the white planet study guide
TRANSCRIPT
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8/12/2019 The White Planet Study Guide
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A STUDYGUIDE BY ANDREW F I LDES
www.metromagazine.com.au
www.theeducationshop.com.au
THE WHITE PLANET
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THE WHITE PLANET
Introduction
Unlike many recent nature
documentaries, The White
Planetfocuses on the ebb and
flow of life in the entire, frigid
system of the north. While there
is much concern about the rate
of melting in the Arctic Circle,
here we see only the lives of the
creatures that thrive and survive
in the planets refrigerator. It is
a classic nature documentary
that does not force an
environmental message down
your throat but simply shows
the natural treasures of theArctic and allows them to speak
for themselves as huge slabs
of ancient ice crash from the
melting glaciers. It is a starting
point for discussion with
older students and a wonder
for the young, with stunning
images of birth, motherhood,
companionship and the struggle
for survival in a truly hostile
environment. A gentle reminderof what we stand to lose; with
the viewer, and the teacher, left
to explore the implications.
Music based on native rhythms
both soothes and inspires as
we see a Polar Bear giving
birth in her icy den; a family
pod of ghostly, white Beluga
Whales swimming in families;
Narwhal males waving theirunicorn horns; tusked Walrus
rolling on the cold, summer
beaches; the young male Musk
Oxen colliding, head-to-head
in shattering impacts. Great
herds of Caribou trek across
the northern landscape to their
summer feeding grounds and
Guillemots hurl themselves into
the ocean after fish, flying in air
at one moment and water the
next.
Students often confuse the twopoles and some may expect
to see penguins. They wont,
but they will see birds that look
very much the same and which
can fly in air as well as water.
The seals and humpbacks
will be familiar but the small
whales are remarkable, and
remarkably different. This is not
an ice-bound continent but a
landscape of floating ice ringed
by stark, black, snow-dusted
cliffs in winter and beautiful
forested fiords in summer. As
we see, the animals dont avoid
the ice but depend upon it, the
bears actually unable to hunt
during the summer melt. And
unlike the southern pole, this is
an inhabited land although no
humans are allowed to intrudeinto this film. While the Antarctic
is a land of marine dependant
creatures, the Arctic has beencolonized by land mammals as
well. It is possible to consider
the ways in which these quite
different species have found
similar ways to survive in the
north and south and even
adapted into similar shapes and
lifestyles under the pressure of
the cold.
However you choose to usethe film and with whatever
age group, the scenery and
photography overwhelms. You
may never wish to share an
ice floe with a walrus but youll
never regret the sight of them
waving their tusks in the air. The
fate of the lovely little lemmings
may sadden you and your
students but they are the basis
of life for a range of wonderfulhunters.
The White Planet focuses on the ebb
and flow of life in the entire, frigid
system of the north.
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Time Log
00:00 04:30 Prologue. Hare, Polar Bear and Musk Oxen.
04:30 06:30 Polar Bear hibernation and birth of cub.
06:30 07:30 Fox and Crow.
07:30 10:00 Bears emerge from ice cave.
10:00 13:00 Wolf hunting.
13:00 17:30 Ice pack seals.
17:30 19:30 Tundra Caribou.
19:30 25:15 Polar bears hunting seals.
25:15 28:00 Summer in Nunavut.
28:00 29:00 Narwhal.
29:00 32:30 The food source. Algae, seaweed,
invertebrates, plankton, jellies.
32:30 37:00 Bowhead whale.
37:00 40:00 Bird migration. Murre swim underwater.
40:00 41:30 Beluga whales.
41:30 47:15 Arboreal forest and the Caribou migration.
47:15 50:45 Fish and the Giant Pacific Octopus.
50:45 54:00 Humpback feed in the fiords.
54:00 56:00 The ice melts, collapses and glaciers recede.
56:00 58:30 Polar bears go hungry as the ice melts.
58:30 1.00.00 Birds migrate and breed.
1.00:00 1.04:00 Tundra mosquitoes.
The Caribou reach their feeding grounds.
1.04:00 1.06:45 Walrus bask and wave their tusks.
1.06:45 1.08:30 Artic fox on the cliffs steals eggs from the Murre.
1.08:30 1.12:00 The winter begins again. Musk Ox return and butt heads.
