Fun Facts about your Favorite Winter Wonderland Animals

Fun facts about your favorite winter wonderland animals

While we’re cozy inside enjoying the frosty weather, the world is abuzz with cold weather animals in their element. Do your New Year’s resolutions include brushing up on your animal knowledge? You’re in luck! From fuzzy polar bears to sleek speedy penguins, we have facts and information on arctic animals and their winter ecosystems.

Arctic fox living in the arctic part of Norway, seen in autumn setting.

Polar Bear

These fuzzy white creatures are a classic cold weather animal. Did you know their skin is actually black, not white?! Their fur isn’t exactly as it seems either. Although it appears white, polar bear fur is actually translucent and only appears white because of the way that light refracts off of it.

There are over 19 subspecies of polar bear roaming the earth. These snow animals can swim for days at a time without getting tired while they look for their next meal. In fact, they may be chasing far off prey; their sense of smell is so strong, they can detect prey from over 19 miles away! Those are pretty good sniffers they’ve got.

Penguin

You’re probably familiar with these tuxedoed birds that populate the southern hemisphere, but did you know that penguins are the only birds that can swim and not fly? There are over 18 different species of penguin ranging from compact and small to downright huge. Most types live in snowy habitats like Antartica, but they’re also known to live in chillier areas off the coast of Australia, South America, and Africa. There is even a species called Galapagos penguins that live off the coast of Ecuador in Central America.

These polar animals are known to travel great distances to have their babies, building what are called “nesting colonies” where the birds lay their eggs and sit on them to keep them warm until they hatch. They often return to the same nesting colony year after year, travelling in herds to reach their preferred area.

Closeup shot of an African penguin in a zoo habitat

Snowy Owl

These wintery soarers are Canadian made! They also live in parts of Scandinavia and other areas in Northern Europe. These sweet wintery birds live up to ten years and mate for life, just like two little owlets cozy in a nest! They’re nocturnal animals and are most active at dusk and dawn. However, because they live close to the arctic circle, in the summer, they experience arctic sunlight all day long (can you imagine?!) and must adapt to hunting during daylight. You can tell the difference between male and female snowy owls by their feathers. Males are completely white, while females have dark coloring on their plumage.

Arctic Fox

These snowy hunters perform perfect camouflage in winter, and their cute faces are easy to miss against the backdrop of their arctic tundra habitat. They are much smaller than other fox breeds, with fur that thickens in the winter to keep them warm throughout the chilly months. Their summer fur is much thinner and brown, while in the winter they develop their trademark thick white coat.

Their ability to adapt to the winter is part of why they don’t need to hibernate. They can burrow deep in the snow to find their food or build a little den to wait out a particularly cold week. Arctic foxes like to eat small rodents like lemmings and rats, but they also eat insects and winter plants.

Harp Seal

You can find these chubby cuties swimming around the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, looking for their next meal. They often dive for small fish and crustaceans at 300 feet deep but can spend up to 15 minutes underwater and can tunnel down over 1,000 feet below sea level!

These blubbery beasts can grow up to 6 feet long and be over 300 pounds. You may be used to seeing these sleek hunters in their fuzzy furs, but their coats are always the latest fashion; they lose their pelts and grow new ones every spring. In fact, only babies have the soft white fur you might be familiar with. They’re born with white fluffy fur to help them absorb sunlight and stay warm while they’re still developing their blubber. At 3 or 4 weeks old, the babies lose their fuzzy exterior and develop the grey and black coloring of older harp seals.

So tell us: what is your favorite winter animal? What are you hoping to see out your window this season? We want to know! Make sure to tag us on Instagram and TikTok @TerrabyBattat and let us know your favorite snowy beasts! From our Terra family to yours, we wish you a safe, happy, and healthy winter season.