Chionophile
Encyclopedia
Animals that can thrive in cold winter conditions are called chionophiles ("from the Greek chion meaning snow
, and -phile meaning lover"). These animals have specialized adaptations that help them survive the harshest winters.
s, arctic ground squirrels
, snowy owl
s, puffins, tundra swan, snow goose
, steller's eider
and willow ptarmigan all survive the harsh Arctic winters quite easily and some, like the willow ptarmigan, are only found in the Arctic region.
, grey-headed albatross
, imperial shag
, snowy sheathbill
and the most well known inhabitant of Antarctica, penguins
. The inhospitable environment helps to deter predators
; the few predators that hunt on the mainland, including the south polar skua
and the southern giant petrel
, mainly prey upon chicks. Most antarctic predators are found in the polar waters, including the orca
and the leopard seal
.
. This is when an animal goes into a state of inactivity for long periods of time, which they do not come out of until more suitable conditions for them to survive in arrive. However when you live in an environment
that is inhospitable for much of the year, then hibernation is not necessary. One of the few animals that do so are lemming
s which have a mass migration
after they come out of dormancy. However most animals living in the arctic would still be active, even during the most brutal times of winter. Aquatic
animals such as Greenland shark
, wolf fish, Atlantic cod
, Atlantic halibut
and Arctic char
must cope with the sub-zero temperatures in their waters. Some aquatic mammals, such as walrus
, seal
, sea lion
, narwhals, beluga whales and killer whales can store fat called blubber
that they use to help keep warm in the icy waters. Some ungulates that live in frigid conditions often have a pad under their hoove to help have a stronger tension on the icy ground or to help in climbing up on rocky terrain. But mammals that already have a pad under their foot such as polar bears, wolverines, arctic wolves
and arctic fox
will have fur under their pads to help keep their flesh concealed from the cold. Other mammals such as the musk oxen can keep warm by growing long, shaggy fur
to help insulate heat. And this can be quickly shed off when warmer temperatures arrive. But with the snowshoe hare
it will change the color of its fur from white to brown or with patches of brown when it sheds off its winter coat. This is to help camouflage
itself in its new environment to match with the dirt during the summer or back again when it regrows its longer white fur to match with the snow during the winter.
s, pumas, yak
s, mountain sheep, mountain goats, ibex, vicuñas and guanacos can thrive.
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
, and -phile meaning lover"). These animals have specialized adaptations that help them survive the harshest winters.
Arctic animals
Animals such as caribou, arctic hareArctic Hare
The arctic hare , or polar rabbit is a species of hare which is adapted largely to polar and mountainous habitats. The arctic hare survives with a thick coat of fur and usually digs holes under the ground or snow to keep warm and sleep...
s, arctic ground squirrels
Arctic Ground Squirrel
The Arctic ground squirrel is a species of ground squirrel native to the Arctic.-Subspecies:Listed alphabetically.*S. p. ablusus Osgood, 1903...
, snowy owl
Snowy Owl
The Snowy Owl is a large owl of the typical owl family Strigidae. The Snowy Owl was first classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organize plants and animals. The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great...
s, puffins, tundra swan, snow goose
Snow Goose
The Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...
, steller's eider
Steller's Eider
The Steller's Eider is a medium-large sea duck that breeds along the Arctic coasts of eastern Siberia and Alaska. The lined nest is built on tundra close to the sea, and 6-10 eggs are laid....
and willow ptarmigan all survive the harsh Arctic winters quite easily and some, like the willow ptarmigan, are only found in the Arctic region.
Antarctic animals
Antarctica, also known as the southern pole is larger and can become much colder then the northern pole. As a result few animals can survive on the mainland of Antarctica, and those that do mostly live near the coast. The few animals that live on the mainland are birds such as Antarctic ternsAntarctic Tern
The Antarctic Tern is a typical tern. It ranges throughout the southern oceans. It is very similar in appearance to the closely related Arctic Tern, but is stockier, and the wing tips are grey instead of blackish in flight...
, grey-headed albatross
Grey-headed Albatross
The Grey-headed Albatross, Thalassarche chrysostoma, also known as the Grey-headed Mollymawk, is a large seabird from the albatross family. It has a circumpolar distribution, nesting on isolated islands in the Southern Ocean and feeding at high latitudes, further south than any of the other...
, imperial shag
Imperial Shag
The Imperial Shag, Phalacrocorax atriceps, is a black and white cormorant native to many subantarctic islands, the Antarctic Peninsula and southern South America, primarily in rocky coastal regions, but locally also at large inland lakes. It is sometimes placed in the genus Leucocarbo instead...
, snowy sheathbill
Snowy Sheathbill
The Snowy Sheathbill also known as a Pale-faced sheathbill or Paddy is one of two species of sheathbill. It is usually found on the ground. It is Antarctica's only permanently land-based bird.- Description :...
and the most well known inhabitant of Antarctica, penguins
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
. The inhospitable environment helps to deter predators
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
; the few predators that hunt on the mainland, including the south polar skua
South Polar Skua
The South Polar Skua, Stercorarius maccormicki, is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. An older name for the bird is MacCormick’s Skua, after explorer and naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who first collected the type specimen...
and the southern giant petrel
Southern Giant Petrel
The Southern Giant Petrel , also known as the Antarctic Giant Petrel, Giant Fulmar, Stinker, and Stinkpot, is a large seabird of the southern oceans. Its distribution overlaps broadly with the similar Northern Giant Petrel, though it overall is centered slightly further south...
