is a
wolverine.^4 The wolverine uses its fur coat to keep nice and warm.
Like the muskox, the wolverine has large paws to help him move
across the snow and that come in handy when he’s trying to catch
food.
Show image 2A-6: Caribou
These animals are called caribou and are part of the deer family.
They are sometimes called reindeer. These caribou are traveling in
a huge herd, which helps to protect them against attack by other
animals.
Caribou hair traps air, which helps keep these animals warm.
Their hooves change depending on the time of year, so they can
walk and run in mushy, wet terrain, or in hard, icy terrain. Male
caribou also have antlers to help them dig for grass in the snow.
Show image 2A-7: Arctic fox^5
This Arctic fox also has a coat that changes during the winter
from a brown summer coat into this very thick, white fur to help
the fox blend into its surroundings. The fur also covers its feet so it
can walk on snow and ice. Thanks to the fox’s fur, it can hide and
sneak up on birds, hares, and rodents like me!3 which are at the bottom of some
animals’ feet
4 Do you have any idea why
Rattenborough wants to stay
hidden from the wolverine?
(Wolverines eat small animals,
including rats.)
5 What do you see in this picture?