Polar Holidays to View the Wonderful Wildlife of Spitsbergen
The Norwegian island of Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently occupied island of the Svalbard archipelago. Its position bordering the Arctic Sea, the Greenland Sea, and the Norwegian Sea makes Spitsbergen an ideal place to visit on polar holidays. Even though the summer high is a cool four to six degrees, the island is a perfect place to visit in order to see some of the native Arctic wildlife in its natural habitat without having to travel high up into the frozen polar region. Travelling in and around Spitsbergen will introduce you to some of the most famous Arctic creatures, such as Polar Bears, seals, and Walruses.
Polar Bears – As the largest land carnivore (a title it shares with the Kodiak Bear), the Polar Bear is not the cute and cuddly creature popular culture makes it out to be. The males weigh in at a staggering 350 to 680 kilograms and they can reach a top speed of 40 kilometres per hour. Polar holidays to the island of Spitsbergen in the late spring or early summer months will enable you to see mothers with their cubs, who will stay with them until they are two to two and a half years old. Though Polar Bears usually will not attack people, they are very protective of their young and visitors should take care not to get between them. They are almost entirely carnivorous, and their main diet consists of the seals that share Spitsbergen with them.
Seals – There are two main types of seals that make the island of Spitsbergen their home and that are possible to see on polar holidays to the area: the Bearded Seal and the Ringed Seal. The Bearded Seal is so named for its heavy lower jaw and copious amounts of whiskers. It is the main source of food for the Polar Bears that make the island their home. Also known as the Jar Seal, the Ringed Seal is an earless seal that is identifiable by the dark spots surrounded by light grey rings on its fur. Known as the smallest of the seals, the Ringed Seal is also the most common of the Arctic seals, and the most likely one to be spotted near the island of Spitsbergen.
Walruses – The Walruses that make Spitsbergen their home are some of the larger flippered marine mammals and are the only living species in the Odobenidae family. Easily recognised by their bulk, whiskers, and tusks, they are an unmistakable sight on polar holidays to the coasts of Spitsbergen. In the wild, Walruses can live to between 30 and 40 years of age, and the young can spend three to five years with their mothers before going off on their own.
