...Arctic Survival – From Success to Failure Contrary to the outcome exhibited by most other groups during the Arctic Survival exercise, our team score (34) was lower than my individual score (64). This is not to suggest that group collaboration is detrimental; in fact, our outcome was unique among the class and of great surprise to the professor and entire class section. To be sure, pooling resources, elaboration of material, and support and motivation, while perhaps more time consuming, typically offer improved results. In theory, this model implies that a team’s collective knowledge can maximize utility and ensure the best outcome given the available information and perspectives. In our case, our group dynamics were such that we did not effectively utilize the resources we had, and consequently pooled a very limited amount of information. Rather than minimizing our risk, we increased it. I attribute much of our group’s failure at this simulation to process loss, which is defined as the problems that arise from lack of effective coordination among group members. A number of factors at play could explain the process loss which led to our counterintuitive results. First and foremost, one must consider the way in which group dynamics impact the overall productivity of group collaboration. Our team consisted of K, R, W, J and myself. K and W were quite opinionated, and in contrast, both R and J were quiet – I did not have a sense of what their true opinions were. K dominated...
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...How does the writer show the conflict in her thoughts and feeling about hunting? The writer uses her personal experience to describe the feeling and thoughts in a harsh environment vividly. In the third paragraph, the writer writes a few sentences to show that ‘an essential contributor to the survival of the hunters in High Arctic’. It can be obviously seen that catching the narwhals to eat is necessary, as the people need to survive on them. The author uses some technical language such as ‘vitaminC’ and ‘scurvy’ to implie that this is the only source of food, energy, tools and money in the High Arctic, which shows her sympathy to the hunters as hunting for Narwale is the only job they can do. The area in the High Arctic is not suitable for growing other vegetables. Narwhals has a rich source of useful nutrition, so Inuit people catch the narwhal as a main source of food. Also, the Narwhal’s ivory can be used for many things such as ‘harpoon tips’, ‘hunting implements’ and ‘central beam for their small ancient dwellings’. These fully describe that Inuit people can’t live without the Narwale, as it can help the Inuit people to survive. The writer’ feelings are explicit in the sixth paragraph, the hyperbole, such as ‘my heart leapt’ is used when the hunter was about to harpoon the narwhal. It shows how narwhal’s intriguing action is. The hunter has much courage to catpure the Narwale, which it is not a easy job at all and should...
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...Arctic Tribal Music “For family, for survival” "What is music?" he asked in his curious reed-like voice. "If you ask the wrong questions, you get the wrong answers”. “But I want the right questions”…. Active listening can help determine the usual characteristics of music i.e. forms, elements, and roots. But how do you know what your ears hear is music. And would you know to define it? One person’s homophonic passage is another’s minimalist rhythm. Yet one aspect is universal; it’s the fact that music plays a vital role in society. Throughout the world music is everywhere, from street corners to concert halls. It’s entertaining, stimulating, and demands an emotional response. But music can be turned off, or can it? For this group of people it can’t. As fundamental as breathing is to the human body, music is to the Native American Indian. Every facet of their existence is tied to song. And this is emphatically inherent in the Arctic Region’s Native American attitude towards song (Henceforth song is synonymous with music). As such they developed a musical identity in reference to their experiences real and perceived. The arctic region certainly one of the harshest on the planet; can sustain life albeit a difficult one. Long cold (at times totally dark) winters, and short summers (couple of months a year) meant the inhabitants had to be very flexible in lifestyle. Lite portable building materials (Tupik’s) or quick setup housing techniques (Igloo’s) were developed by the...
