The Arctic is in the northern hemisphere, and parts of Canada and Greenland are near the North Pole. Therefore, it is far removed from countries like the Antarctic.
The habitat of the Arctic is unique because there is no actual land, only shifting ice sheets. In 1958, the USS Nautilus submarine sailed beneath the frozen ice of the Arctic, which proved that the massive frozen ice sheets were sitting on water and not land.
Within the Arctic, there are areas of land called the Arctic Tundra, which are dry and cold areas with little precipitation. This makes them almost desert like. Permafrost that covers the ground does not allow trees to grow in the Arctic tundra, but shrubs and other vegetation is able to grow. This allows for some wildlife to exist in these areas, and there are many species that live in the Arctic tundra.
Polar Bears
Polar bears are adapted to live in the harsh climate of the Arctic. They spend most of their life travelling on the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean. They have a thick layer of body fat and a water-repellent coat which keeps them warm from the cold air and water. Polar bears are also excellent swimmers, and can maintain a speed of 6 miles per hour swimming. They mostly hunt seals, and generally catch one or two seals of every ten that they hunt.
Although polar bears are at the top of their food chain, they often go long periods of time without eating anything. This is due to changes in season, and they have been known to go 8 months without eating, especially in the region of Hudson’s Bay. Their main hunting season begins in April and ends in July.
Here is an image of the food chain for polar bears:
*FUN FACT: Up to 80% of the world’s population of polar bears live in Canada!
Check out this video for more info on polar bears:
Walruses
A walrus is another species that lives only in the Arctic, and they are known for their long tusks which can grow to be 40 cm in length. Similar to polar bears, a walrus also has a large layer of fat in order to help withstand the cold climate.
A walrus spends most of its time on ice, but they are also graceful swimmers. They are able to dive 90 meters deep, and they’re able to stay under water for 30 minutes at a time. Although they usually look sluggish and slow moving on land, they are able to move as fast as a human in short spurts when agitated.
A walrus uses its whiskers to locate its favourite foods near the ocean floor, including clams and shellfish. The largest herd of walruses is found in Canada, at Foxe Basin, where about 5000 live.
Beluga Whales
Beluga whales are an extremely social species who live, hunt and migrate in pods that can range from tens to hundreds of whales. Their forehead is large, and it is able to change shape which shows their different expressions. Beluga whales are toothed, and they are predators for a large variety of fish and crustacean species.
The beluga whale often migrates south into Canadian waters during the fall in order to avoid large ice formations. When these large stretches of ice break up in the spring, the beluga travels back to the northern Arctic waters. The belugas rely on sea ice because it protects them from their main predator, the killer whale (orca). Therefore, the rising temperatures from climate change has limited their protection, as there is less sea ice in the Arctic.
The Northwest Passage
This passage is the route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Canadian Arctic waterways.
Many centuries were spent looking for a route that could enable trade between Europe and Asia directly by sea. The first explorer sent to find the passage was in 1497, and explorations went on for hundreds of years without success, but the first to succeed was Ronald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer, in 1906. Even though this was a success, it meant little from an economic standpoint, as this journey took three years to complete and a lot of the journey was too shallow for large commercial ships to pass through.
In recent years, ice has thinned in the Arctic due to global warming, which has allowed for the passage to open even more. The significance of this passage is a shorter route from Europe to Asia for trade, as well as oil ships from Alaska being sent to parts of the Eastern U.S. Canadian goods would also be easier to send.
There is much controversy with this issue now, as the route for the Northwest Passage goes directly through the Canadian Arctic islands in Nunavut and The Northwest Territories. Therefore, Canada claims that this route is in Canadian Internal Waters, but other countries, including the U.S. state that the passage is in International Waters and therefore Canada does not need to be notified about when ships will pass through.
Here is a video all about the history of South Georgia (island in the Antarctic circle), and how species were almost driven to extinction due to hunting. Many species have made a huge comeback, and it is now one of the most protected ecosystems in the world.
The leopard seal is another common species in Antarctica, and it is a large predator. It’s main food sources are krill, squid, fish and penguins. They also hunt fur seals around the island of South Georgia, as they are much larger, stronger and have large teeth. ***video contains graphic scenes of hunting***
Here is a video about different species in the Antarctic, and their interactions with one another (v good watch!): ~16 mins
Over the last week, Black Lives Matter protests have been happening daily around the world. The catalyst for these protests was the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, who was killed by a police officer. The altercation was filmed, and the video shows George Floyd struggling to survive with the officer’s knee on his neck.
