POLAR BEAR - SEA BEAR - ICE BEAR - NANUK - ISBJORN - BELIY MEDVED - WHITE BEAR
what are polar bears?
Polar bears are big arctic bears that go by the scientific name " Ursus maritimus". Polar bears also have many other names due to the many different countries they inhabit, Russian people would call the polar bear a "Beliy Medved" which literally translates to white bear. They have a common ancestor with the brown bear, but studies suggest these bears diverged 5 million years ago (Polar Bear International, 2014).
How Do polar bears look?Polar bears are large bears that are covered in clear fur that appears white, to camouflage with the snow and black skin underneath. The black skin provides the polar bears warmth as it absorbs heat due to it being a dark colour. Polar bears have small ears to not lose heat easily as well as they are very fat to keep warm in the very harsh arctic environment. They have rare front paws for swimming because they are webbed and no other bear has this adaptation. The skin on their feet is also adapted to the ice so that the bears do not slip it is rough and hairy (Polar Bear International, 2014).
Male - 350-700 kg Female- 150 to 250 kg Where do polar bears live? what do they eat? Polar bears have adaptations for really harsh snowy environments with their thick fur and a large amount of fat. Polar bears live in arctic regions where there are large amounts of ice due to ice being their primary hunting ground. Polar bears inhabit Canada, USA (Alaska), Norway, Russia, and Greenland. Polar bears hunt seals in ice holes where the seals come up to breath. Polar bears mostly eat ringed or bearded seals depending what country the polar bears live. Polar bears can also eat walrus, fish, sea birds and their eggs, and they scavenge dead bodies of animals such as whales (WWF, 2012).
Baby polar bears live with their mothers until the age of 2-3 when they become large and skilled enough to hunt seals and scavenge food. When the mother hunts the baby polar bears have to stay in or close to the den in order to avoid being hunted (National Wildlife Federation, 2010). Polar bears are at the top of the food chain in the arctic because they are very adapted to both land and sea. They are camouflaged with their white fur and their webbed paws allow them to be great swimmers (Polar Bear International, 2014). (Polar Bear International, 2014)
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- the pictures above demonstrate key features in the polar bear.
-the pictures below are images of baby polar bears. Cool facts about polar bears1. Polar bears can partially hibernate by lowering their body temperature.
2. Pronounced in May 2008 that they are endangered by the USA. 3. Polar bears may look albino due to their white fur but they are not. 4. A common misconception that polar bears live in Antartica and they do not. 5. Polar bears may migrate due to ice receding and them needing to catch prey. 6. Polar bears on average give birth to 2 cubs, it is rare for 1 or 3 to be born. 7. Kingdom -Animalia Phylum - Chordata Class -Mammalia Order -Carnivora Family - Ursidae Genus - Ursus Species - Ursus maritimus (which means sea bear) 8. Polar bears appear white due to having clear hollow tubes as fur that reflect light appearing white. 9. Polar bears only predator is a human! We cause global warming and hunt them. 10. Polar bear give birth in the winter. 11. Polar bear babies weight less than a pound when they are born. 12. Polar bears can shake dry after swimming due to they're waterproof coat which is oily. 13. Polar bears mating season is from March to July, but the egg is not fertilized until September. 14. Polar bears do not mate until they reach the age of 4-5. 15. Even though polar bears live in very arctic areas they get overheated much more often than getting cold. 16. 98% of the hunts of polar bears are unsuccessful. (Polar Bear International, 2014) |