Hobbies And Interests
Grazers and Browsers
Somewhat mirroring the niches, if not the diversity, of hoofed mammals on some tropical savannas, big grazers are prominent members of the tundra community. Caribou are perhaps the most iconic, native to the Arctic tundras of both North America and Eurasia; they are typically called "reindeer" in Europe and Asia. They graze on tundra grasses and forbs, and munch on lichen during winter; they also browse willows and other scattered shrub-trees. Humpbacked, shaggy musk-oxen are the largest ungulates on the modern Arctic tundra, sometimes weighing more than 800 pounds. These creatures function as primary consumers, directly tapping solar energy converted to usable form by plants or algae.
Large Predators
As lions and wild dogs target wildebeest and zebra in African grasslands, the grazers of the tundra must contend with formidable hunters. Gray wolves, including the unique subspecies of Arctic wolf found in the North American High Arctic, are the most significant: Hunting in packs and singly, they are major predators of caribou and musk-oxen, though they also readily pursue hares, waterfowl and anything else they can catch. The dramatic anti-predator strategy evinced by musk-oxen -- with adults ringing vulnerable calves, facing outward and thus presenting their horns -- mainly counters wolves. Brown bears, including the North American subspecies called grizzlies, are also occasional predators, though they spend much of their time feasting on plants. Barren-ground grizzly bears in Alaska and Canada will hunt ungulates, particularly targeting calves but possessing the strength and ferocity to fell musk-ox bulls on occasion. Black bears (typically coming from more southerly, timbered areas) and polar bears (come off their sea-ice hunting grounds) also occasionally utilize tundra habitats; indeed, polar bears often den in tundra riverbanks.
Smaller Hunters and Scavengers
Large birds of prey like golden eagles and snowy owls are significant avian predators on the tundra: the latter targeting mostly lemmings and waterfowl, the former tackling nearly anything it can overpower, including caribou calves. Hefty white gyrfalcons are also efficiently designed hunters of hares and waterfowl. Both red foxes and Arctic foxes roam tundras around the Arctic circle, snacking on rodents, hares, birds and bird eggs. Lynxes and wolverines are other mammalian predators; wolverines and foxes are also devoted scavengers, seeking out wolf-killed carcasses or victims of winter.
Winged Visitors
Year-round avian residents of the tundra are relatively few in species, including the snowy owl and ptarmigan. However, vast numbers of birds visit the ecoregion in its productive summer guise to nest and feed. Birds as diverse as rough-legged hawks, horned larks and snow geese use the four major North American flyways -- the Pacific, Central, Mississippi and Atlantic -- to migrate between the coastal tundra of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the lower 48 states.