Although this happened in the United States, anti-racism protests have started all over the world. Toronto saw a large anti-racism protest over the weekend, as well as other cities and towns across Canada. There is a major issue, which is police brutality, that has come into question as a result of this. It is important to examine the history of police brutality, and ways that this can be controlled and monitored.
This podcast episode follows police brutality cases in Canada, including the recent case of Regis Korchinski-Paquet in Toronto. It also discusses the importance of protests and the following steps in order to make change.
Antarctica
Antarctica is the southernmost continent of the world, and it is the coldest continent on earth. The average temperature of the interior of Antarctica is -57 degrees celsius, which can get to -90 degrees celsius in the winter time. Along the shore area of Antarctica the temperature can be much warmer, from -2 degrees C to 8 degrees C.
Due to this difficult climate, there are no permanent human inhabitants of Antarctica. This means that the land mass is largely untouched by outsiders, which makes it a relatively protected habitat for its species. The best known species of Antarctica include penguins, seals, whales, and many bird species including albatross.
When looking at the food web of Antarctica, what can be noticed is that the ecosystem is relatively simple compared to others in the world. This is because there are fewer kinds of species that live in this region of the world, however there is a higher number of individuals within the species.
A very significant species in the food web in Antarctica is krill. Krill are a crustacean species (similar to shrimp) that can be found in abundance in the open ocean. Krill are the primary food source for many species, including whales, seals, sea birds, and penguins.
There are two different groups of whales which can be identified; toothed and baleen. The baleen whales include species such as the blue whale, the humpback and the Minke whale. These whales do not have teeth, and so their prey is plankton, krill and small fish which they are able to filter and swallow (why they are called “filter feeders”). They also have two blow holes instead of just one.
Blue whales are the largest known species to have ever existed on earth. Its tongue alone has been known to weigh the same amount as an adult elephant, and its heart is compared to the weight of an automobile. Blue whales almost exclusively consume krill, and have been known to eat 4 tonnes of krill per day at certain times of the year. The average lifespan of a blue whale is 80 to 90 years old, making it one of the longest living species on earth. Here is a video on blue whales:
Toothed whales are the other group of whales, and they have large teeth in order to eat their prey. Examples of these whales include the sperm whale and the killer whale (or orca). They have only one blow hole that they use to breathe. They also use echolocation, which is a sensory ability, in order to communicate with one another and find their prey.
Killer whales, or orcas, are at the top of their food chain, and they consume fish, penguins, seals, sea lions and even other whales. They hunt together in family pods, which contain up to 40 whales and use cooperative hunting techniques in order to hunt together. They are not among the largest of whales, and they are generally 23 to 30 feet long. They also live an average of 50 to 80 years. Although these whales have been held in captivity due to their intelligence and social abilities, it has been widely-recognized that this goes against their natural ways of life. On average they travel 40 miles in the wild per day, and dive up to 500 feet deep in the ocean. Therefore, it is important that the captivity of killer whales ends.
The following video describes the different approaches that can be taken by governments to get through a pandemic, and how a pandemic ends. Check it out!
The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
The only native species of hummingbird in Ontario is the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird.
These tiny birds have a large migration path, as they start their journey to Mexico or South America in the autumn. Though thought to be impossible at first, what was learned was that hummingbirds ensure that they are well fed enough, and therefore have enough fat on them, to make the 500 mile journey across the Gulf of Mexico. Although some make this journey, many migrate around the Gulf of Mexico, and therefore are able to stop through Texas and Northern Mexico in order to get to South America for the winter months.
The ruby-throated hummingbird beats it wings about 53 times per second, making them almost invisible to the human eye. Their entire body length is only 2.8-3.5 inches, or 7-9 cm. There is no difference in size between male and female, but there is slight difference in colouring. Both sexes are green with tinges of gold on the top, with white and greyish colouring underneath, but only males have the bright red throat.
They feed on the nectar of red or orange tubular flowers, as well as hummingbird feeders and sometimes tree sap. They also can catch insects from mid-air, or from a spider’s web.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds do not mate for life, but remain independent except for breeding. A hummingbird’s nest is only the size of a thimble, and they usually have a clutch of 1-3 eggs at a time.
