Polar Mammals

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13y
By
Kimberly Lightle
an adult bison and two young bison standing on rocks
Musk Ox Family
Inupiat Eskimos call it "omingmak" or "the bearded one." Shaggy and social, with an almost surreal quality, the musk ox, more than any other animal, conjures up images of the cold, remote arctic. Image credit: National Park Service
a humpback whale jumping out of the water
Listen: The Rare, Beautiful Songs of Bowhead Whales
The haunting sounds of bowhead whales, which sing their songs under Arctic ice through long, dark polar winters, have been recorded in unprecedented detail.
an animal is laying in the middle of some ice floes on a cloudy day
Listen: The Rare, Beautiful Songs of Bowhead Whales
Bowhead whales are uniquely adapted to Arctic life; their name describes a skull shape suited for punching holes through thick ice, enabling bowheads to surface and breathe in winter (above). The thick winter ice may also have acoustic properties, amplifying their songs like an amphitheater.
an animal with a blue and orange object on its head in the snow next to some ice
Antarctica Photo Library
A Weddell seal sports a video data recorder that scientists use to create a three-dimensional map of its movement in the water as it hunts for prey. Researchers hope to learn more about their hunting behavior during late-winter darkness. Read more about this research in The Antarctic Sun: http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/science/contenthandler.cfm?id=2248
a polar bear swimming in the water with ice floes on it's sides
Climate Change and the Polar Regions — Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears
Photo: A polar bear slides across thin Arctic Ocean ice. Photo taken August 21, 2009 by Patrick Kelley, U.S. Coast Guard. Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey via Flickr.
two sea lions with their mouths open on the beach
Multimedia Gallery - Southern Elephant Seals | NSF
Southern elephant seals. The southern elephant seal is the largest seal in the world, with males reaching up to 4.5 meters (14.5 feet) and females reaching 2.8 meters (11 feet) in length. Studies of seals is just one of the vast numbers of ongoing research projects taking place continually in Antarctica under the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP), supported and managed by the National Science Foundation.
an orca in the water with its head sticking out of it's mouth
Antarctica Photo Library
An Orca whale in the Ross Sea.
a humpback whale in the water with its mouth open and it's nose out
Antarctica Photo Library
A humpback whale near Palmer Station.
a whale jumping out of the water with it's mouth open and its tail in the air
Polar Mammals — Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears
Photo: A juvenile humpback whale in the LeMaire Channel, just off the Antarctic Peninsula. Photo courtesy of Sue Sheridan.
four dolphins are swimming in the water together
Antarctica Photo Library
Four killer whales swim in McMurdo Sound. Researchers from NOAA Fisheries, Southwest Fisheries Science Center are studying the whales to determine if there are three separate species of Antarctic killer whales. They took aerial photos of the whales, such as this one taken in January 2005, as part of their work.
Related searches
Bowhead whale
Whale facts
Baleen whales
Marine mammals
Whale song
two sea lions laying on an ice floet in the middle of the ocean
Antarctica Photo Library
Crabeater seals on an ice floe near Palmer Station, Antarctica.
a seal laying on top of an ice floet
Antarctica Photo Library
Leopard seals will reach almost 3 m (11 ft) in length and can weigh up to 367 kg (809 lb).
two seals are laying in the snow together
Antarctica Photo Library
A family of Weddell Seals rest in the snow and Ice.
a seal with its mouth open and it's eyes wide open, laying in the water
Antarctica Photo Library
The elephant seal is the largest seal in the world, reaching 4 tons. They are social, enjoying close companionship.