1.12:00 1.15:30 The ice and blizzards return. The Polar Bears feed again.
1.15:30 1.18:00 The ice brings life but the climate is changing.
1.18:00 1.21:45 Credits.
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THE WHITE PLANETSpecies Cast List
In order ofappearance
Arctic Hare
Musk Ox
Polar Bear
Arctic Fox
Raven
Arctic Wolf
Lemming
Harp and Hooded Seals
Caribou
Ptarmigan
Narwhal
Jellyfish
Copepods
Arctic Angels
Bowhead Whale
Greater Snow Goose
King Eider Duck
Arctic Tern
Thick-Billed Murre Guillemot
Beluga Whale
Giant pacific Octopus
Crab
Northern Humpback Whale
Tundra Mosquito
Walrus
Black-Legged Kittiwake
Snowy Owl
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Viewing Question Sheet
1. Where does a Polar Bear give birth?..........................................................................................................................................................................
2. Why is the male bear dangerous?.................................................................................................................................................................................
3. What do the wolves eat?........................................................................................................................................................................................................
4. Why do hooded seals do the weird display?.....................................................................................................................................................
5. What do Caribou eat?................................................................................................................................................................................................................
6. What do Polar Bears hunt?..................................................................................................................................................................................................
7. What kind of animal is a Narwhal?................................................................................................................................................................................
8. What is algae and why is it so important?............................................................................................................................................................
9. What does the Bowhead Whale eat?.........................................................................................................................................................................
10. What does a Thick-Billed Murre look like?...........................................................................................................................................................
11. What did the sailors call Beluga Whales?..............................................................................................................................................................
12. Why do the Caribou migrate?............................................................................................................................................................................................
13. What do octopuses eat?.........................................................................................................................................................................................................
14. What is a fiord?.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
15. How do the humpbacks catch fish?...........................................................................................................................................................................
16. Why cant the bears hunt in the summer?............................................................................................................................................................
17. What makes a Caribou itch?...............................................................................................................................................................................................
18. How is a Walrus different to a seal?............................................................................................................................................................................
19. What does the Arctic fox steal?.......................................................................................................................................................................................
20. Why would the Polar Bear be the first victim of the Arctic Ice melting?.................................................................................
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Viewing Questions Answers
1. Where does a Polar Bear give birth? In a den under the snow.
2. Why is the male bear dangerous? He could kill the cubs.
3. What do the wolves eat? Lemmings
4. Why do male hooded seals do the weird display? To threaten other males and to impress females.
5. What do Caribou eat? Mostly lichen and moss.
6. What do Polar Bears hunt? Seals
7. What kind of animal is a Narwhal? A small whale with a unicorn tusk.
8. What is algae and why is it so important? Seaweed and it provides the basic food
ecosystem producer.
9. What does the Bowhead Whale eat? Shrimp, krill and microscopic plankton.
10. What does a Thick-Billed Murre look like? A flying penguin.
11. What did the sailors call Beluga Whales? Sea Canaries, because they sing.
12. Why do the Caribou migrate? In search of fresh pastures, food.
13. What do octopuses eat? Crabs.
14. What is a fiord? A sea inlet, valley.
15. How do the humpbacks catch fish? By surrounding them with bubbles.
16. Why cant the bears hunt in the summer? No ice. They cant reach seals.
17. What makes a Caribou itch? Tundra mosquitoes, worst mossies on earth.
18. How is a Walrus different to a seal? It has tusks.
19. What does the Arctic fox steal? Eggs from the Murre on the cliffs.
20. Why would the Polar Bear be the first victim of the Arctic Ice melting?
Because without the ice shelf in the winter, it cant hunt seals.
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Overview:
An ecosystem exists when
plants and animals interact with
each other and their physical
environment. Students will
seek out the key animals and
plants after they view the arctic
ecosystem and identify the
areas of Canada where this
habitat is found.
Materials Required:
Blank Canada outline map task
sheets, one for each student.
Photocopies of animal graphics.
World atlas set.
Crayons or colored pencils,
scissors, glue.
Objectives:
Students will dene terms
associated with ecosystems,
including Carnivore,Herbivore and Producer.
Students will see the
relationships between the
species in the habitat, their
needs and lifestyles.
