OT Staff & Waquar Habib
Witness over a thousand polar bears migrating through Churchill, Canada’s Wapusk NP during winter, drawn to the “polar bear capital” corridor of Cape Churchill for hunting and spectacle.
Explore High Arctic tundra where snowy owls, with dense plumage and silent flight, hunt rodents year-round across snow-laden landscapes, making them iconic winter birds to observe.
Observe emperor penguins huddling in motion for thermal regulation during Antarctic winter, forming vortex patterns—a sophisticated survival strategy ensuring warmth and endurance through extreme cold.
Arctic foxes endure frigid winters thanks to thick seasonal fur that changes colour, dense paw fur, and compact physiology—ideal adaptations for survival on snow-covered tundra.
Walruses congregate on Arctic sea ice ledges in winter, using long tusks to pull themselves out of icy waters and sensitive whiskers to forage molluscs beneath the ice.
Ptarmigans survive sub-zero temperatures in snowy regions by moulting into white plumage and growing full-length feather coverage, including on legs and feet, for superior insulation.
Traverse frozen tundra with migratory caribou herds using hoof-snow paddle adaptations to traverse deep snow while searching for lichen, their primary winter sustenance.
Observe powerful leopard seals resting on ice floes near penguin colonies in Antarctic summers—they are streamlined hunters and among the region’s main marine predators.
Discover ivory gulls, nesting on remote Arctic cliffs through summer and feeding opportunistically around polar bear dens—rare birds that blend in nearly seamlessly with snowy backdrops.
Experience Baffin Bay’s rich fauna: vast beluga pods, walruses, seals, narwhals, and seabirds gather on fast ice, supported by productive zooplankton currents beneath.