The Polar Bear
Ursus maritimus
The polar bear or the
sea/ice bear are the world's largest land predators. They can be
found in the Artic, the U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark
(Greenland), and Norway. Each of these countries either banned
hunting or established rules for how many polar bears could be hunted
within its own boundaries. These rules help keep polar bear populations
stable. Today, 25,000 to 40,000 polar bears roam the Arctic.
Please note: The photos on this page
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Approximate
worldwide winter distribution of polar bears (light gray). Polar bears are
distributed throughout most ice-covered seas of the Northern Hemisphere. Source:
http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/amstrup-1.php |
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Around the age of four or five the
female polar bear can start having babies. They usually only have two cubs
and they have these babies in a cave they've dug in a large snow
drift. They stay there over winter and come out in spring with the
babies.
The babies are much smaller than human
babies
when they're born. They are the size of a rat and weigh little more
than a pound. They can grow to full man size in a year if they have
lots of food.
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Male polar bears may grow 10
feet tall and weigh over 1400 pounds. Females reach seven feet and
weigh 650 pounds. In the wild polar bears live up to age 25.
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Pair of polar bear cubs. |
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Despite what we think, a
polar bear's fur is not white. Each hair is clear hollow tube. Polar bears look white because each hollow hair reflects the
light. On sunny days, it traps the sun's infrared heat and keeps the bear
warm at 98 degrees F (when they're resting).
Polar bear fur is oily and water
repellent. The hairs don't mat when wet, allowing the polar bears to
easily shake free of water and any ice that may form after swimming. |
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Polar bears
have wide front paws with slightly webbed toes that help them swim.
They paddle with their front feet and steer with their hind feet.
Paw pads with rough surfaces help prevent polar bears from slipping up on
the ice.
Polar bears have
been known to swim 100 miles (161 kilometers) at a stretch.
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The
smallest foot pad is the front track and the
larger is the hind track.
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Polar bears primarily
eat seals. They often rest silently at a seal’s breathing hole in the
ice, waiting for a seal in the water to surface. Once the seal comes up,
the bear will spring and sink its jagged teeth into the seal’s head.
Sometimes the polar bear
stalks its prey. It may see a seal lying near its breathing hole and
slowly move toward it, then charge it, biting its head or grabbing it with
its massive claws. A polar bear may also hunt by swimming beneath the ice.
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Humans are the polar bears only
predator. Baby polar bears often starve. In fact,
70 percent do not live to their third birthday. Sometimes seals are hard
to find, especially in the summer when the ice has melted. All across the
Arctic, man is moving in to mine oil and coal and there is less space for the polar
bear to live. Oil spills can be very dangerous. A bear with oil on
its coat cannot regulate its body temperature properly. If the bear eats
the oil while grooming it could die.
Man made pollution is also a cause of
death. At each stage of the food chain, pollutants get more
concentrated. By the end when the polar bear eats the seal and it could be
lethal.
Scientific genus and species: Ursus maritimus
- Class: Mammalia (mammals)
- Order:
Carnivora (carnivores)
- Family:
Ursidae (bear family)
- Genus:
Ursus
- Species: maritimus
(meaning "sea bear")
Polar Bear On-Line Jigsaw Puzzles
(Puzzle 1: Polar Bear) (Puzzle
2: Polar Bear with cub) (Puzzle 3:
Seal)
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