Here are some Arctic facts to impress your friends with!

1. The word Arctic comes from the Greek word arktos, which means bear.
2. In climate change research, the Arctic region is often considered an early warning system for the planet.
3. Average winter temperatures can be as low as -37°C and the coldest recorded temperature is approximately -68°C.
4. Animals that live in the arctic include Arctic Foxes, Narwhal Whales, Caribou, Hooded Seals and Muskox.
5. The arctic fox has the warmest fur of any mammal, even warmer than the polar bear and arctic wolf.
6. A muskox’s skull is like heavy armour to protect them from being hurt when they fight. It is estimated that when muskox bulls hit head-on its equivalent to a car driving into a concrete wall at 27km/h.
7. A caribou can sleep in water!
8. Arctic hares have short ears and a fur coat that changes colour with the seasons.
9. Nobody knows how the narwhal catches their prey. Some scientists think that they make a really loud sound to stun their prey, but they do know that the long tusk is not used in hunting.
10. Hooded seals can stay submerged for over 50 minutes.