Today, we went out on a boat to see the puffins!
Why puffins? Well, there are two main reasons which I hope to prove in this blog entry: 1) Puffins are adorable and 2) Puffins are one of the only unusual animals in Iceland. First of all, here are some cute photos that I took of the puffins!
So many horses!
I hope you agree that puffins are very cute. So, why do I say that puffins are one of the only unusual animals? Well, most of the other animals in Iceland were brought in from other countries, like horses, cows, sheep, dogs, cats, etc. Iceland does have arctic foxes and minks, but those were also brought over by Europeans to use for fur. Where are the other animals? It makes sense that there aren’t elephants or lions, because of the weather, but why not squirrels or raccoons or something?
Polar bears: Bigger than I would have guessed!
Well, Iceland is an island, and animals that walk on land can’t get there easily. There are plenty of animals in the sea (from small fish to big whales) and there are lots of birds, but not a lot of mammals. Believe it or not, a few polar bears have made it over to Iceland by floating on glaciers from Greenland. That’s a long way, and it’s not an easy trip! There aren’t currently any living polar bears in Iceland — just this stuffed guy that was in the lobby of one of the hotels that we stayed in. As you can see, I almost got attacked!
Some interesting terrain of Iceland, taken out my plane window
You might be wondering how animals end up in any country, and this relates to a very interesting question that one of my students, Sean, asked in his comments today. Sean wondered how old Iceland is, because I wrote in a previous post that it was a young country. Basically, scientists estimate that Iceland was formed by volcanos about 20 million years old. They estimate that other land on our planet was formed 250 million years ago, back when all the land was connected in a big mass we call Pangea. Around 100 million years ago, it all began to break up into the land we have today. People have only been around in our current form for about 200, 000 years, which is a very short amount of time in Earth’s life. Anyway, there are more animals on these bigger continents because they evolved from other animals, and even dinosaurs, that lived before people. If you want to see big animals, go elsewhere. If you want to see interesting landscapes, birds, and fish, Iceland is the place to be!
It’s so easy to get these beautiful photos here!
Categories: Iceland
Innovation on Earth 
It’s cool how polar bears floated over on pieces of ice. It is also weird how some other animals were brought over, but puffins weren’t brought over. How come there aren’t more animals that weren’t brought over?
Well, people bring over animals that are useful to them, like cows for milk. But puffins are birds, so they can fly over themselves!
Well, generally it’s better for animals to live in a place that is natural for them. For example, we don’t want to bring many elephants over to New England. I don’t think that would go over well to have elephants trying to cross the highways! So, people have to be careful about introducing new species in new places.
The puffins are very cute, along with the horses. 🙂 It’s interesting and exciting to hear that polar bears have been found in Iceland too! By the way, is the bear you saw in the lobby real?
I have no doubt that Iceland is filled with all types of fish and whales, but you mentioned that there aren’t a lot of mammals. What are the few types of mammals that are native to Iceland (besides polar bears)? Also, what are some of the other types of birds that live there (besides puffins)?
Yes, the polar bear was a real stuffed one, I think. Polar bears aren’t native to Iceland, and the only mammals that are native there are ones that swim, like whales. There are tons of birds in Iceland — I don’t know the names! But we saw lots of ducks, seagulls, and other sea birds.
Puffins are cute but, how did puffins get to iceland if it is one of some newer islands? Did they fly to iceland from some place else or where they always their or where they brought over?Do some polar bears drown if the ice they where on broke? Do you think if a fish came by the polar bears cought it and ate it? The land scape is very beautiful and green. I love to see trees that are not in po uluted by fumes from factorys and cars.We need trees or we will die!
Puffins flew to Iceland, yes! I’m not sure what the polar bear journey would be like, but yes, I bet they eat lots of fish and other sea animals, like seals.
Are Puffins like penguins? Do they waddle and lay eggs? Are the Puffins more like birds or penguins? They kind of look like Toucans too!! Also about how long did it take the polar bears to get to Iceland? Can the polar bears swim their way there or will they get too cold or tired and drown? How will they survive out there if they don’t have any food? Do the polar bears bend down and put their face in the water and catch fish??
Hi Natalia! Both puffins and penguins are black and white birds, so yes, they lay eggs and all that. Both puffins and penguins can swim well too, but penguins can’t fly like the puffins! I don’t really know the answers to all of your polar bear questions, except that it is WAY too far from a polar bear to swim from Greenland, but they are comfortable in cold weather and they do eat all types of meat, including fish. So, that’s why it’s possible to float on a glacier and probably swim partway too.
The puffins are cute.I loved the pics.Are puffins birds?Do they fly?
Yes! You can see them flying in the photos.
I agree, Puffins are adorable! I loved the pictures, I did not know puffins could fly. I think that its cool that the polar bears floated on glaciers to get to Iceland. I was wondering why there is no polar bears in Iceland, do you know why? I did not expect Iceland to have been formed by volcanoes!
I think the puffins are cute also, but why are they called puffins?
OMG the puffins are so cute.I think that they are one of the cutest animals in the world.I hope I get to eventualy see them in person.The scenery is so beatiful I’m speechless.I hope I eventualy get to go there myself.
I googled Puffins and learned that they migrate as far south as Maine to mate. Puffins mate when they are mature; about 5 years old.
In the pictures of the puffins, I thought that they looked like they are waddling like penguins do. I wondered if the Puffins are related to the penguins. So I looked it up, and found out that penguins belong to the family Spheniscidae, and puffins belong to the family Alcidae. They are not related. They just look similar. Also, I agree what you said in the picture they do look cute.
Iceland seems like a beautiful place! I was wondering which place would you rather live in or liked visiting better, Japan, or Iceland? Also, Why are their no living Polar Bears in Iceland at the moment? Lastly I agree that puffins are very cute!
I loved both trips — I’m not sure I could choose! It was neat to get to know a lot of Japanese people and visit schools in Japan, so probably I’d have to say my favorite was Japan. I don’t know why there are no polar bears in Iceland now. Good question!
I think those puffin’s are so so so so so so so so so so so ( CUTE ) !!!!!!! 🙂
you are so lucky i always wanted to see one
How old do puffins get?
I think going to Iceland would be so cool! If Iceland is an island than why are there not more island animals and whether conditions?