Students will develop
an understanding of the
geography and climate of
Northern Canada
Suggested Procedure
After viewing the film, distribute
an outline map of Canada to
the class and explain that you
are going to discuss the arctic
ecosystem that they have seen.
Create a list of facts students
now know about the wildlife
and how it survives there.
Some responses might include
references to the ice, the cold,
hunting, reindeer or mosquitoes.
Remind students that the Arcticis the area of Northern Canada
above sixty degrees north and
which is locked in ice for most
of the year.
Geography Tasks:
Locate North West Territories,
Baffin Island, Ellesmere Island,
Hudson Bay and Nunavut on
a map of Canada and color in
the areas mentioned in the film.
Mark in the areas where the
animals are found.
Caribou migration North-West
Territory & Yukon (north coast)
Polar Bears Lancaster Strait,
Nunavut
Bowhead Whale Igloolik,
Nunavut
Belugas Admiralty Inlet,
Nunavut
Murre/Guillemot Baffin Island
(south coast)
Musk Ox, Arctic Wolf
Ellesmere Island, Nunavut
Walrus Hudson Bay, Manitoba
Octopus & Humpback Whale
British Columbia (north
coastal area).
FINDING THE PARTS OF THE ECOSYSTEM
(Suggested year levels 5-8)
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THE WHITE PLANET
Science Tasks:
Create an Arctic ecosystem by
drawing or using the pictures
provided. Cut out, colour and
arrange the animals in levels,
depending on their position
in the food web. Use them tocreate a poster, diorama or
mobile.
Explain the levels of
Producer Sedges, Lichens
and Mosses. Seaweed and
(Phyto)plankton.
Herbivores Lemmings,
Caribou, Musk Ox. Fish,
(Zoo)plankton.
Carnivores Foxes, Wolves,
etc. Seals, Walrus, Murre
(Guillemots).
Top Carnivore Polar Bear.
Whales.
Closing:
Ask students what would
happen to the ecosystem if one
of the elements were removed.
For example, if there were no
lemmings, what would happen
to the wolves? Does the polarbear need the seals, or do the
seals need the bears (to control
their population)? Ask the
students if any of the animals
they have learned about remind
them of animals that they know
about that live in different
ecosystems? (For example,
what hunts seals in Antarctica?)
Suggested Student
Assessment:
Pairs or groups producing
posters, mobiles or dioramas.
Draw and describe the
ecosystem in their workbooks.
Choose, research and prepare a
profile on one key species seen
in the film (Use animal profiles
copy and cut out distribute
at random).
Extending the Lesson:
Compare and contrast the
extremely hostile ecosystem of
the Arctic with the challenges of
living in another hostile region,such as the Australian desert.
Research the Inuit and the way
that they live within the system
ask whether they should be
allowed to hunt whales as part
of their traditional lifestyle.
Research the Inuit (Eskimo)
themselves and the territory of
Nunavut which now forms their
nation.
SCREEN EDUCATION 8
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Student Task Sheet
Canada
Using your atlas, locate and mark the North West Territories, Yukon, Baffin Island, Ellesmere Island, Hudson
Bay, Manitoba, Quebec and Nunavut.
Mark in the areas (approximately) where you think each of the animals are found. Use the number code
below.
1. Caribou migration North-West Territory & Yukon (north coast)
2. Polar Bears Lancaster Strait, Nunavut
3. Bowhead Whale Igloolik, Nunavut
4. Belugas Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut
5. Murre/Guillemot Baffin Island (south coast)
6. Musk Ox, Arctic Wolf Ellesmere Island, Nunavut
7. Walrus Hudson Bay, Manitoba
8. Octopus & Humpback Whale British Columbia (north coastal area)
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Web Resources
Canadian Species Resource -
http://www.hww.ca/hww.asp?id=1&pid=0
Simple whale pictures to print out, especially Narwhal, Beluga and Bowhead. Plus lots of whale information
and activities.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/activities/whaletemplates/Templatelist.shtml
Should the Inuit of Nunavut be allowed to hunt Bowhead Whale?
