The Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is in the Northern Hemisphere. Most of this ocean is the Arctic polar region and it is the the smallest and shallowest of the major oceans of the Earth.
The Arctic Ocean has coastlines on the Eurasia and North American continents and most of the Arctic Ocean is normally covered by sea ice throughout most of the year.
 narwhales  |
 beluga whales © Copyright Diliff Creative Commons Licence |
Animal and plant life
The ecosystem of the Arctic Ocean is fragile. It includes walruses and whales, which are endangered marine species . There is little plant life apart from phytoplankton which plays an essential role in maintaining the ecosystems.
Polar Bears
The polar bear is native to the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding seas. It is the world's largest carnivore found on land and is able to cope with cold temperatures and moving easily on ice and snow. It is an excellent swimmer and hunts for seals in the water and on ice.
more on bears
Walrus
The walrus is a large marine mammal. It is distinguished by having prominent tusks and whiskers. The walrus is a relatively long-lived animals within the Arctic marine ecosystem.
Seals
The Arctic Ocean contains harp seals, hooded seals and ringed seals.
Beluga whales
Adult Beluga whales are white. They grow to just under 5m in length and around 1500m in weight. They tend to travel and hunt in groups.
Welcome to the Arctic Ocean
Narwhals
Hooded seals
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