Planet Zoo

The reindeer (or Rangifer tarandus) is a species of ungulate that lives throughout the Arctic and Sub Arctic – specifically in Canada, The USA (Alaska), Russia, Norway, Finland and Greenland. A reindeer’s appearance changes depending on their origin and the time of year, but generally they have a brown and white coat, and a face with a white underside and muzzle, often with darker coloration on the snout. They also have large antlers, multiple points of which are covered in brown velvet. The males are between 1.8 and 2.1m long, weighing between 159 and 182kg.

The polar bear (or Ursus maritimus) is a large ursine species that lives in the Arctic Circle and the sub-Arctic regions. With a completely white coat, dark eyes and a dark nose, they are stocky in build, with sturdy legs and large feet that are well adapted to swimming. To minimise heat loss, the bears have small ears and a short tail. Males are between 2.4 and 3.0m long, weighing between 350 and 750kg; females are between 1.8 and 2.4m long, weighing 150 to 250kg. Both sexes feed on both ringed and bearded seals.

The Dall sheep (or Ovis dalli) – also known as ‘Dall’s sheep’ or ‘thinhorn sheep’ –  is a species of wild sheep that lives on the mountain meadows of Alaska (USA), Yukon and British Colombia (Canada). They are white to pale brown in colour, with yellow-brown horns, and are sexually dimorphic; the males being significantly larger than the females and with much thicker, curlier horns. Males measure between 1.3 and 1.8m long and weigh between 73 and 113kg, while females measure between 1.3 and 1.6m and weigh 46 to 50kg.

Arctic wolves (or Canis lupus arctos) are a large canid species that live in Northern Canada and Greenland. Also known as white wolves, they are large pack predators that feed primarily on muskoxen and arctic hares, although they may also eat foxes, birds and bear cubs, as well as occasionally scavenging carrion.