Polar Bear

Unique white bears.

• Polar bears are found in one of the coldest parts of the Earth – the Arctic region.
• The scientific name for a polar bear is Ursus maritimus, meaning sea or marine bear, and they are the worlds biggest bear along with the Kodiak bear, and they have no predators.
• Polar bears have camouflaging, white, warm fur and a thick layer of blubber that helps to protect the animal from the cold and also gives buoyancy in the water, and underneath the fur they have black skin that absorbs heat from the sun.
• Polar bears can grow up to, from head to body, 2.2 to 2.5 meters (7.25 to 8 feet) in length and weigh up to 250 to 720 kg (550 to 1600 pounds).
• Seals are the main food in the polar bear’s carnivorous diet but they also eat already dead animals such as whales.

Polar Bear
Image courtesy of National Geographic

• Female polar bears have their babies in winter (November to January) in an ice den in which they build and stay in from autumn, and usually give birth to two cubs.
• Baby polar bears leave their mother at approximately 2 ½ years old, when they are weaned and have learnt all survival skills.
• Polar bears tend to stalk and prey on seals, and have an excellent sense of smell and can detect a seal that is over 1.5 km (0.9 miles) away.
• Polar bears have rough paw surfaces to easily grip on the ice and they are strong, long distance swimmers.
• It is estimated that there are 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears left in the world, and it has become illegal to hunt polar bears in most countries, although indigenous people that rely on polar bears for food or income are still allowed to hunt them.

Bibliography:
Polar Bear, 2013, National Geographic, <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/polar-bear/>