[ FAQ & Interviews ]
Q & A: Animal & Wildlife
Q. What animals will you see on the trek?
A. Polar Bears (hopefully not too close!), whales (Bowhead whale, Beluga whale, narwhal), Orcas (Killer Whales), Arctic Fox (they always follow polar bears and scavenge their leftovers) and Harp seals.
Q. Can you do ice fishing at the North Pole?
A. There are likely some fish around, to support Ring Seals, however, likely very scarce and you could possibly wait days or weeks before you got a 'bite'. It's not practical for explorers to consider as a food source, neither is hunting ring seals, as they are scarce near the pole as well.
Q. What is a narwhal?
A. A narwhal is an endangered whale that lives in Arctic waters. The male narwhal has a very long front tooth - this tusk can be 10 feet long. Narwhals can live to be 50 years old!
Q. How long can a whale stay underwater?
A. Whales can stay under water for over an hour. When the Arctic Ocean freezes over, whales must search for open stretches of water to get a breath of fresh air.
Q. What animal lives the farthest north?
A. The Arctic fox is found farther north than any other land mammal. Although polar bears also live in the far north, the polar bear is considered to be partly aquatic and is the world's largest carnivore.
Q. What does the Arctic wolf eat?
A. Arctic wolves hunt in packs and mostly eat caribou. They can eat up to twenty pounds of meat at one meal!
Q. Besides explorers, what do polar bears eat?
A. Polar bears have a great sense of smell and can detect a dead whale or seal from twenty miles away! Since they eat mostly seals, they catch a live seal by sitting by a seal air hole in the ice and then sneak up on the seal when it comes up to breathe. Did you know polar bears don't drink water? They get all the moisture they need from the food they eat.
Q. Are Penguins found in the Arctic or the Antarctic??
A. The Antarctic.
Q. What is a puffin?
A. The puffin is a bird that breeds on rocky cliffs and islands of arctic waters. They dig holes in the ground to build their nests. The chicks come out of the nest when they are ready to fly - before then they have never been outside the nest nor seen the light of day!
Q. How many polar bears are located in the arctic?
A. According to Polar Bears International, biologists estimate their population at 22,000 to 27,000 bears, of which around 15,000 are in Canada.
