Plants and Animals

Vegetation is found only in the tundra areas, where mosses and lichens prevail. There are also some hardy grasses and low shrubs; in the brief summer many flowering plants appear. The only trees are dwarf varieties, most less than one foot (30 cm) high.

Insects, especially mosquitoes, swarm over the wet tundra during summer. At the same time, the Arctic is visited by many migratory birds, including geese, ducks, auks, ptarmigan, ravens, and Arctic terns. The only nonmigratory Arctic bird is the snowy owl. The most common land animals are the Arctic fox, musk ox, reindeer, caribou, Arctic hare, and lemming.

In the polar seas, rich in fish and smaller marine life, live large animals such as seals, walruses, whales, and polar bears. Uncontrolled hunting has reduced the number of many of these animals.