Emma's Earth Explorations

  Presenting the Snowy Owl. AKA my childhood favorite owl. AKA the subject of my first science presentation. AKA HEDWIG The Snowy Owl : Bubo scandiacus Description : Being one of the most well-known owls on the planet, the Snowy Owl 's distinct white feathers patterned with black and brown make it stand out even in the snow-covered tundra. Males tend to have whiter overall while females have more pattering on their feathers. All Snowy Owls have especially thick feathers to protect them against the below freezing temperatures of the Arctic. With a wingspan of five feet and weight of 4 pounds, this adaptation also makes the Snowy Owl one of the largest and heaviest owls in the world.  Habitat : Preferring habitats with elevation, such as outcrops and knolls, Snowy Owls are mostly found in open tundra and coastal habitats. In contrast, their habitats also often include flat and even areas where Snowy Owl parents will set up breeding sites for their young. In many cases, a tidal f...

  At first glance, Arctic Foxes are fluffy and adorable. But under all that fur is a elegant and fierce predator that braves the Arctic's temperatures of -50  ° F  to 50  ° F every day The Arctic Fox : Vulpes lagopus Description : Native to the Arctic regions, the Arctic Fox is a thick-coated mammal around 30-40 inches long; the size of a dog. Distinguishable by its white fluffy coat, this animal is either white/blue (depending on the morph) in the winter and turns into varying shades of brown in the summer. The Arctic Fox is also characterized by its upturned snout, triangular ears, flattened skull, and long tail which reaches about a foot in length.  Habitat : Equipped with thick fur to keep them warm, Arctic Foxes are found in the Arctic tundra and pack ice where the ground is permanently frozen with little vegetation available. They can also be found along the edges of forests in Northern parts of Europe, Canada, and Alaska.  Diet : Arctic Foxes ar...

  Don't get too excited, this "something new" isn't anything ground-breaking.  I generally don't like creating posts unrelated to an ecosystem or species, but once in a while, a non-wildlife related post is a nice break in between information dense articles and fact sheets. And I'm not going to lie, these kinds of posts are easy points to add to my post total, a number that's been growing steadily over the last couple years.  In this Arctic Ocean series, I'm going to try a new kind of set-up. Midway through the Amazon Rainforest series, I introduced a new kind of post, Fast Facts! (named after my fave scioly event ever). I was able to highlight way more species with Fast Facts! (yes, say it with the exclamation point), and while I still plan on writing up these Fast Facts! posts, I want to shift my focus to more traditional articles again.  Contrary to the Amazon series where my goal was to cover as many species as possible, the Arctic Ocean series wil...

  'Arctic' means "of the north" and is derived from the Greek word "arktos" which means "bear" There's something magical about the Arctic Ocean. It's beautiful yet unassuming, crowning the top of the world with its 5.43 million sq miles of pure ice shattered and scattered across its blue like diamonds. Christened as the Land of the Midnight Sun, this kingdom never sees the sun set. And with all that light, it's not hard to believe that there's something fantastical waiting out there. And no, I'm not talking about that conspiracy theory claiming that the wealthiest people are hiding out in "second earth" under the guise of the Arctic.   The Arctic feels like a window to another realm, pure and untamed, ethereal and otherworldly. Perhaps this is because the Arctic is practically untouched by outsiders. People talk about the former glory places like the Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon Rainforest once had and how these...

  These underwater kingdoms reign supreme in our world As you can tell from my lovely wordy and writerly post title, the next stop on my tour of the earth is... The ocean!   Or more accurately, the  oceans.  There's more than one of course. We have the Pacific, Atlantic, Artic, and so on. And although they all flow together at some point and look pretty much the same from the top, these seas have vastly different ecosystems under their surfaces.  Each gigantic body of water that separates our rich land ecosystems with tens of thousands of miles is its own world. A world that is characterized by stunningly bizarre creatures and alien landscapes. The oceans are primordial, yet so unknown ; over 90% of these ancient waters are unexplored. But the 10% that we do know is populated by hundreds of thousands of species. It's incredible to me how vast these underwater kingdoms are. I think the sheer size of the oceans are part of what contributes to the oceans'...