Knowra Wrangel Island Wrangel Island Wrangel Island is a Russian island in the Arctic Ocean between the Chukchi and East Siberian seas. It is known for its Arctic wildlife and for evidence of a mammoth population that survived there until about 4,000 years ago.
Wrangel Island woolly mammoth : A late-surviving population of woolly mammoths that lived on Wrangel Island until roughly 4,000 years ago. The island sheltered this population long after mammoths disappeared from most of mainland Eurasia.
Sea ice : Frozen seawater that forms, moves, and melts across polar oceans. Changing sea ice connects the island’s marine food webs and affects access to coastal habitat.
Ferdinand von Wrangel : A Russian naval officer and Arctic explorer who led expeditions to northeastern Siberia in the early nineteenth century. The island was named for Wrangel, who searched for land in the region but did not reach it.
UNESCO World Heritage Site : A place recognized under the World Heritage Convention for outstanding cultural or natural value. Wrangel Island’s ecological and geological importance led to international heritage recognition.
Chukotka : A sparsely populated region of Russia’s Far East bordering the Bering and Chukchi seas. Wrangel Island is administered as part of Chukotka, not as a separate region.
Polar bear : A large Arctic bear adapted to life on sea ice and along northern coasts. Wrangel Island is a major denning area for polar bears.
Arctic tundra : A treeless biome of cold regions, with permafrost, low-growing plants, and a short growing season. The island’s land ecosystems are part of the wider Arctic tundra biome.
Thomas Long : An American whaling captain who reached Wrangel Island in 1867 and named it. Long’s voyage brought the island into recorded Western exploration.
Arctic climate change : The rapid warming and environmental shifts occurring across the Arctic. Changes in sea ice and permafrost affect habitats and wildlife around the island.
Herald Island : A small Russian island in the Chukchi Sea, east of Wrangel Island. Herald Island is a nearby, much smaller part of the protected island group.
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