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...exploringnature.org/graphics/mammals/bear_polar_bw_diagram150.jpg Figure F-2 http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/pics/00small78686148.JPG Some animals are noted for their physiology to live in certain conditions. One of those animals is the polar bear who lives in the extreme cold temperatures of the Arctic. In figure F-1, shown are several features which helps the Polar bear adapt to environment minus a few which will be noted later. These amazing powerful creatures are one of the few mammals which have adapted to its marine environment. As seen in figure F-1, the polar bear has large feet. “To help protect their feet, there are pads on the bottom of them. They are designed to give them plenty of traction for walking on the slippery ice” (2011). The ground in the arctic is permanently frozen. In order for the polar bear to be able to walk on the ground and keep warm, they have these large padded feet to assist them in their living environment. These padded feet are also equipped with large claws which are used in hunting their prey. The polar bear's Latin name, ursus maritimus, means “sea bear” (2011). This animal is one of the few mammals which depends on it s marine environment for survival. As shown above in Figure F-1, the polar bear has short legs and large feet to allow them to propel through the water quickly. Because of these physiological features, the polar bear is able to catch its prey quickly and efficiently. Another interesting feature of the polar bear is its...
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...It is well known that the Arctic and Antarctic regions have harsh, cold winds, low temperatures and heavy snow fall, however, these environments are home to many species of birds and mammals which successfully survive and reproduce in spite of these extreme, seemingly uninhabitable conditions. They need special adaptations to help them survive and have many difficult obstacles to overcome including regulating and maintaining body temperature, coping with predation and with scarcity in food. The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and inhabits the arctic tundra environments of Eurasia, North America and the alpine tundra of Fennoscandia. Within the worldwide population there are several hundred thousand individuals (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2013). Populations vary in response to numbers in small mammals. They hunt lemmings, which are their main prey (Strand et. al., 1997), small birds and their eggs and also scavenge carcases in times where food is scarce (Hiruki and Stirling, 1989). Arctic foxes are relatively small mammals at around 3-8 kg. They have small ears, short noses, fur covering the pads on its feet. Its brush like tail aids in keeping its balance but is mostly used for insulation. During the winter arctic foxes have a thick white fur which provides camouflage against the white snowy expanse of the tundra and protection against the harsh environments, in the summer its coat becomes thinner and changes...
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...What do migration, hibernation and stocking up all have in common? They are all techniques animals use to survive the freezing temperatures of winter. Freezing presents a serious threat to many animal species. However, what do animals do when they can’t out smart the cold? For the case of the wood frog, they simply embrace it and bring a whole new meaning to being frozen solid. Lithobates sylvaticus, or the wood frog, are found inhabiting forests stretching from the Appalachians to the Arctic Circle (Miami, n.d.). They are one of the only species capable of freezing their bodies solid to survive sub zero temperatures. This incredible adaption allows wood frogs, such as the one shown in Figure 1, to thaw and emerge unharmed after the freezing temperatures have passed. Freeze tolerance refers to an animal’s ability to survive the freezing of bodily fluids (Costanzo, Lee, Lortz, 1993). For the terrestrial hibernating wood frog, the ability to freeze completely without cell damage, is a crucial...
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...When it comes to polar bears surviving in freezing temperatures and swimming in the Arctic, they must have some specific trait that they have adapted to over the years to keep their bodies warm and allow them to survive in such harsh conditions. Polar bears most likely evolved from brown bears that were isolated into this type of environment, and adapted over the years in order to survive. An evolutionary adaptation made by the polar bear, is their ability to swim in the Arctic Ocean without freezing. With time, the polar bears were able to adapt to their environment by having thick fur and a layer of fat to keep them warm. It is said that polar bears are more likely to suffer from overheating after running than hypothermia. Furthermore, the hair on its feet also helps the polar bear from slipping on ice. These adaptations have helped the polar bear survive in their harsh environments, and as the climate starts to experience global warming, who knows what will come next for the polar...
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...am going to be looking for how animals differ depending on where they live in the world. Animals can be grouped in many different categories. Some categories could be things like where they live. For instance animals could be categorized, such as safari, jungle, and arctic. In the arctic, some animals that could be found there include narwhals, polar bear, arctic fox, snowy owl, and artic hare. Most animals from the artic have a warm coat of fur, which helps them survive in these harsh conditions. Narwhals are wale like creatures that have horns on their head, which are actually two teeth that form a tusk. Narwhals have a hide that keeps them warm when in the artic water. Polar bears dig out large caves out of snow to have their cubs in. Polar bears usually have only two cubs, and only come out in the spring. Polar bears usually eat seals, waiting under the ice breathing from holes in the ice. Baby polar bears usually starve before their third birthday; other polar bears often die from oil spills and melting ice. In the safari, some animals that could be found are, zebras, crocodiles, African elephants, and rhinos. These animals live in some warmer climates and have adapted for survival. Zebras have any natural predators such as loins, spotted hyenas, leopards, and cheetahs. Zebras prefer to eat short grass, but will eat tall grass if needed. Zebras are more likely to have a chance to escape predators if in a herd, rather than if alone. Crocodiles are...
