Library Images
Arctic Horses Under the
Whispering Stars
Arctic Horses under the Whispering Stars
It’s mid-winter in the Siberian taiga just north of the Arctic
circle, and in a forest clearing a group of horses clear away snow with
their hooves to feed on the grasses buried beneath. The temperature
is minus 53 degrees Celsius and their breath freezes instantly in the
cold air and a thick layer of ice has formed in the hair around their
nostrils and mouth. Somehow horses are not an animal one would normally
associate with this arctic environment, but these seemed in good condition,
short stocky and fat. This hardy breed of horse known as the “Yakut”
thrives in the Siberian Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)” despite the
fact that this region has the coldest climate of anywhere in the Northern
Hemisphere. A record-breaking low temperature of minus -67.8? Celsius
(-90.4?F) was measured there in January 1885. What seems really remarkable
is that during the long and extremely cold winters, these horses are
able to fend for themselves and require no shelter or supplementary
feeding. Not only do they survive in the cold, but they are also able
to endure the sweltering heat of summer when temperatures can rise to
plus forty degrees Celsius, giving the region the greatest temperature
range of anywhere on Earth. During the winter much of Yakutia experiences
a temperature inversion which results in an unusual phenomena. When
the temperature dips below minus 53 degrees Celsius, you can often hear
a soft whooshing noise like the sound of grain being poured. It is caused
by vapour in one’s own breath turning to ice crystals in the cold,
dry air. Because sound travels much further in extreme cold, It can
be particularly noticeable if you a close to a group of horses in the
taiga on a cold, still night. The local Yakut people call this sound
“The Whisper of the Stars.”
