What Kind of Animals Live in the North Pole? Top Arctic Animals

Situated in the northernmost point on Earth, the weather in the Arctic is unusually cold all year round, especially during the winter. Surprisingly, not only does animal life exist there, but it’s more than abundant. Check out this post to know what kind of animals live in the North Pole region!

What type of animals live in the North Pole?

Mammals

The Arctic is known as the coldest place inhabited by various land mammals, such as bears, foxes, hares, and more. These mammals have thick fur that insulates their bodies by trapping air. The Arctic is also home to different marine mammals.

Polar bear

When considering Arctic animals, the polar bear must be the first species to come to mind, right? Though polar bears are born on land, they are so good at swimming. 

The polar bear is also the most giant in existence. Do you know that the largest polar bears are ten feet tall when standing on their hind legs? This animal loves a feast, too, as it spends around half of its time in search of food.

Polar bear

Muskox

Thanks to their inner and outer fur coats, muskoxen can endure harshly cold weather conditions. Their thick fur is even considered the warmest in the world, as it has better thermal insulation than sheep’s wool. 

They live in herds and graze on roots, lichen, and mosses, but muskoxen are also gigantic. They might weigh up to 800 pounds (363 kilograms). 

Muskoxen hunt for food using their sharp hooves, which can dig deeply into the snow to reach the hidden plants below.

Muskox

Walrus

Walruses are also true giants regarding what kind of animals live at the North Pole and the Arctic. Their weight can reach up to 3750 pounds (1700 kilograms). They are not only true heavyweights but also full of surprises.

You have probably heard about their iconic ivory tusks, which can grow to about 3 feet (1 meter). 

Walruses can slow their heart rate and redirect their blood away from specific organs, enabling them to stay underwater longer. They are also excellent swimmers, reaching up to 22 miles per hour (35 kilometers per hour) underwater.

Walrus and its iconic ivory tusks

Others

Along with polar bears, walruses, and muskoxen, the North Pole region is also home to Arctic wolves, bearded seals, Svalbard reindeer, Arctic foxes, Arctic hares, and more. Many of them can be found in Greenland and other areas of the Arctic. 

See also: 

• What is the weather in North Pole?

• What plants grow in the North Pole?

Birds

What animals are on the North Pole and Arctic besides mammals? It’s the birds. A wide variety of seabirds, and a significant volume of them, can be found in the northernmost point region of Earth. 

Puffin

The adorable look of puffin

Puffins are one of the cutest Arctic birds due to their adorable looks. The petite puffin spends about 8 months of the year (2/3 of the year) at sea. They also love to hang out on islands and cliffs in enormous groups. 

Before taking flight, the birds love to have a clumsy run across the water surface. They dive straight into the seawater just like small, torpedoing adventures to find food.

Interestingly, the color of their beaks changes seasonally. In winter, they are a little bit more gray instead of bright red.

Thick-billed murre

Thick-billed murre

Often known as penguins of the North, Brunnich Guillemots or thick-billed murres have white bellies and blackheads and backs. This Arctic bird is famous for its superb underwater diving abilities. 

Thick-billed murres can dive to depths of more than 330 feet (91 meters) or twice that, making them the deepest divers among all types of birds. Their stubby wings might not be ideal for flying, but they are suitable for diving underwater.

Unlike many other birds, thick-billed murres don’t build nests. They lay eggs on rocky clips and protect their eggs with pebbles cemented with feces.

Arctic tern

Arctic terns have very short legs

One of the animals that live in the North Pole is the Arctic tern, which can live up to 30 years. 

This bird species has very short legs, a red beak, a small round head, and long angular wings. It feeds on small fish. Arctic tents dive just below the water's surface to hunt for food.

Others

In addition to these birds mentioned above, there are still many animals that live in the North Pole and South Pole, including Purple sandpiper, Barnacle goose, common eider, etc. Which one impresses you the most? Write down in the comment section to let us know!

► See also: What lives at the South Pole?

Whales

What kind of animals live in the North Pole? Here are the types of whales found in the Arctic.

Minke whale

Minke whale

The northern minke whale or common minke whale is the smallest member of the rorqual. It lives in the waters off eastern Greenland, Barents Island, the Kara Sea, and, of course, the Arctic Ocean. 

Minke whales also live in Antarctica. They tend to live solitary lives in Antarctic and Arctic waters. 

Bowhead whales

Bowhead whales can live as long as more than 200 years

The Bowhead whale can grow up to 60 feet (18 meters) in length and weigh 90,000 kilograms. This whale species has a large triangle skull to break through the Arctic ice to breathe.  

Though bowhead whales are slow swimmers, they can leap entirely out of the water. Notably, with more than 200 years of lifespan, these denizens of Arctic water are the world’s longest-living mammals.

Narwhal

Narwhals and their long “tusks”

The narwhal, with its incredibly long tusk, which is actually a protruding tooth, is called the unicorn of the sea. 

The tusk can grow up to 10 feet (3 meters). Though only males develop this tusk, around 15 percent of females grow this feature, but it’s usually shorter. 

Beluga whales

Beluga whales

The Beluga whale is one of the most charming animals that live in the North Pole. They travel in groups known as pods. 

Easily distinguished by their brown-grey to white skin and a sizable round forehead, these beautiful animals are super vocal and so friendly in their pods. Impressively, Beluga whales can mimic the voices of humans with no training. 

Roundup

More than 10 popular animals live in the Arctic water and land. Along with them, of course, many other animals are found there. As you can see, animal life in the northernmost point is diverse and unique. And that’s all for today’s article, “What kind of animals live in the North Pole?” We hope you enjoyed it.