#habitats #polar #ngscience
In our multi-part series of Lighthouse Lab episodes, learn all you need to know about polar habitats. In our following videos we'll keep heading south until we finally reach the equator! Related resources at NGScience.com.

The place an organism lives is called its habitat. And in order for an organism to survive, its habitat must provide it with all the things it needs. This means enough air, water and food. The right temperature. And shelter to keep the organisms safe from predators and extreme weather events.

Habitats around the Earth can be very different. As we look at the diversity of different habitats around the world try to construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. Ready...let's go!

Today we're starting with one of the most extreme habitats on Earth, polar habitats.

The Earth has two poles, at the very northern part of the Earth lies the north pole, called the Arctic region and at the very southern part of the Earth lies the south pole, called the Antarctic region.

Both polar habitats are very cold year round. They get little precipitation and are covered in ice and snow. Despite these extreme conditions, some organisms are still able to survive.

To survive in these conditions, plants need to be able to withstand severe stresses which includes very little fresh water, extreme cold and often a repeating pattern of freezing and thawing.

Polar plants are usually low-lying and may spend part of the year covered in snow. By growing close to the ground, plants in polar habitats are able to create their own microclimate. It may be a cold as -10 degrees celsius away from the ground, but in a cluster of low-lying plants, the temperature may be a high as + 10 degrees celsius.


Polar plants often have dark leaves which helps absorb sunlight and the leaves are often narrow to prevent water loss through transpiration too. With very little precipitation in the form of rain, polar plants usually rely on wind to disperse there seeds in the warming months of the year.

The animals that live in polar regions are true masters of the cold. They have a variety of adaptations for keeping warm, finding food and seeking shelter.

One thing you notice about the animals living in polar habitats is that they are big in size. Being so big helps the animals in a couple of ways. It allows them to store more fat which means they can survive the harsh winters when there's little food around. It also reduces their surface area to volume ratio which helps to reduce heat loss.

In harsh polar habitats body coverings are super important. Polar mammals like polar bears, foxes and hares have thick and sometimes double layers of fur. Below the fur is a think layer in insulating fat, called blubber, which also helps keep them warm. Aquatic polar animals like penguins, seals and walruses also rely on blubber for warmth.

Color can be important in polar habitats too. Polar mammals often have white fur which helps them blend in with the snow and ice – handy when trying to sneak up on unsuspecting prey or hiding from a fierce predator!

Polar animals also have some behavioral adaptations for living in the cold. These include digging burrows and dens and hibernating during the colder months. During hibernation the animal in inactive and goes through physiological changes including a drop in body temperature and slowed heart rate. This allows them to conserve more energy.

Some animals migrate during the polar winter. Migration is the seasonal movement of animals from one habitat to another where there is more food and better living conditions. The animals return to their polar habitat when it warms up.

Another interesting behavioral adapation of many polar animals is living in groups. This provide many advantages for survival including keep warm, defence against predators, searching for and gathering food and caring and raising each others young.

OK, so there you have it. You've seen many examples of the plants and animals that call polar habitats home. Why are other plants and animals unable to survive in the freezing polar regions? Talk it over with your friends, leave a comment below and I'll see you next time as we move away from the polar regions to somewhere warmer..well a little bit warmer anyway. Catch ya later!

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