, mainly prey upon chicks. Most antarctic predators are found in the polar waters, including the orca
Orca
The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...
and the leopard seal
Leopard Seal
The leopard seal , also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic...
.
Polar adaptions
Normally when colder conditions arrive animals would go into a state of suspended animation called hibernationHibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
. This is when an animal goes into a state of inactivity for long periods of time, which they do not come out of until more suitable conditions for them to survive in arrive. However when you live in an environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
that is inhospitable for much of the year, then hibernation is not necessary. One of the few animals that do so are lemming
Lemming
Lemmings are small rodents, usually found in or near the Arctic, in tundra biomes. They are subniveal animals, and together with voles and muskrats, they make up the subfamily Arvicolinae , which forms part of the largest mammal radiation by far, the superfamily Muroidea, which also includes rats,...
s which have a mass migration
Animal migration
Animal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individuals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is a ubiquitous phenomenon, found in all major animal groups, including birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and crustaceans. The trigger for the migration may be local...
after they come out of dormancy. However most animals living in the arctic would still be active, even during the most brutal times of winter. Aquatic
Aquatic animal
An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...
animals such as Greenland shark
Greenland shark
The Greenland shark, Somniosus microcephalus, also known as the sleeper shark, gurry shark, ground shark, grey shark, or by the Inuit languages name Eqalussuaq, is a large shark native to the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean around Greenland and Iceland. These sharks live farther north than any...
, wolf fish, Atlantic cod
Atlantic cod
The Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, is a well-known demersal food fish belonging to the family Gadidae. It is also commercially known as cod, codling or haberdine....
, Atlantic halibut
Atlantic halibut
The Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. They are demersal fish, that live on or near sand, gravel or clay bottoms at depths of between . The halibut is among the largest teleost fish in the world. Halibut are strong swimmers and are able to...
and Arctic char
Arctic char
Arctic char or Arctic charr is both a freshwater and saltwater fish in the Salmonidae family, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic and alpine lakes and coastal waters. No other freshwater fish is found as far north. It is the only species of fish in Lake Hazen, on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic...
must cope with the sub-zero temperatures in their waters. Some aquatic mammals, such as walrus
Walrus
The walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus. It is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic...
, seal
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
, sea lion
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
, narwhals, beluga whales and killer whales can store fat called blubber
Blubber
Blubber is a thick layer of vascularized adipose tissue found under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians.-Description:Lipid-rich, collagen fiber–laced blubber comprises the hypodermis and covers the whole body, except for parts of the appendages, strongly attached to the musculature...
that they use to help keep warm in the icy waters. Some ungulates that live in frigid conditions often have a pad under their hoove to help have a stronger tension on the icy ground or to help in climbing up on rocky terrain. But mammals that already have a pad under their foot such as polar bears, wolverines, arctic wolves
Arctic Wolf
The Arctic Wolf , also called Polar Wolf or White Wolf, is a subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a mammal of the family Canidae. Arctic Wolves inhabit the Canadian Arctic, Alaska and the northern parts of Greenland....
and arctic fox
Arctic fox
The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...
will have fur under their pads to help keep their flesh concealed from the cold. Other mammals such as the musk oxen can keep warm by growing long, shaggy fur
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
to help insulate heat. And this can be quickly shed off when warmer temperatures arrive. But with the snowshoe hare
Snowshoe Hare
The Snowshoe Hare , also called the Varying Hare, or Snowshoe Rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet and the marks its tail leaves. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks...
it will change the color of its fur from white to brown or with patches of brown when it sheds off its winter coat. This is to help camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
itself in its new environment to match with the dirt during the summer or back again when it regrows its longer white fur to match with the snow during the winter.
Mountainous Regions
Other chionophiles can be found on or near the equator and yet still live in freezing tempatures. This is mostly due to their geographical range, such as on high altitude mountains where it can reach very cold tempatures and have less oxygen the higher the altitude. These may include the andes, himalayas and the Hindu kush mountains, where animals such as snow leopardSnow Leopard
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
s, pumas, yak
Yak
The yak, Bos grunniens or Bos mutus, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population...
s, mountain sheep, mountain goats, ibex, vicuñas and guanacos can thrive.
See also
- List of birds of Antarctica
- List of Arctic megafauna
- XerocoleXerocoleXerocoles are animals adapted to live in a desert.Under the scorching rays of sun, the arid and baked sands of deserts may appear to be devoid of animal life. But surprisingly a large number of animal species may thrive there. The animals are either drought evaders or drought resistors. Drought...
- TroglobiteTroglobiteTroglobites are small cave-dwelling animals that have adapted to their dark surroundings. Troglobite species include spiders, insects, fish and others. They live permanently underground and cannot survive outside the cave environment. Troglobite adaptations and characteristics include a heightened...
- Aquatic animalAquatic animalAn aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...
s - Arboreal locomotionArboreal locomotionArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In every habitat in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may only scale trees occasionally, while others are exclusively arboreal. These habitats pose numerous mechanical challenges to animals...