Interactive discussion and role-play game
http://www.rippleeffectlearning.com/webquest/Webquest.html
How to draw a cartoon walrus (and lots of other animals!)
http://www.howtodrawit.com/walrus.html
Walrus finger puppet pattern
http://www.billybear4kids.com/FingerPuppets/Walrus-Manatee.shtml
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Species Profiles
Land Mammals
Lemming (Avinga)
There are two common species
of lemmings in Northern Canada
brown lemmings, and collared
lemmings. The lemmings eat
the tundra vegetation. They
are the base of the food chain
for carnivores, and are the
most important food source for
snowy owls, ermines, wolves
and arctic foxes. Lemming
populations rise and fall in
cycles of approximately four
years. This cycle has a stronginfluence on the distribution
and breeding success of their
predators. Lemmings are not
often seen, but their nests,
runways and tunnels can
be found wherever there is
vegetated tundra or under the
snow in winter. There is no truth
in the stories of mass suicide
by these little rodents but they
do swarm one year and almost
disappear the next so that may
be the origin of the myth.
Arctic Hare (Ukaliq)
Hares are a close relative of
rabbits but larger and faster.
Arctic hares are even larger
than their southern relatives,
but have smaller ears - both are
adaptations that help save body
heat. The hares can weigh up to
five kilograms! Their brownish-
grey summer coats turn white
for the winter, except for the
tips of their ears, which remain
black. In the past, Inuit used the
white winter fur of the hares to
camouflage the sails on their
boats when hunting for seals tomake them look like icebergs.
The hares also feed on Tundra
vegetation and are an important
food source for wolves, foxes
and owls.
Arctic Fox (Tiriganiaq)
Arctic foxes are pure white in
the winter and grey-brown in
summer. Smaller than common
red foxes, they weigh between
2.5 and five kilograms. They
travel widely in search of food.Their diet includes lemmings,
hares, ptarmigan, bird eggs, and
carrion. Arctic fox are known to
follow polar bears and scavenge
on the remains of their kills.
The species has a high-pitched
bark and will sometimes make
hissing or screaming noises.
Arctic foxes can carry rabies, a
very serious disease that can
be fatal for humans. Arctic foxnumbers seem to rise and fall
with lemming populations.
Arctic Fox (Tiriganiaq)
Alopex lagopus
Lemming (Avinga)
Lemmus lemmus
Arctic Hare (Ukaliq)
Lepus arcticus
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Barren-ground Caribou
(Tuktu)
Caribou once roamed huge
areas of Northern Canada
and their migration was the
largest herd on earth, bigger
even than the Wildebeest ofSouthern Africa. Well-adapted
to the arctic, caribou have a
double-layered coat a short
thick inner layer of fine hair, and
an outer layer of long hollow
hairs. This double layer provides
excellent insulation in the
winter, and also helps provide
buoyancy when the animals
swim during their seasonal
migrations. Caribou haverounded hooves that spread
apart as they walk, providing
good traction on the spongy
tundra as well as on rocky
terrain and ice. They eat Lichens
and Mosses mostly, the thin
green covering on rocks and
tree branches in the summer.
Caribou are an important food
source for Inuit. The hides are
used for winter clothing.
Ermine (Tiriaq)
[not in film]
Small but fierce, ermines are the
most common small predators
of the arctic tundra. They are
relatives of otters, weasels and
polecats. They feed mostly on
lemmings, birds, and fish, but
can tackle prey up to the size
of a young arctic hare. Ermines
are brown in the summer, but
their fur turns white in the winter
except for a black-tipped tail.
They build their dens in rock
piles. Ermines may be seen
from sea level up to the high
alpine areas. They were trapped
for their thick white fur for
centuries.
Musk Ox
Musk oxen are more closely
related to sheep and goats than
cattle. Both sexes have long
curved horns. They are usually
around 2.5m long and 1.4m
high at the shoulder. Adultsusually weigh at least 200kg
and can exceed 400kg. Their
coat, a mix of black, gray, and
brown, includes long guard
hairs that reach almost to the
ground.
Musk Oxen are social and live in
herds, usually of around ten to
twenty animals, but sometimes
over 400. Winter herds consist
of adults of both sexes as well
as young animals. During the
mating season, which peaks in
mid-August, males compete for
dominance, and one dominant
bull drives other adult males
out of the group. Non-breeding
males will often form male-only
herds of three to ten or wander
the tundra alone. During this
period all males are extremelyaggressive. Bulls will even
charge birds if they are close by.
