Resilient animals, well adapted to the cold temperatures and limited
resources, inhabit the Northern Arctic Ecozone. Most of the terrestrial
vertebrates have thick fur and slow metabolisms, and spend the majority
of their time in sheltered habitats, only venturing into the bitterly
cold winds to search for food. Peary and Barren-ground caribou, muskox,
wolves, arctic and red foxes, polar bears, arctic hares, and brown and
collared lemmings are some of the area's inhabitants. Migratory birds
such as snow geese, Canada geese, eider ducks, brant geese, and long-tailed
ducks thrive in the wetlands created by the spring meltwater. The willow
and rock ptarmigans and the snowy owl inhabit the northern Arctic year-round,
but retreat to the southern part of the ecozone during the winter, where
temperatures are milder. In general, the wildlife in this area inhabits
only the eastern and western margins of this ecozone and not the central
core, which is simply too cold and dry for survival.
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