Arctic Animals - The Arctic has a wider variety of animal life than Antarctica. The animals of the north polar region can be seasonal visitors at the edge, permanent residents of the High Arctic or anywhere in-between.

Arctic Animals
A List of Arctic Wildlife
Antarctic animals here - south polar

The North Pole is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean which is surrounded by the land masses of North America, Europe and Asia so there is a land connection to the south meaning that land animals can more easily reach the Arctic unlike Antarctica where animals must be able to swim or fly across hundreds of miles of frigid and storm-prone ocean even at the narrowest point.

Land Mammals


arctic fox
Arctic Fox - Vulpes lagopus


arctic hare
Arctic Hare - Lepus arcticus


arctic wolf
Arctic Wolf - Canis lupus arctos


caribou, reindeer
Caribou / Reindeer - Rangifer tarandus


moose, elk
Moose - Alces alces


musk ox
Musk Ox - Ovibos moschatus


polar bear
Polar Bear - Ursus maritimus


wolverine animal
Wolverine - Gulo gulo


dall sheep
Dall Sheep - Ovis dalli

ermine
Ermine - Mustela erminea

lemming
Lemming - Lemmus lemmus

sea otter
Sea Otter - Enhydra lutris

snowshoe hare
Snowshoe Hare / Snowshoe Rabbit
Lepus americanus

Birds


snowy owl
Snowy Owl - Bubo scandiacus


arctic tern
Arctic Tern - Sterna paradisaea


arctic skua
Arctic Skua - Stercorarius parasiticus

bald eagle
Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus

canada goose
Canada Goose - Branta canadensis

guillemot
Brunnich's Guillemots - Uria lomvia

ptarmigan
Ptarmigan - Lagopus muta

puffin
Puffin - Fratercula arctica

snow goose
Snow Goose - Chen caerulescens

Other Animals


Arctic Woolly Bear Moth caterpillar
Arctic Woolly Bear Moth (caterpillar)
Gynaephora groenlandica


beluga whale
Beluga Whale - Delphinapterus leucas


greenland shark
Greenland Shark
Somniosus microcephalus


narwhal
Narwhal - Monodon monoceros


orca - killer whale
Orca - Orcinus orca


bearded seal
Bearded Seal - Erignathus barbatus

harp seal
Harp Seal - Pagophilus groenlandicus

hooded seal
Hooded Seal - Cystophora cristata

ribbon seal
Ribbon Seal - Histriophoca fasciata

ringed seal
Ringed Seal - Pusa hispida

spotted seal
Spotted Seal - Phoca largha
walrus
Walrus - Odobenus rosmarus

Picture credits:

Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license: Arctic Skua - Donald Macauley, Arctic Wolf - tsaiproject, Bald Eagle - Ron Holmes of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region, Dalls Sheep - National Park Service Alaska Region, Greenland Shark -  Uglyoverload.com, Arctic Woolly Bear Moth - Mike Beauregard, Harp Seal colony ~Dawn~ from Saratoga California USA, Lemming - Sander van der Wel, Puffins - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, Snow Goose - U.S. Fish Wildlife Service Headquarters, Snowshoe Hare - Denali National Park and Preserve,  Spotted Seal - Tomomori.

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license - Arctic Fox - Algkalv, Beluga - Premier gov ru, Ermine - 4028mdk09, Ringed Seal - Alexander Butakov, Snowy owl - Natures Photo Adventures-CC-BY-SA-3

All other images are copyright of CoolAntarctica.com or are in the public domain.