Caribou (Tuktu)
Rangifer tarandus
Musk Ox
Ovibos moschatus
Arctic Wolf
Canis lupus arctos
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Polar Bear (Nanuq)
The great white bear is the most
powerful predator of the arctic.
In autumn, winter and spring,
polar bears spend most of their
time out at sea, preferring areas
of broken pack ice and theedges of fast ice. These areas
provide the best hunting for
seals, which are the main part of
the polar bears diet. Pregnant
female bears remain on land in
the fall and dig maternity dens
in deep snow banks in October
or November. Their young one
or two cubs are born in early
January. Female bears remain
at their dens with their offspringuntil mid-March or early April,
at which point they move back
onto the ice to resume hunting
seals. In late spring,
as the ice melts and
blows offshore,
polar bears are
forced back onto
land, usually
staying close
to the coastline
waiting for ice to
form. Summer is
a time of fasting, but
polar bears will eat seaweed,
grasses, moss, fish, eggs,
birds, small mammals, and
carcasses (carrion) when they
are encountered.
Seal (Natsiq)
Seals are the most common
and widespread species of
marine mammal in the arctic.
Traditionally, they were the main
staple of the Inuit diet, and
today seals remain an importantfood source. Ice conditions
have a strong influence on the
movements and distribution
of seals. In winter they are
limited to areas of the sea ice
where breathing holes can be
maintained. Their birth dens are
hollowed out from snowdrifts
associated with pressure
ridges, or from bulges in the
fast ice. Single pups are bornin late March or early April,
and are abandoned within
two months of their birth after
being weaned. In spring,
summer and fall, the
seals are found
in areas where
their diet of fish
is abundant and
easily caught.
Marine Mammals
Marine mammals are
an important part of the
ecosystem, as well as a vital
food source for Inuit. Many of
the marine mammal species are
migratory, moving away from
the coast to the ice-free regions
of Davis Strait and the North
Atlantic Ocean.
The distribution of marine
mammals is strongly influenced
by the annual cycle of sea ice
formation. With extensive ice
cover for most of the year,
open water occurs near somecoasts only from late June to
November. Fast ice is the first
ice to form. It begins to form
in the fiords and along the
shoreline in late October. As
the ice cover develops, seals
create a network of breathing
holes that are maintained
throughout the winter. When
the ice is stable enough, polar
bears quickly move onto it to
begin hunting seals after their
long summer fast. The forming
ice also forces narwhals, orcas,
and belugas from coastal areas
into the deeper open waters. In
some years, when the ice forms
quickly, whales can become
trapped and will die.
Ice break-up occurs in the fiords
in late June or early July. Seals
disperse at break-up, and polar
bears move into areas such as
fiords or bays where the ice
remains the longest. Polar bears
spend their summers onshore,
usually in areas near persistent
ice cover where they can still
hunt seal.
Polar Bear
(Nanuq)
Ursus maritimus
Hooded Seal Cystophora cristata
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Narwhal (tuugaalik or
allanguaq)
Narwhals grow up to four
metres in length, and weigh
nearly two tonnes. The male
narwhals are best known for
their distinctive, single ivorytusk. Occasionally, they may
grow a double tusk. Females
sometimes grow a tusk as
well, but it is always short. It is
not known why narwhals have
the tusk, or what purpose it
serves, although they have been
observed to use them in social
displays.
It is actually a long tooth that
projects from the mouth and
twists into a unicorn horn. It
may be the origin of that legendwhen people further south saw
Narwhal tusks without knowing
where they came from. At one
time they were hunted for the
tusk, which was used as a form
of ivory.
Narwhals feed on squid,
turbot, arctic cod, shrimp, and
octopus. In winter, the narwhals
migrate away from the fast ice
near land to the open waters
of Baffin Bay, Davis Strait and
Hudson Strait. In spring they
migrate to the north Baffin
region. They return to the coast
by September or October,
where they may be seen in
the northern fiords. Inuit hunt
narwhals for meat.
Beluga Whale (Qinalugaq
or Qilalugaq)
Historically sea canaries
by whalers, the snow-white
belugas are sociable and vocal,
and are often seen frolicking
together in pods, or groups.This is the common species of
small, toothed whale. In winter
they move only as far out to
sea as is necessary due to
ice. In early summer, belugas
congregate in estuaries and
certain bays to feed and moult.
