The Arctic and Antarctica have plenty in common — namely, both regions are vast, cold, and best accessed by small ships. (Oddly enough, we've got those handy!) But while these polar places share cold temperatures, Arctic wildlife varies drastically from the animals you'll find in the Antarctic. If your heart is set on spying polar bears, you gotta go north. If you're leaning toward leopard seals, your ship best be sailing in a southerly direction.
Naturally, it's called wildlife for a reason and there are no guarantees but it pays to know who lives where and which trips give you the best chance of sightings. To help narrow it down, here's info on several Antarctic and Arctic animals that top many traveller's wishlists. And yes, there are krill enthusiasts beyond the mighty blue whales roaming these waters!
Arctic animals
Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
Size: 1.6 to 2.1m (5 to 6.9 ft) tall, 65 to 210kg (143 to 463 lbs)
Population: est 2,100,000
Habitat: These migratory beasts range between 50 and 81 degrees of latitude throughout Canada, the northwestern United States, Greenland, Norway, Finland, Russia, and Mongolia.
Conservation status: Vulnerable. Though there are still plenty of reindeer roaming the Arctic, populations have declined sharply in recent years, which has conservationists concerned.
Did you know: Though reindeer and caribou look different (reindeer tend to be smaller, for one thing), they’re from the same species. North American populations of rangifer tarandus are called caribou, European ones are reindeer, and none of them can fly (as far we know).
Look for reindeer on: Realm of the Polar Bear in Depth
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus)
Size: 2 to 3m (6.6 to 9.8 ft) tall, 352 to 680kg (776 to 1,449 lbs)
Population: est 22,000 – 31,000
Habitat: These apex predators, whose Latin name means “sea bear,” spend most of their life around water and on sea ice in northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Norway, and Russia.
Conservation status: Vulnerable. Climate change causes sea ice to melt earlier in the spring and form later in the fall, leaving bears spending more time on land where there’s limited food.
Did you know: 60 to 80 percent of the global polar bear population lives in Canada.
Look for polar bears on: Realm of the Polar Bear
Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus)
Size: 75 to 115cm long, 2.5 to 9kg (6 to 20 lbs)
Population: Several hundred thousand
Habitat: Throughout the Arctic tundra in Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Svalbard, Jan Mayen, and Sweden.
Conservation status: Least Concern
Did you know: Arctic foxes don’t start getting chilly until the temperature hits -50°C (-58°F) thanks to a thick coat (the thickest of any Arctic animal), fur-covered feet (even the soles), and a bushy tail that doubles as an added layer of warmth.
Look for Arctic foxes on: Realm of the Polar Bear in Depth
Atlantic Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)
Size: 2.2 to 3.6 m (7 ft 3 in to 11 ft 10 in)
Population: 30,000
Habitat: Just like Santa, Arctic walruses like to stick close to the North Pole and prefer places with plenty of ice cover. These tusked sausages tend to forage and rest on sea ice but often haul out on rocky islands or beaches as well.
Conservation status: Near Threatened (Atlantic Walrus)
Did you know: Walruses prefer shallower water and love the coastal water of Svalbard and surrounding Arctic waters including Greenland and Franz Josef land. Given their size and toothy grins, you’d think they aren’t bothered by much but they are sensitive to boats and people. As with any animal, you must give them space and watch from respectful distances. If a walrus is reacting to your presence, then you are already too close.
Look for walrus on: Arctic Highlights Southbound
Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas)
Size: 2.6 to 4.5m (8.5 to 14.7 ft), 700 to 1,600kg (1,543 to 3,527 lbs)
Population: 150,000 – 200,000
Habitat: Found throughout the northern seas surrounding Canada, the United States, Greenland, Russia, Svalbard, and the island of Jan Mayen.
Conservation status: Near Threatened
Did you know: Belugas’ distinctive – and flexible! — foreheads are called melons. They can change the shape of them at will to make facial expressions and communicate with other whales via chirps, clicks, whistles, and squeals. Their white appearance against the icy blue water of the Arctic can easily be mistaken for small ice floes bobbing at the surface.
Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus)
Size: 0.5m (1.6 ft) tall, with a wingspan of 1.5m (5 ft)
Population: 200,000
Habitat: Snowy owls have an extremely large range that includes Canada, the U.S., Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, China, and Japan — but they have been spotted as far afield as Portugal and Ireland. There was even a rumoured sighting in Bermuda!
Conservation status: Least Concern
Did you know: Unlike most owls, snowy owls are diurnal, or active during the day. But if you want to capture decent photos of these fluffy feathered friends, you're going to need a lot of luck and a camera that's up to the task.
Antarctic animals
Leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx)
Size: 2.8 to 3m (9.1 to 9.8 ft) long, 300 to 500kg (661 to 1,102 lbs)
Population: There’s a lot of uncertainty, since its territory is widespread and remote, but experts estimate a population of up to 220,000.
Habitat: Leopard seals live on and around pack ice throughout the southern hemisphere, from the Antarctic coast to sub-Antarctic islands like Heard, McDonald, and the South Sandwich Islands.
Conservation status: Least Concern
Did you know: Though leopard seals are known for eating penguins, they’ll actually eat just about anything, including squid, fish, and the pups of other seal species.
Look for leopard seals on: Antarctica Classic
King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)
Size: 70 to 100 cm tall (45 in), up to 18kg (21 to 40 lbs)
Population: 2.2 million breeding pairs
Habitat: Second tallest in the penguin world, King penguins are pelagic marine critters meaning they stick close to the shoreline. You'll mainly find their breeding colonies on the more temperate subantarctic islands in the region like South Georgia.
Conservation status: Least Concern. Though the king penguin population is healthy and increasing, experts are noticing that rising ocean temperatures is affecting population distribution to more temperate climes.
Did you know: These elegant beauties are seriously monogamous and much like their Happy Feet cousins, balance their treasured egg on their feet for safekeeping and warmth in frigid conditions. Once born, the chick takes 14-16 months before they'll ever dip their webbed feet in the icy ocean.
Look for King penguins on: Spirit of Shackleton
Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)
Size: 9m (29.5 ft) long, 10 tonnes (22,046 lbs)
Population: Several hundred thousand
Habitat: Minkes favour “open pack ice” (when there’s a lot of open water between ice floes) in the summer, and migrate to tropical waters come winter.
Conservation status: There’s not enough data for an assessment, but the most recent assessment, in 1996, classified these whales as Lower Risk.
Did you know: Minke whales are the smallest of the baleen whales, and the only species of whale that is still commonly found in Antarctica.
Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans)
Size: 1.1m (3.6 ft) long, 8 to 11.5kg (18 to 25 lbs)
Population: 20,000
Habitat: Wandering albatrosses live up to their name with a territory that spans from Antarctica to Namibia.
Conservation status: Vulnerable. Experts believe a drastic population loss of about 4 percent a year is due to fisheries — the birds range so far afield that they encounter many longline fleets, upping their risk of being caught accidentally.
Did you know: The wandering albatross is the largest of the diomedeidae family and has the largest wingspan of any bird (up to 3.5 m or 11 ft). These giant birds spend most of their time flying — they only return to land to breed.
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba)
Size: About 5cm (2 in) long
Population: The estimated biomass of krill throughout the Antarctic continent is 200 million tonnes
Habitat: Antarctic krill are exclusively found throughout the Southern Ocean, both in the open ocean and in coastal areas.
Conservation status: Least Concern
Did you know: Though they’re tiny — only about the size of your pinky finger — there are so many krill in the Southern Ocean that, at some points during the year, giant schools can be spotted from space.
