1. Activity 2 – Adaptations
Polar bears
Activity 2 – Adaptations
Student sheets
year 7 upgrade
This page may have been changed from the original 1

2. Reusable – colour printed and laminated
Contents
Sheet number Notes
1–9
Reusable – colour printed and laminated
10–18
Consumable 19 20

3. Arctic hare Physical features Behaviour
Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Arctic hare
Habitat: North American tundra.
Lifespan: About 1 year.
Sometimes huddle together in groups of 100–300.
Physical features
Size: the size of a large cat
Shape: rounded to cut heat loss
Ears and nose: short
Senses: good hearing
Feet: wide with strong claws
Fur: long and thick
Colour: white in the winter and brown in the summer
Food: small plants in the summer, twigs and, if need be, meat during the winter months
Predators: arctic foxes, gyrfalcons, snowy owls, ermine, wolves and people.
Photo : U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Behaviour
Often lies completely still.
Stands on its hind legs to look for danger.
Bounds away from predators at speeds of up to 40 miles an hour (the speed limit on many UK roads).
Can run minutes after it is born.
Digs dens in snowdrifts for shelter.
Student sheet 1

4. Caribou Physical features Behaviour
Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Caribou
Habitat: Arctic tundra.
Lifespan: 10 years.
These herd animals constantly migrate. One male will fight for dominance over a pack of up to 20 females.
Physical features
Size: larger than the average human
Shape: compact body on skinny legs
Ears: small
Nose: wide
Senses: good hearing and smell
Feet: wide and shaped for digging
Fur: thick and woolly
Fat: thick layer
Food: lichens
Predators: humans, wolves.
Photo: David Cartier
Behaviour
Their knees click when they walk, which alerts other caribou when they run away from something.
Males fight to be the leader by clashing antlers.
Scrape away snow to find food.
Fast swimmer and runner.
Student sheet 2 4

5. Wolverine Physical features Behaviour
Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Wolverine
Photo : U.S. National Park Service
Habitat: Arctic mainland of Russia, Alaska, Canada and Greenland.
Lifespan: 13 years.
They do not allow members of the same sex in their territory.
Physical features
Size: like a large dog
Ears: small
Nose: wide
Senses: good sense of smell, poor vision
Legs: powerful back legs
Paws: wide and furry with large claws
Fur: thick, water resistant fur
Food: dead animals, mice, rats, birds and eggs
Predators: humans, wolves and bears.
Behaviour
Can drive predators away from their kills.
Strong teeth and jaws let it eat frozen flesh and bones.
Buries spare food for later.
Marks its territory and food stores with scent.
Student sheet 3 5

6. Arctic fox Physical features Behaviour
Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Arctic fox
Habitat: Arctic land and ice floes.
Lifespan: 3-4 years.
Each male lives with a group of females and young in its own territory. They need 3–60 km2 each, depending on the food available.
Physical features
Size: like a large pet cat
Shape: rounded
Ears: short
Nose: short
Senses: acute hearing
Legs: short
Feet: wide with thick fur pads
Tail: bushy
Fur: thickest of any mammal
Fat: large stores
Food: voles, lemmings, hares, ground squirrels, birds’ eggs or – near the coast – shellfish, sea urchins, dead seals and fish, beached whales and nesting seabirds.
Predators: humans.
Photo: Tobi Britsch (above), L. A. Ramone (right)
Behaviour
Rest in burrows in soil or snow and bury excess food in the ice for later.
Their tails wrap round to keep their faces warm.
Many follow polar bears across ice floes to scavenge their leftovers. If they are very hungry they eat polar bear droppings.
Student sheet 4 6

7. Ringed seal Physical features Behaviour
Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Ringed seal
Habitat: Arctic Ocean and ice floes.
Lifespan: 30 years.
Live alone except during the breeding season.
Physical features
Size: large – like a fat human
Shape: rounded but streamlined
Ears: hidden and Nose: short
Senses: good hearing
Fins: strong with sharp claws
Hair: thicker in winter
Fat: thick layer of blubber
Colour: pups white, adults grey
Food: fish
Predators: polar bears, arctic foxes, walruses, dogs, wolves, wolverines and ravens.
Photo © Juli Daoust (above), Andrew McGifford (top)
Behaviour
Carve breathing holes so they can feed further under the ice shelf than other seals.
Females build a den over breathing holes to hide their pups until they are 2 months old.
Hold their breath for up to 45 minutes.
Sunbathe after shedding their thick winter hair in May.
Look up every 20 seconds to check for predators.
Student sheet 5

8. Walrus Physical features Behaviour
Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Walrus
Habitat: shallow waters in arctic seas.
Lifespan: 60 years.
Males and females live separately except during the mating season.
Physical features
Size: large – like a large car
Shape: rounded but streamlined
Ears: hidden and Nose: short
Senses: see through eye lids for clear vision under water
Tusks: grow longer with age – bristles at the base detect prey
Fins: non-slip surface – used for walking on ice
Hair: thicker in winter
Fat: thick layer of blubber
Food: clams, snails, crabs, shrimps and worms
Predators: orca, polar bears and humans.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Behaviour
Uses its fins to walk around on ice.
Can hold its breath for 10 minutes.
Uses its right flipper to stir up sand to look for food.
Sucks seafood out of their shells.
Cluster together to cut heat loss.
Student sheet 6 8