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...Coke’s Polar Bears Coca Cola’s polar bear has been around for quite a long time, being introduced in a paper ad in France, 1922. The polar bear is a well-known symbol for Coke even though they portray the animal much different than it lives in the wild. It’s a symbol because an animated polar bear wouldn’t mean much to someone outside of our culture, but Coke has ingrained in our culture that it aligns with them. We created our infographic to display the benefits that both Coca Cola and the polar bears receive. Coke has done some great things for the polar bears but much more can be done. The polar bears have receive almost $2 million in support from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). There has been a substantial reduction in deaths of polar bears from trying to uphold a section in the high Artic that the ice will last the longest. Certain surrounding tribes have also slowed down or even completely stopped killing polar bears. Coke has also alerted the public and since they are becoming aware they want to help. I added the picture of the three cubs laying on top of their mother to allude that the polar bears are happy and in stable conditions. Coke has garnered much public appeal since starting the campaign. They teamed up with WWF in 2011 and since then they have accomplished in reducing carbon emissions by 8.5%. The benefits they receive are substantial. The more people they bring onto the product, in turn their profits will increase profoundly. Even though coke has provided...
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...SPECIES- Ursus Maritimus, Polar Bear, lord of the Arctic. Lives in an area of five million square miles of snow and ice. From Siberia to Alaska and across Canada, Greenland and the Islands north of Norway, he is the master of all living things except man. It lives in the brutal cold, ice, and snow. The temperature can plunge down frequently to -40 degrees and sometimes even lower but that does not bother the polar bear because of its color-less skin and layer of insulation fat. Its range extending around the northern polar region. Necessities of Life-The polar bear eats mostly seals which he has to hunt. His trick is to wait by a breathing in the ice and when a seal comes up by that breathing hole, he grabs it so fast it knocks it unconscious and then he eats it. Other pray is a walrus calf or a musk ox stuck in snow, birds, eggs, fish, and dead whales. And sometimes in the summer it eats berries and grass. The polar bear has no water to drink so it only eats the skin and blubber, avoiding the meat. So by eating the blubber and leaving the meat the male bear is helping keep his body in balance with the surrounding environment. The bear would usually stay in a den or bury it self in the snow to avoid the suns ultra violent rays. Usually the pregnant female polar bear stays in the den.Food Chain-The polar bear finds its way on the top of its food chain. No predator on earth approaches the bear in size. The polar bear towers over everything else in his food chain. The...
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...Scientists have studied the feeding habits of the extinct Cave Bear. Based on the isotope composition in the collagen of the bears' bones, they were able to show that the large mammals subsisted on a purely vegan diet. The team proposes that it was this inflexible diet that led to the Cave Bear's extinction approximately 25,000 years ago. In the study, recently published in the scientific publication Journal of Quaternary Science, the international team proposes that it was this inflexible diet that led to the Cave Bear's extinction approximately 25,000 years ago. So the cave bears went on a inflexible diet... Cave bears mostly lived in Europe during the most recent glacial period, approximately 400,000 years ago, until they became extinct...
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...The Survival And Cubbing of Polar Bears The survival and cubbing of Polar bears is rapidly getting affected due to climate change and Global Warming, as says the Wildlife technical report(Michelle Allsopp, 2012). The healthy breeding of Polar bears relies greatly on the Arctic’s ice covered waters and cultivate Arctic Wildlife, as well. Polar bears are the most precious habitats of Arctic wildlife, Not only because they are limited in numbers but also on the grounds that the specie have now endangered for conservation. According to authentic information(Michelle Allsopp, 2012), a female Polar bears can only give birth to 1 to 3 cubs with in life time. Also, the mortality rate of infant cubs exceed from 70 %. Hence, there are less chances that the individuals of the Polar bears can be replaced by new generations. Furthermore, the other factors of climate change and global warming have intensified the threat to the species conservation due to climate changes in Arctic Wildlife. The projected claim can be justified with supporting observations presented below for reference. * Comprised survival rates of sub adult due to poor nutritions resulted from the sea ice breakup. * Inefficient reproduction cycle due to early spring ice breakup. * Deprived access to prey for sufficient...
