CHAPTER XV 



Animals of the Arctic Region 



AS one might readily suppose, there are not very many species 

 of animals fitted by nature to contend with the rigors of the 

 Arctic climate. Verdure is very scarce north of the Arctic 

 Circle, and on this account many of the animal inhabitants must 

 live by preying on each other, and in winter most of them fair badly. 

 The largest and most formidable animal found in the Arctic 

 Circle is the well-known polar bear. Nature would seem to have 

 been particularly careful in fitting the bear for the life he has to 

 lead, if we may judge from his organization. Owing to the scarcity 

 of food on land he must be equipped to find and capture it either 

 on the ice floes or in the water. As his principal diet consists of 

 fish, seal and walrus, it is apparent that very different methods 

 must be employed for securing food than in the case of his cousins, 

 the bears of the north temperate zone. The polar bear is provided 

 with a very heavy coat of white fur, which not only protects him from 

 the cold on land and in the water but makes him almost invisible 

 against a background of snow and ice. He is able to dive and swim 

 with the greatest facility, thus being able to capture game in the 

 water w r ith ease. For ice travel the soles of the bear's feet are 

 thickly covered with hair to give him a firm grip on the ice and 

 protect him from the cold. Further than this, the feet are very 

 large, in some cases eighteen inches long, and act as paddles in 

 the water. It is a remarkable fact that polar bears are known to 

 have been able to capture fish by their superior speed in the water. 

 Another useful trait possessed by the bear is an extremely keen 



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