Their diet includes fish like
arctic cod, turbot and arctic
char as well as shrimp, squid,
and marine worms. Belugas arehunted by Inuit for meat.
Narwhal
(Tuugaalik)
Monodon monoceros
Beluga (Qinalugaq)
Delphinapterus leucas
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Bowhead Whale
Bowheads are related to the
Right Whales. They are robust-
bodied, dark-coloured animals
with no dorsal fin and a strongly
bowed lower jaw and narrow
upper jaw. Filter plates in theirmouths, baleen, are over three
meters long and the longest of
all the baleen whales. These
are used to strain tiny prey from
the water, small fish, plankton
like copepods and krill. The
whales have massive bony
skulls, which they use to break
through from beneath the ice
to breathe. Some Inuit hunters
have reported whales surfacingthrough sixty centimetres of
ice in this method. Bowheads
may reach lengths of up to
twenty metres and females are
larger than males. The fatty
blubber layer of whale flesh is
thicker than in any other animal,
averaging forty-three to fifty
centimetres.
Bowhead Whales are the only
baleen whales that spend their
entire lives in and around Arctic
waters. Those found off Alaska
spend the winter months in
the southwestern Bering Sea.They migrate northward in the
spring, following openings in
the pack ice, into the Chukchi
and Beaufort seas, hunting krill
and zooplankton. Bowheads
are slow swimmers and usually
travel alone or in small herds of
up to six animals. Although
they may stay below the water
surface for as long as forty
minutes in a single dive, they
are not thought to be deep
divers. They may live up to 200
years.
Inuit and Alaskan tribescontinue to kill small numbers
of Bowhead Whales in
subsistence hunts each year.
This level of killing (twenty-five
to forty animals each year)
is not expected to affect the
populations recovery.
Bowhead Whale
Baleana mysticetus
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Humpback Whale
The Humpback Whale is
a baleen whale. One of
the larger rorqual species,
adults range in length from
twelve to sixteen metres and
weigh approximately 36,000
kilograms. The Humpback
has a distinctive body shape,with unusually long pectoral
fins and a knobbly head. It
is an acrobatic animal, often
breaching and slapping
the water. Males produce a
complex whale song, which
lasts for ten to twenty minutes
and is repeated for hours at a
time. Found in oceans and seas
around the world, Humpback
Whales typically migrate up
to 25,000 kilometres each
year. Humpbacks feed only in
summer, in polar waters, and
migrate to tropical or sub-
tropical waters to breed and
give birth in the winter. During
the winter, Humpbacks fast and
live off their fat reserves. The
species diet consists mostly of
krill and small fish. Humpbacks
have a diverse repertoire of
feeding methods, including the
spectacular bubble net fishing
technique.
Humpback Whale
Megtaptera novaeangliae
Giant Pacific Octopus
Enteroctopus dofleini
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WalrusWalrus divide their time
between the water and beaches
or ice floes, where they gather
in large herds. They may spend
several days at a time either
on land or in the sea. Diving to
depths of ninety metres, they
sometimes stay under for as
long as a half hour. Walruses
live for around fifty years.
In the sea they sometimes catch
fish, but usually graze along thesea bottom for clams, which
they can dig out with their tusks
and suck from the shell. They
also feed on more than sixty
kinds of marine organisms
including shrimp, crabs, tube
worms, soft coral, tunicates, sea
cucumbers, various mollusks,
and even parts of other
pinnipeds (seals). Large male
walruses have been observed to
attack seals if they cannot find
any other food source.
Walruses have only two naturalenemies: the orca (killer whale)
and the polar bear. Polar bears
hunt walruses by rushing at
them, trying to get the herd to
flee, then picking off calves or
other stragglers. This is often
a desperate action by the
bear (done when it is either
starved or ill), as the bear
risks injury from walrus tusks.
Walruses use their long tusks
(elongated canines) for fighting,
dominance, and display and the
males will spar with their tusks.
Walrus
Odobenus rosmarus
(tooth-walking sea horse)
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Birds
Murre or Guillemot
The Common and Thick-Billed
Murre belong to a family that
includes other Guillemots, Auks,
Razorbills and Puffin.
