Curated playlist
Mammals of the Arctic
- Red foxThe red fox, Vulpes vulpes, occupies a range of nearly 70 million square kilometres that stretches north as far as the Arctic Circle. It is the largest of the true foxes. It is also among the most widely distributed members of the order…
- Polar bearUnder its white fur, the polar bear has black skin. The hairs are clear and only look white as they scatter light.
- Brown bearThe brown bear can run down a moose, yet 90% of its food comes from plants. Adults can weigh up to 600 kg.
- Arctic foxIn July 2019, the Norwegian Polar Institute told the story of a young female Arctic fox that had been fitted with a GPS tracker. Researchers released her on the east coast of Spitsbergen, in the Svalbard group of islands. She crossed the…
- MuskoxIn the Inuktitut language, the muskox is called umingmak, which means "the bearded one". Woods Cree speakers had two names for it. One was mâthi-môs, "ugly moose", and the other was mâthi-mostos, "ugly bison". Scientists know the animal as…
- ReindeerA walking reindeer clicks, and the sound can be heard from several hundred metres away. The noise comes from small tendons in the legs slipping over bony knobs called sesamoid bones. It happens as the full weight of a foot lands, or just…
- Grizzly bearWhen Meriwether Lewis and William Clark first described the grizzly bear, they wrote its name as grisley. That spelling can be read two ways. It can mean grizzled, as in hair tipped with grey. It can also mean grisly, something that…
- WolverineThe wolverine known as M-56 began his famous journey as a young male, tagged by Wildlife Conservation Society officials in Wyoming near Grand Teton National Park. Researchers tracked him south for almost three months. In June 2009 the…
- MuskratThe muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus, can stay underwater for 12 to 17 minutes on a single breath. That is longer than most people could hold a conversation without checking their phone. This medium-sized rodent lives in wetlands across North…
- SableThe sable, Martes zibellina, is a small forest mammal, yet a wealthy 17th-century Russian diplomat once described it as "A beast that the Ancient Greeks and Romans called the Golden Fleece." That is a strange comparison for an animal that…