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The Snowy Owl

The snowy owl lives in the Arctic all year long. It is one of the birds that has feathers on its feet. This is rare. In the winter, the snowy owl flies into the storm so the wind presses the feathers onto its body. This keeps the snowy owl warm.

The snowy owl's prey consists of lemmings, Arctic hares, and sometimes, possibly rock ptarmigans. The snowy owl can catch as many as 40 of its prey in one night.

The chicks start with fluffy baby down and then, gradually, feathers start to form. When the mother feeds the hungry chick waiting for food, the mother must rip some meat off so it'll be easier for the chick to swallow.

The snowy owl's predators are usually large and ready to put up a fight. They are: hawks, wolves, and possibly even a bear. Watch out snowy owls!

Some of the snowy owl's feathers change color from white to brown. During the winter, it is white to camouflage with the snow. When it is brown, it is camouflaged by the Tundra.

Opportunistic Feeders

Animals that live in the Arctic can't rely on an entire meal of food. Sometimes the food that they prefer is not available. They deal with this problem because they are opportunistic feeders. An opportunistic feeder is an animal that is NOT picky about it's food. They eat all kinds of different food as the opportunity arises. If there are no lemmings around, this opportunistic feeder will not wait. Instead, it will eat anything that's available such as eating the remains of a musk ox.

Oil

Oil was discovered in 1968 at Prudhoe Bay. There is a long pipeline which is called the Alaskan Oil Pipeline. Pipelines are very, very, VERY long and they go across Alaska.

The danger of pollution from oil and oil spills is a very serious danger to the lines of Arctic plants and animals. If an oil spill from a tanker or oil rig happened, the oil would collect in polynyas-areas of open water surrounded by ice. Polynyas are full of plankton. The fish that eat plankton, and the birds and animals that eat fish would all be poisoned by the oil.

Although most of the Arctic is still clean and wild, it will not stay that way for- ever unless people realize the value of it's unspoiled state. Spoil the last areas of wilderness, and the world will have just about run out of wilderness!