ermine
Just like the weasel, the otter, the wolverine, or the badger, the ermine belongs to the mustelidae family.
It is found in the northern hemisphere, especially in mountainous regions.
Despite its adorable face, the ermine is a formidable vole hunter, which will also not hesitate to attack larger prey, such as hares.
In summer, it has a brown coat with a yellowish-white belly, which sometimes causes it to be confused with the weasel.
In winter, however, in order to blend in with the snow-covered decor and to escape predators, it is adorned with warm, all-white fur, except for the end of its tail, which remains black.
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arctic hare
The arctic hare is an animal of cold countries;
it is found in the North American tundra, in Alaska, Canada, and Greenland.
To face the negative temperatures and to preserve its body heat during the winter, it swaps its short brown/grey summer coat for a thick all-white fur, with the exception of the tips of its ears which are black.
Thus, curled up in the snow, it looks like a snowball.
To cope with the cold, the arctic hare also has shorter ears than other hares as well as padded and muscular legs that allow it to sprint up to 60 km/h to escape predators, such as foxes.
The arctic fox
As its name suggests, the polar (or arctic) fox is found in the Arctic regions, in the northern parts of North America, Europe and Asia, where it faces particularly harsh conditions. harsh, with temperatures down to -50°C.
While some animals hibernate to withstand the cold, the arctic fox remains active all winter.
However, his metabolism slows down and he loses his brown-gray coat in favor of a thick white coat (50% thicker than his summer coat) which will keep him warm and allow him to blend into the snowy scenery.
The rock ptarmigan
The rock ptarmigan belongs to the same family as partridges, pheasants, peacocks or quails, namely that of the phasianidae.
Although its appearance resembles that of a partridge, it has a very unique characteristic: it is the only bird to lose its brown feathers to adorn itself with white plumage which will allow it to camouflage itself during the months of winter. winter.
It also has large paws that act as snowshoes on the snow and are covered with feathers.
In winter, the rock ptarmigan move from the highlands to the valleys and the males and females separate.
They will only meet again in the spring, during the mating season.
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