Question 1
If you guessed the Sea Otter, you're right! Its fur is denser than the
fur of any other mammal. One square inch of Sea Otter fur contains as many
as 1 million hairs -- that's about the same number of hairs on the heads of ten
humans. This water-loving mammal eats, sleeps, mates, and gives birth at
sea. It lacks the layer of blubber that keeps many other marine mammals
warm, and so has only its fur coat to protect it from chilly North Pacific
waters. Oil spills can devastate Sea Otter populations, because the otters'
coats lose their insulating properties when saturated with oil, and many
affected otters die of exposure.

Question 2
All of the above! A Grizzly Bear can put on as much as 400 pounds to
prepare for its winter sleep. This omnivore will eat just about anything in
its quest to fatten up for the lean times. Grizzlies eat not just large mammals
(Elk, Moose, Deer) and fish, they'll eat roots, plant sprouts, berries,
mushrooms, and any smaller critters, including insects, that come their
way.

Question 3
The answer is the Red Squirrel. These gregarious creatures are active year-
round, although they may hole up for a few days in inclement weather. The
Red Squirrel's relatives the Eastern Chipmunk and White-tailed Prairie
Dog are true hibernators, meaning they enter a state of dormancy during
the winter in which body temperature drops to only a few degrees above air
temperature, and all bodily processes greatly slow down. The hibernating
animal thus conserves energy and stored fat, and is able to sleep through
much of the winter.

Bears enter a protected area and sleep away the harshest part of the winter,
but they do not truly hibernate, as their sleep is not deep, and their
temperature falls only a few degrees below normal. Even Polar Bears retire
to a den for part of the winter. Females den from November to March,
during which time they give birth, while males usually den from late
November to late January.

Question 4
The answer is the Grizzly Bear, which ranges in color from tawny to dark
brown but is never white (except in the case of a rare albino individual).
Arctic Foxes and Least Weasels vary seasonally, growing a white coat for
winter camouflage (in northern populations). The Gray Wolf is a species
that varies individually, ranging from white to black and any shade in
between. Most Eastern Gray Squirrels are gray, but there are populations
of white gray squirrels in several areas, with the largest concentration found
in Olney, Illinois. And rarest of all of these white mammals are the cream-
colored Black Bears that live in the coastal rain forests of British
Columbia. These bears belong to a subspecies of Black Bear officially
named the Kermode Bear but often referred to as the Spirit Bear.

Question 5
If you guessed all of the above you are right! At least some individuals of
all of these species relocate seasonally. Even though Manatees live only in
the South, they head for warmer water in the winter, some migrating tens
to hundreds of miles and others merely congregating around the heated
discharge from power plants. The Caribou of Alaska and Canada
famously go on long mass migrations between winter and summer grounds.
The Bison of the Great Plains once undertook mass migrations by the
millions and ranged nearly from coast to coast. Few of the populations left
are free-ranging, but some Canadian Bison still migrate about 150 miles
between winter and summer grounds.

The Snow Goose is named for its white color rather than its love of snow;
it summers in the Arctic but heads to the coastal United States and
southward for the winter. The Snowy Owl, on the other hand, can and
does survive the winter in our most northerly climes. In some years,
however, if the owl's prey species (mainly lemmings) decline in population,
large numbers of Snowy Owls will move into regions south of their normal
range; this kind of migration is called an irruption or invasion.

Question 6
The Polar Bear, with its warm coat to keep it warm, is the svelte member
of this group, reaching only about 1,100 pounds. A Grizzly Bear can weigh
as  much as 1,700 pounds. The largest Grizzlies are those of the southern
Alaska coast and islands that are known as Alaskan Brown Bears. A
Walrus can weigh nearly twice as much, topping out at 3,300 pounds. It
lives in Arctic seas and needs a good solid layer of blubber to keep warm.
Wisely, it spends a lot of time sunbathing on beaches or ice floes. When
it does go on a prolonged dive (for up to 30 minutes) its blood flow
decreases to the skin, thus conserving body heat, and increases to its vital
internal organs.

The record holder among these four creatures is the Northern Elephant
Seal: A male can reach 4,400 pounds! He doesn't stay that hefty,
however; this seal can lose 50 percent of its weight during the mating
season, when it is too busy to eat, and also fasts during the molt, when it
grows a new coat. This Pacific Coast species does not live in waters as
cold as the Walrus, but it spends more time in the water. It can stay
underwater for nearly an
hour and a half, pop up for a few minutes and dive again, so clearly it
needs insulating blubber to help retain body heat.

Question 7
Lemmings are an important food source for the Arctic Fox. These
small rodents undergo cyclical variations in population, increasing in
number enormously when food is plentiful, then decreasing when the
population outgrows the food supply. Arctic Fox populations follow these
cycles, usually peaking a year after the Lemmings. There is a similar
relationship between the Lynx and the Snowshoe Hare, which makes up
three-quarters of the Lynx's diet.

Northern River Otters mainly eat Fish; and Minks Fish too, but their
preferred prey in many areas is Muskrat. Polar Bears stalk Seals
mainly, but also eat young Walruses, Whales, Fish, Birds, Eggs,
Shellfish, Kelp .. whatever they can find. Walruses like Clams and other
Mollusks so much that they can eat 3,000 to 6,000 in a single feeding.
Northern Elephant Seals eat enormous quantities of Squid and they eat
Fish, too.

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