Listen to part of a lecture in a Biology class.
Even though it's cold and snow-covered, the Arctic houses many species of animals that manage to survive the harsh conditions there. These Arctic animals have adapted to the extremely cold temperatures primarily because of certain body features that help them to survive in the cold Arctic climate. Let's look at a few of them. For one thing, many Arctic animals have developed a protective covering on their feet. The covering usually consists of fur or feathers which act as a protective layer between the cold and the animals' skin. Since they spend so much of their time on snowy, icy surfaces, whether they are standing on the ground or swimming in the water, they can easily lose heat through their feet. This is especially true of Arctic birds. A bird like the Arctic Snowy Owl, for example, has feathers on its body the way other birds do.