Tundra

A large mustelid, the wolverine (or Gulo gulo) is native to the tundras and taigas of Northern Eurasia and North America. It has a stocky build with sturdy legs, a curved back, bear-like face, and small, rounded ears. It has thick brown-black fur with a yellow-white streak that runs from the head down each side of the body, rejoining at the tail. Wolverines grow between 65cm to 113cm long, 36cm to 45cm tall at the shoulder, and weigh between 9kg and 30kg. Males are slightly larger and significantly heavier than females.

The Arctic fox is a small species of canid that lives in the Arctic regions and Alpine tundra of Canada, the USA, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. In the winter, most Arctic foxes have a thick, white coat that insulates them from extreme temperatures. In summer, their coat is brown or dark grey, pale on the underside and is much thinner. A small percentage of the population stays brown in both winter and summer, known as blue morphs. The Arctic fox has broad rounded ears, small amber eyes and a small black nose.

The Ussuri dhole lives in the forests, grasslands and tundra of India, Nepal, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand, and is the largest of all subspecies of dhole. The Ussuri dhole has a red coat, white underbelly and narrow muzzle. They have summer and winter coats, with the winter coat being thicker and a brighter red. The dhole has a head-body length of 88-113cm, a tail length of 41-50cm and a shoulder height of 45-55cm. Both sexes are similar in size, but males are significantly heavier than females, with males weighing between 15 and 20kg and females weighing between 10 and 13kg.

The king penguin (or Aptenodytes patagonicus patagonicus) is a large species of marine bird that lives in the Southern Ocean and breeds on sub-Antarctic islands including the Falklands and South Georgia. King penguins have dark grey feathers on their backs and flippers, white feathers on their chests and stomachs, and yellow colouration on their throats, while their heads are black, with bright orange cheek patches, as well as an orange streak along their beaks.

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.

Timber wolves (or Canis lupus) are a large canid species that live across most of the Northern hemisphere. Also known as grey wolves, they are large generalist predators that will eat most prey they can catch, and which are capable of living in a wide variety of different environments. The appearance of timber wolves can vary widely and is mostly dependent on which population is being observed. There are 38 subspecies, each with adaptations to their specific environments, thus causing their varied appearance.

Identifiable by its white to grey fur, black rosettes across its body, and black spots on its face, the snow leopard (or Panthera uncia) lives in the mountains of Nepal, Tibet, Northern India, Southern Siberia, Pakistan, Bhutan and Mongolia. The animal’s fur is extremely thick and well insulated, which helps it comfortably withstand sub-zero temperatures as low as -25oC. They mostly feed on mountain goats and sheep, but also hunt birds and rodents.