They are the penguins
of the north except that
they can fly, in air as well
as underwater. Like penguins
they are black on the back and
white underneath, a camouflage
that makes them hard to see in
the water.
They usually nest in tight-
packed colonies (known as
loomeries) and lay their eggs
on bare rock ledges or ground.
The eggs are pointed, so that
if disturbed they roll in a circle
rather than fall off the ledge.
Eggs are laid between May and
July for the Atlantic populations
and March to July for those in
the Pacific. The eggs vary in
colour and pattern
to help theparents recognize
them; each egg is
unique. Colours
include white,
green, blue or
brown with spots or speckles
in black or lilac. Both parents
incubate the egg,
swapping in twelve-
hour shifts.
Snowy Owl
The main raptor of the Arctic,
this large white owl is easily
recognized. Unlike many owls,
it hunts by day. It is fifty-three
to sixty-five centemetres long
with a 125-150cm wingspan.The adult male is virtually
pure white, but females and
young birds have some dark
scalloping. Its thick plumage,
heavily-feathered feet, and lack
of colour make the Snowy Owl
well-adapted for life north of the
Arctic Circle.
This powerful bird relies on
lemmings and other rodents for
food, but at times when these
prey are not available, or during
the nesting period, they may
switch to young birds. Nesting
birds require roughly two
lemmings per day, and a family
may eat up to 1500 lemmings
before the young birds set off to
fend for themselves.
Thick-Billed Murre or
Guillemot
Uria Lomvia
Snowy Owl
Bubo scandiacus
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Climate change
the problem
The earths atmosphere is made
up of a delicately balanced
layer of greenhouse gases.
This layer acts like a blanket,
trapping enough heat to sustain
life.
Humans are burning huge
amounts of fossil fuels adding
more and more greenhouse
gases to the atmosphere and
making this blanket thicker.
This traps more and more heat,
warming the globe and throwing
our climate into chaos.
Climate change is already
underway.
Temperatures have already
risen 0.76C over the past
century and there is more
than 90% probability that
most of this global warming
was caused by humans.
Eleven of the last twelve years
(1995-2006) rank among the
12 warmest years on record.
Melting of glaciers and ice
caps is already contributing
to sea level rise.
Many long-term changes
in climate have already
been observed. These
include differences in Arctictemperatures and ice and
changes in extreme weather
events like droughts, heat
waves and tropical cyclones.
Per person, Australians are
among the highest greenhouse
polluters in the world.
The future is in our hands
Temperatures will increase
further during the 21st Century.
But the extent of change will be
determined by how much more
greenhouse pollution we put in
the atmosphere.
In other words, the future is in
our hands. It is crucial we take
action to limit climate change to
2C above pre-industrial levels.
Beyond 2C, scientists tell us
climate change will become
dangerous and could spiral out
of control.
If we choose to reduce
pollution, we can keep
temperature increases below
the 2C threshold. To achieve
this goal, global pollution levelswill have to be reduced 55%
by 2050 (from 1990 levels). As
a wealthy nation, Australia will
have to do even more an 80
to 90% reduction by 2050. This
should keep us under the 2C
threshold scientists say it would
be dangerous to go beyond.
What will happen if we
dont take action?
If we allow pollution to keep
increasing (under a business
as usual scenario), scientists
tell us average temperatures
will rise up to 6.4C by 2090.
Climate change would spiral
out of control with terrible
consequences for future
generations.
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How can we solve the climate crisis?
Avoiding dangerous climate change has become
Australias greatest challenge. We can still rise to the
challenge and protect our planet for future generations
but only by taking strong and urgent action to reduce
greenhouse pollution.
Fortunately, Australia is in the perfect position to be
a world leader on climate change. We need to stop
wasting energy and become much more energy
efficient. Doing more with less will save our economy
large amounts of money by reducing fuel and
infrastructure costs.
We can use these economic savings to help us move to
clean, renewable sources of energy. Australia is blessed
with abundant sources of renewables like solar, wind,
geothermal and biomass.
We also have abundant reserves of natural gas, a usefultransition fuel. While natural gas isnt carbon neutral, it
creates far less greenhouse pollution than coal.
It makes sense to focus our efforts on cleaner energy
solutions that are proven and available to us right now.
That means better energy efficiency and renewable
energy.
For further information go to www.acfonline.org.au
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