Polar Bear

Type: Carnivorous Animal

Scientific Name: Ursus maritimu         
                                 

Introduction:        
                              

                                                             

Polar Bear

Polar Bears only live where it is very cold around the Arctic Region. The only exception are those that live in captivity within zoos around the world. They have been able to adapt to the warmer climate very well in such locations. This is why many experts believe they were isolated to the Arctic millions of years ago due to environmental changes rather than being there out of necessity.

They are solitary animals, with bodies designed to handle the extremely cold weather. They are fascinating animals to watch too. They evolved from Brown Bears more than 38 million years ago, and now there are 19 species of them known in the world. They main food source for Polar Bears are various species of seals. These bears spend most of their life in the water.

Female Polar Bears that are pregnant are the only ones that hibernate. Their cubs are born while they are hibernating, and instinctively are able to get to the source of the mother’s milk on their own. They will remain in the den with their mother for several months before they emerge to the outside world. There are plenty of threats out there for young Polar Bears, and more than half of them will die within the first year of life.


Polar Bear Diet:

Polar Bear Hunted Seal

Their favorite foods include the ringed and bearded seal which is plentiful in the Arctic. Polar bears will eat sea birds and their eggs if available where they live. Their diet occasionally includes smaller whales (such as the beluga) and the walrus. Their eating habits include scavenging for dead animals including different types of whales and fish. The polar bear is an important part of Arctic food chain.

They are excellent hunters from both land and sea. From a distance, standing polar bears scope out their prey. Patiently waiting near a seal's breathing hole, they bite the head with their sharp teeth when the seal emerges. Hunting for their food using underwater tactics is another strategy. Submerged they will swim towards an exit in the surface, suddenly surface, and attack any seal resting nearby. In captivity they eat whatever diet is prepared for them.



Polar Bear Physical Characteristics:

• Average life span in the wild:
• 25 to 30 years
• Size:Head and body, 7.25 to 8 ft (2.2 to 2.5 m); Tail, 3 to 5 in (7.5 to 12.5 cm)
• Weight:
• 900 to 1,600 lbs (410 to 720 kg)
• Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:
• Male polar bears (boars) grow two to three times the size of females (sows). 

Reproduction:           

              

Polar Bear Cubs

Once mating is complete, the fertilized egg experiences a delay in growth untill August or September. She will be busy during this time filling up on food and gaining up to 440 pounds in the process. The weight gain will provide her with enough energy to allow her body to go dormant. Her heart rate will slow and the fertilized egg will begin to grow and develop while her body is dormant. The weight gain will keep her body nourished during this time. Her babies will be born between November and January in the three-chamber den she builds before going into her dormant period. Her cubs will stay with her for the first two to three years of their lives while she nourishes them and teaches them all about how to survive in the wild.

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