The Pileated Woodpecker
This species is the largest woodpecker in Canada, at an average 18 inches in body length, with a wingspan of 26 to 29.5 inches. Therefore, these birds are large, and almost the same size as a crow.
The difference between males and females is that males have a red stripe on their cheek, as can be seen in the photo above. Otherwise, they have a black body with white feathers underneath, and a distinctive red stripe on the top of their head.
Their pecking sound a decaying or dead tree can be heard from a kilometre away, and they do this in order to get at insects that live in the trees. Their favourite thing to eat are carpenter ants, and so they listen for ant activity in the tree and then start pounding away with their powerful beak. These dying trees are where woodpeckers feed and also nest. Therefore, they often live in areas with many dead trees, such as older coniferous or deciduous forests, or young forests with dying trees.
These birds do not migrate, and therefore stay in their habitats year-round. The pileated woodpecker lives only in North America.
The Red-Tailed Hawk
Canada has many different hawk species, but a common hawk species that live near suburban areas are the Red-Tailed Hawk. You may see this bird perched near the side of the road, sitting on signs, telephone poles, or more naturally, in a tree. This is said to be the most common hawk species in North America.
The female red-tailed hawk is bigger than the male, and in general they measure from 17 to 25 inches in body length, and 44 to 52 inches in wingspan. Although they have a large body, they are amazingly adapted for the air, as a large female only weighs about 3 pounds. A similar sized dog in measurement would weigh about 10 pounds. This allows them to easily glide through the air.
They usually live in wide open spaces, in order to be able to see clearly for far distances. A hawk’s eyesight is among the sharpest of all animals, and they are able to see their prey from over a mile away. It is often said that a hawk has at least 7 times better eyesight than humans.
When a hawk spots their prey, they quickly glide straight down in a streamlined position head-first, and then when they get close, they turn their body so that their talons will quickly snatch the animal from the ground. Their prey consists of mice, squirrels, rabbits and reptiles.
Many red-tailed hawks do not migrate, as they may already live in warm climates in North America such as southern states in the U.S. However, if they live further north, they may make a short migration for the winter months to places in the southern U.S., and then return in the spring to places such as Northern Canada.
Red-tailed hawks do mate for life, and they share in the incubation process of their eggs. They have also been known to hunt for prey together, where the male plunges down and grabs the prey. Red-tailed hawks are also known to lock feet with their mate in mid-air, as a sort of courtship ritual.
These National Geographic videos were shot on Resurrection Island, which is another island in Antarctica near the main island of South Georgia. This island is known for its massive populations of penguins, and these videos are about two different species of penguins.
For a video about the Macaroni Penguins, click here:
For a video about the King Penguins, check this one out!:
Today in class, we will be learning about Bird Island in the Antarctic and the species that live on the island. This information and presentation has been provided by Dr. Tony D. Williams, a professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, who spent over two years on the island studying penguins.
Bird Island is located in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, and it has been a research island in the Antarctic region since 1957. At a time, there are a maximum of 10 people living on the island in order to research the species that are there.
Research assistants spend their time focusing on one of the following species; penguins, seals or albatross. These populations of species are large, and relatively untouched by the outside world, which makes their behaviours and lives ideal for research in order to better understand the species. The island has 50 000 pairs of penguins for mating and 65 000 pairs of fur seals.
There are 17 different species of penguins, that range in size and colouring. Penguins have evolved into the most efficient swimmers and divers of all birds, and some species spend 75% of their time at sea, which is the most of any bird.
Robins are a welcome sign that Spring is coming in Ontario. They are found throughout North America, and throughout every province and territory of Canada. During the winter, Robins may migrate south to places such as Florida, Mexico and Guatemala. They do this during the winter months because the ground freezes in northern areas, which does not allow Robins to get food from the ground.
The robins’ diet is 40% invertebrate and 60% fruit. The invertebrate include earthworm, caterpillars and beetles. They are able to eat these during the spring and summer months in Canada, and they arrive to places in Canada from March to May.
