Arctic Puffins

By: Andrew

Appearance: Puffins have triangle shaped beaks with the colors red and yellow on them. They have a thick yellow skin on the inside of the puffin's mouth. They also have orange webbed feet. Also they have white on their stomachs and black on their backs. Puffins also have white patches on their faces. Puffins grow short and thin hairs on there legs in breeding season. The baby puffin standing is about 4 inches tall and the adult standing is about 15 to 18 inches tall . The baby puffin weighs about 4 pounds and a adult puffin weighs about 11 pounds.

Habitat: Puffins live along sea coasts, islands in the north Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. Puffins build their nests in large groups that often include auks, gulls and other birds that live in the arctic. Puffins also make their nests in a hole in the mountains or tundras.

Food: Puffins eat salmon, minnows, and zooplankton. Did you know puffins can hold up to 30 small fish in its mouth? Puffins get their food in groups.

Enemies: Did you know that if an auk gets too close the male puffin will attack to protect its family? Also the black - bucked eats puffins. Did you know people in Iceland eat puffins for a meal? Also the feathers are sold in England when put on hats!

Life Cycle: The male puffin builds a nest for the female puffin to lay 1 to 5 white speckeled eggs . Puffins always guard their baby puffins or their baby puffin eggs from dangers. Did you know that it takes 40 to 43 days for a puffin egg to hach? Also the baby puffin resembles a rabbit with no ears!

Other Facts: Did you know that puffins are excellent divers. Puffins can also dive 80 feet in to the water. The also they can catch 30 fish in their beaks while diving again and again one by one with out dropping any. Puffins guide and swim with their wings under water. They also can stand on their tipy toes! Baby puffins like to bite a lot! Did you know that puffins can live for 30 years? Puffins can flap their wings 300 to 400 times a minute! Did you know that there are 6 million puffins in the world!

Click here to start the arctic challenge

Back to Arctic Animal Main Page