When the Bing homepage turns white with snow and ice, an Arctic animals quiz usually follows. Polar bears headline these questions, but Arctic foxes, walruses, narwhals and seabirds all make appearances, and there's one classic trick question worth knowing in advance.
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The classic trick: penguins
The single most common catch in Arctic quizzes is the penguin question. Penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, around Antarctica and nearby coasts, not the Arctic. Polar bears, meanwhile, live only in the Arctic, which is why the two never meet in the wild. If a question asks which animal does not belong in the Arctic, penguin is very often the answer.
Polar bear facts Bing loves
Polar bears are the largest land carnivores, their skin is black beneath translucent fur that appears white, they hunt seals from sea ice, and they're classified as marine mammals. Questions about their diet (mainly seals) and their conservation status (vulnerable, due to shrinking sea ice) come up regularly.
Other Arctic regulars
Arctic foxes change coat colour with the seasons, white in winter and brown-grey in summer. Narwhals are the 'unicorns of the sea', their tusk being an elongated tooth. Walruses use their tusks to haul out onto ice, and snowy owls and Arctic terns cover the bird questions, with the tern famous for the longest migration of any animal.
Answering with confidence
Identify the species from the image caption first, then search that species plus the exact trait being asked, diet, habitat, adaptation. Keep the hemisphere rule in mind, Arctic means north, Antarctic means south, and half the trick questions solve themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do polar bears and penguins live together?
No. Polar bears live only in the Arctic (north) and penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere around Antarctica, so they never meet in the wild, a classic quiz trick.
What do polar bears mainly eat?
Seals, which they hunt from sea ice. Polar bears are the largest land carnivores and are classified as marine mammals.
Why does the Arctic fox change colour?
Its coat turns white in winter and brown-grey in summer for camouflage against snow and tundra, one of Bing's favourite adaptation questions.