9. Narwhal Physical features Behaviour
Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Narwhal
Habitat: close to the ice in arctic seas.
Lifespan: 50 years.
Females and youngsters travel together but mature males stay in all male groups.
Physical features
Size: large – 20 times the mass of a human and about 4 m long
Shape: rounded but streamlined
Tooth: the male’s long tooth attracts mates
Senses: uses clicks for echo location and trumpet, whistle, or squeaky door sounds for communication
Fins: short
Fat: thick layer of blubber
Food: deep sea squid and flatfish
Predators: humans and orcas.
Photo: U.S. NIST
Behaviour
Males rub their tusks together to clean them.
Can dive up to 1000 m and hold its breath for 20 minutes.
Swims along the bottom upside down.
Uses jets of water or suction to dislodge prey.
Student sheet 7 9

10. Musk ox Physical features Behaviour
Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Musk ox
Habitat: Arctic tundra.
Lifespan: 20–24 years.
Live in small herds of about 15.
Physical features
Size: large – like a large cow
Ears: small and hidden in the fur
Nose: short
Senses: good vision
Legs: short
Hooves: wide
Fur: 2 layers – thick, long overcoat and woolly undercoat
Fat: thick layer of fat
Food: grasses and small plants
Predators: humans – their circle defence technique protects them from other predators but makes them easier to shoot.
Behaviour
To protect their young from predators such as arctic wolves, the males form a circle around the mothers and children, with their sharp horns facing out.
Charge at wolves and bears and throw them into the air in order to break their legs.
Save energy by moving slowly.
Scratch through snow to find food.
Photo: Dr. Len Radin
Student sheet 8 10

11. Collared lemming Physical features Behaviour
Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Collared lemming
Habitat: Arctic tundra of Greenland and North America.
Lifespan: 1 year.
When there are too many in one area they migrate.
Physical features
Size: half the size of your hand
Shape: rounded to cut heat loss
Ears: small and hidden in the fur
Nose: short
Senses: good hearing
Legs: strong with sharp claws
Hair: thicker and white in winter
Fat: small fat stores
Food: grass, shrubs, bark and twigs
Predators: ermine (weasel), arctic fox, snowy owl, wolf, wolverine and humans.
Behaviour
Line their nests with fur from other animals for extra insulation.
Grow two long claws for digging at the start of winter.
Search for food in the space between the snow and soil and rarely go outside.
Males help care for the young.
Student sheet 9 11

12. Arctic hare Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Picture yourself living this animal’s life.
Are you in a gang, or on your own?
How do you get around?
What are you good at?
What do you eat?
How do you keep warm?
Add labels to highlight
the physical features and behaviours that help arctic hares
survive in the Arctic.
Student sheet 10 12

13. Caribou Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Picture yourself living this animal’s life.
Are you in a gang, or on your own?
How do you get around?
What are you good at?
What do you eat?
How do you keep warm?
Add labels to highlight
the physical features and behaviours that help caribou survive
in the Arctic.
Student sheet 11

14. Wolverine Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Picture yourself living this animal’s life.
Are you in a gang, or on your own?
How do you get around?
What are you good at?
What do you eat?
How do you keep warm?
Add labels to highlight
the physical features and behaviours that help wolverines survive
in the Arctic.
Student sheet 12 14

15. Arctic fox Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Picture yourself living this animal’s life.
Are you in a gang, or on your own?
How do you get around?
What are you good at?
What do you eat?
How do you keep warm?
Add labels to highlight
the physical features and behaviours that help arctic foxes to survive in the Arctic.
Student sheet 13 15

16. Ringed seal Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Picture yourself living this animal’s life.
Are you in a gang, or on your own?
How do you get around?
What are you good at?
What do you eat?
How do you keep warm?
Add labels to highlight
the physical features and behaviours that help ringed seals to survive in the Arctic.
Student sheet 14 16

17. Walrus Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Picture yourself living this animal’s life.
Are you in a gang, or on your own?
How do you get around?
What are you good at?
What do you eat?
How do you keep warm?
Add labels to highlight
the physical features and behaviours that help walruses survive
in the Arctic.
Student sheet 15 17

18. Narwhal Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Picture yourself living this animal’s life.
Are you in a gang, or on your own?
How do you get around?
What are you good at?
What do you eat?
How do you keep warm?
Add labels to highlight
the physical features and behaviours that help narwhals to survive in the Arctic.
Student sheet 16 18

19. Musk ox Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Picture yourself living this animal’s life.
Are you in a gang, or on your own?
How do you get around?
What are you good at?
What do you eat?
How do you keep warm?
Add labels to highlight
the physical features and behaviours that help musk oxen to survive in the Arctic.
Student sheet 17 19

20. Collared lemming Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Picture yourself living this animal’s life.
Are you in a gang, or on your own?
How do you get around?
What are you good at?
What do you eat?
How do you keep warm?
Add labels to highlight
the physical features and behaviours that help collared lemmings survive in the Arctic.
Student sheet 18 20

21. Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Label my physical adaptations in blue and my behavioural adaptations in red.
Student sheet 19 21

22. Polar bears: Activity 2: Adaptations
Student sheet 20 22

23. Picture credits Picture Slide Credit
Activity from the Extinction unit © Association for Science Education and Centre for Science Education Teachers and others who download this material may use it freely within their institution. For any other usage consult the upd8 team,  ASE and upd8 are not responsible for any revision that may be made to the material after it has been downloaded.