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...a devastating effect on the Earth’s climate. A major concern of global warming is the melting of the polar ice caps. Research suggests that global warming is going to greatly impact the survival of the polar bear. In southern portions of their range, like Hudson Bay, Canada, there is no sea ice during the summer, and the polar bears must live on land until the Bay freezes in the fall, when they can once again hunt on the ice. While they are on land during the summer, the polar bears eat very little or sometimes nothing. In just 20 years the ice-free period in Hudson Bay has increased by an average of 20 days, thus cutting the polar bears' seal hunting season by nearly three weeks. Because the ice is freezing later in the fall, and melting earlier in the spring the bears have a much shorter timeframe in which to hunt during the critical season when seal pups are born. As a result, average bear weight has dropped by 15 percent, causing reproduction rates to decline. The Hudson Bay population is down more than 20 percent. Despite the fact that polar bears are good swimmers there has been an alarming increase of polar bears drowning. Although they are well adapted to water, and can swim hundreds of miles to reach solid land, the distance to reach that land is increasing dramatically as the Arctic ice disappears. It is believed that fewer and smaller ice floes and erratic climate changes have contributed to this situation. Polar bears travel great distances in search of prey, which...
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...The tundra artic plains completely covering most of the earth’s lands north of the coniferous forest belt. The tundra’s ecosystem is very sensitive. It doesn’t have a good ability to restore itself. Controlled by sedge, heath, willow, moss, and lichen. Plains that are pretty much alike, called alpine tundra, occur above the timberline in the high mountains of the world. Even the Antarctic area has a couple of its own arctic regions itself. The climate of the tundra is characterized by harsh winters. The average temperature in the tundra area is about –27 degrees. But what is even worse are the long night. At nights the lowest temperture recorded was –67.36 degrees. There are even times in the year when the sun doesn’t come up for days. In the tundra we have little snow and even less rainfall. The rainfall is about a quarter inch in a yearly rainfall. Even though the tundra’s winters are long a harsh there summers are the shortest season of all. Do to the terrible weather and climate in the tundra their animals and plant life is very limited. This artic tundra is mainly formed by permafrost, “a layer of permanently frozen subsoil in the ground. Putting frozen ground and flat landscape stops the drainage of water. As the water is being held up on the surface it makes ponds and bogs that give moisture for the plants, or countering the low precipitation. “The periodic freezing and thawing of the soil forms cracks in the ground in regularly patterned polygons”. Some areas...
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...from slipping on the slippery ice - Hair usually shakes free any water or ice formed after swimming 2. Hollow fur - Traps air inside, thus making the bear buoyant in water - The layer of air provides insulation between their warm bodies and the cold Arctic air and water - Insulation provided is lost when fur is covered with oil 3. Small and rounded ears - Prevents water from entering the bear's ears and freezing their eardrums, u see, big ears, more water! - Helps conserve body warmth in sub-zero temperatures 4. Digging of dens several metres deep - Shelter from winds that sweep over the ice in strong gusts, unbroken by trees or vegetation 5. Light colour of bear's fur provides camouflage against the ice - When hunting, bear covers black nose with its paws to hide it 6. Strong swimmers - Polar bears can travel up to a speed of 10 kph - Have been known to swim continuously for 100 km - Enables them to catch prey 7. Thick layer of fat (blubber) under skin - Up to 11 cm thick - Insulates bear from arctic cold - Overheating might occur - To prevent overheating, the bear moves slowly, resting often - Excess heat is released from the body through areas where fur is absent or where blood vessels are close to the skin (eg. muzzle, nose, ears, foot...
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