The poles lie at the extremes of the Earth. In the southern hemisphere, the Southern Ocean surrounds a vast continent that underlies Antarctic ice. Whereas in the north, the Arctic is composed of the seasonally frozen northern seas and parts of Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. March 2008 marks the middle of the International Polar Year, which extends from March 2007 through 2009. In this issue, join us in a journey to the poles for an in-depth look at some of the animals that are able to survive the polar extremes.

Grade K-3 students can practice simple math skills during an imaginary seal-watching scenario in the Seal Scientist activity. In Lemming Lowdown, students in grades 4-8 can chart and graph hypothetical population fluctuations of lemmings and other artic animals.

Which animals live in the Arctic? Which ones live in the Antarctic? And which marine animal has such a broad distribution that it inhabits both regions? Find out by exploring the following animal bytes.

What challenges does a scientist face when undertaking research in polar latitudes? In fall 2007, Dr. Brent Stewart of the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute participated in the SIMBA (Sea Ice Mass Balance in the Antarctic) expedition on board an icebreaker. As one of many International Polar Year research efforts, the expedition sought to quantify Antarctic sea ice thickness. Learn about Antarctic conditions and what wildlife Dr. Stewart sighted during the expedition in Dr. Stewart's Antarctic Blog.

Stay warm while visiting the Arctic right from your classroom. Join SeaWorld Animal Ambassador Julie Scardina as she views arctic animals in Glacier Bay, Alaska in this AnimalWise video podcast.