A New Coat for Christmas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Iceland

Arctic foxes are found all across the Arctic tundra, including Canada, Russia and parts of Scandinavia. They are protected from the elements by their thick fur, which even extends to their paws. Their acute hearing allows them to find prey under snow and they then make the catch by leaping into the air and breaking through the snow.

Although Iceland has indigenous sea mammals, the Arctic fox is the only land mammal native to the island.

Answer: Snowy owl

The snowy owl's white plumage gives it excellent camouflage. The males have almost entirely white feathers, while the females have bars of black or brown. Chicks have more prominent dark feathers, which they lose as they mature, and all of them have piercing yellow eyes.

They feed mainly on small rodents but can take larger mammals such as hares and squirrels, and birds, including ducks and gulls.

Answer: Finland

Apart from the three countries listed in the answer options, the signatories were the Soviet Union (as it then was) and Norway - Denmark signed on behalf of Greenland. The five countries were those with the largest populations of polar bears, with the aim being to ban hunting of the bears for sport. In addition, the nations agreed to maintain the habitat of the polar bears.

Answer: Ermine

Stoats and weasels have brown fur during the warmer months, but turn white during winter in the colder regions of their habitat. The white fur was especially prized as a luxury trimming for clothing, and the expression 'taking the ermine' is often used to denote someone becoming a Peer of the Realm in the United Kingdom.

Answer: False

The opposite is true, as the snow goose breeds in the northern regions of Canada, parts of Siberia, Greenland and Alaska. It spends the winter months further south in regions of the USA and Mexico before migrating north for the breeding season. Although many snow geese have white plumage, there is another variety known as the blue morph, which has bluish grey feathers.

Answer: Leaves

Also known as the polar rabbit, the Arctic hare is another resident of Greenland and Canada's northernmost regions. Their winter coat is almost entirely white, while they can be grey or brown during the warmer months, depending upon their habitat. Although their preferred diet is foliage, they will eat all parts of a plant, including the ones listed.

They will also eat insects and carrion, so some sources class them as omnivores.

Answer: Svalbard

The summer coat is brown but lightens to grey or whitish yellow in the winter months. Compared to other reindeer, the Svalbard has shorter legs and a rounder head. The species has been resident on the Svalbard archipelago for thousands of years. Of the options listed, only Svalbard belongs to Norway, although it is probably better known by its earlier name of Spitsbergen.

Answer: Kits

Wolverines can be found in Canada, Russia (including Siberia), parts of the USA and the Scandinavian countries of Finland, Sweden and Norway. Their very thick fur gives them good protection from the cold weather, but also made them a target for hunters who could see the benefits of their pelts. The youngsters are normally born, with completely white fur, between January and March.

Answer: Grouse

The name of the bird does not come from the Greek language but from the Scottish Gaelic word meaning croaker. The superfluous initial p was added in the seventeenth century. The rock ptarmigan can be found across most of the Arctic region and as far south as Scotland, the Pyrenees and Bulgaria - birds living in the southern part of their range do not change colour, though.

Answer: Collared lemming

The collared lemming has gray fur, with black stripes, during the summer months, changing to white during the winter. It provides a good source of food for many of the other Arctic residents covered in this quiz, such as the polar bear, Arctic fox and snowy owl.