Female robins make the nest and take about 6 days to do so, using mud and grass. The eggs of robins are a bright blue, and there are usually 3 or 4 eggs in a “clutch.” They incubate the eggs for around 12 days, and once hatched, the young remain in the nest for 13-16 days, and receive an average of 45 meals per day from both parents. Robins can have up to 3 clutch in a summer.
Eggs and young robins are often prey for squirrels, snakes and birds, including blue jays and ravens. Adult robins can be prey for cats, owls and hawks.
Blue jays can be about 30 cm in length as adults, and live around 7 years. They have a very heavy bill which is used to peck at acorns, nuts and cocoons. Their diet consists of fruits, nuts, grains and insects, and they are also known to feed on the eggs and young of other birds.
Blue Jays are found from Southern Canada to Texas to Florida. Therefore, they survive in many different habitats, and they are partial migrators. They often migrate from the cold weather in southern Canada down to southern parts of the United States. Their migrations patterns remain much of a mystery, as there is not much consistency on where/when they travel for the entire species.
Blue Jays are able to mimic the calls of other birds, including hawks. This is deceiving for other species, who may think that a hawk is present. They can be very loud birds, and often cry out to warn other birds of danger. Their crest, or the top feathers on their head, is an indicator of the blue jays’ mood. When the crest is erect, which makes a peak shape on its head, it means that the bird is surprised, excited or aggressive. The crest is pointing out in all directions if the bird is frightened, and when the crest is relaxed, the crest is laying flat on the head.
A distinctive feature of the cardinal is that the male cardinals are a bright red colour, and the female are pale brown, with some reddish tinges in the wings and tail. Both the male and the female have the same orange beak and crest on their heads.
Cardinals live in forests and thick bushes in residential areas. Their diet consists of insects, seeds, grains and fruits. A dependable source of food for cardinals is often bird feeders, and therefore they are used to living in residential areas surrounded by people. Something that is unique for cardinals is that they do not migrate south, and they stay in their habitat for the winter months. They make their homes in thicket and brushy areas of woodlands.
The male and female cardinals often share song phrases, which are unique to them. Therefore, they are songbirds, and their calls to one another can often be heard in Southern Ontario. The female calls to the male from the nest, indicating to bring back food.
The sport I would like to talk about is hockey.My favorite sports team is Maple Leafs. The captain for team is John Tavares. John has been the captain for the Maple Leafs for six years. I enjoy watching hockey because it is exciting.Hockey teams have a roster of up to 20 players. It is played on an ice rink with 6 players on each team. The positions are:3 forwards, 2 defense-men and 1 goal keeper.The object of the game is to hit the puck, with the hockey stick, into the goal across the opponents red goal line. If it does not cross the line, the goal does not count.The game starts with a “faceoff” where the puck is dropped between two opposing players at center ice”re-start faceoff” are used to restart the game at 8 other red dots on the iceThere is an unlimited amount of substitutions and they can happen at any timeThe game is played in 3 20 minute periods for a total time of 60 minutes. The team with the highest score at the end of time wins!If a rule is broken a player will be ejected to the penalty box for a given time depending on the the severity of the penalty. When a player is sent to the penalty box, the team must continue to play with one less player giving the other team an advantage for that given time.
“minor penalty” such as tripping an opponent will lead to 2 minutes in the penalty box. Time is cut short once opposing team scores.
“major penalty” such as fighting leads to 5 minutes in the penalty box. The whole time must be served even if opposing team scores.
“misconduct penalty” such as intent to injure leads to 10 minutes in the penalty box. The whole time must be served even if opposing team scores.
“game misconduct” leads to ejection form the game.
A penalty shot is given to a player if they have been obstructed before they can shoot. The player starts form center ice and is given one chance to score against the opponents goal keeper.The puck must completely cross your blue line before any other player does on your team. If a player does cross, this is offside resulting in a “faceoff” on one of the red dots on the players side of the rinkIcing is where you shoot the puck across two red lines, the center line and your opponents goal line. This results in a “faceoff”. During a draw, teams go into a timed overtime or “sudden death”. First team to score wins.If the game is still going when the overtime period ends, both teams enter a “shootout”. Each team will have 3 shooters that attempt to score against the opposing teams goal keeper (one at a time). The team with the best of 3 shots wins.If neither team scores, they go into to “sudden death shootout” where the 1st team to score wins.
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NYDP Communication Enrichment Class 