Polar Bears Research Paper

The Polar bear lives in the artic and uses the area’s costal waters and ice sheets. They are well equipped to live in this environment because they have a thick coat which serves as an insulator. They mainly prey on seals but have also been known to consume dead whales. They can grow to be 7.25 to 8 feet tall and can weigh around 900 to 1,600 pounds. Polar bears are a keystone species, if their numbers decrease there is a possibility that the seal populations will increase which could be devastating for crustaceans and fish. They help keep populations in balance.

The Polar bear has developed a weaker cranial morphology that is less suited to consuming diets that consist of tough omnivorous or herbivorous substances, of which brown bears consume. The skull of the Polar bear had evolved at twice the rate of the bear species as a whole.

The melting sea ice is also affecting the polar bear's main prey, seals, forcing the bears to turn to alternate, less nutritious food sources. Once sea ice forms in the winter, seals use the ice to create dens to give birth to their pups. In these months, polar bears use sea ice as their hunting grounds to find seal dens. Now that Seasonal Ice is forming later and melting earlier (IPCC, 2013), seals have less time to build dens and give birth. Consequently, polar bears have less time to hunt their preferred prey of seal pups. They must spend more time on land hunting other animals of less nutritional value. Organizations like Sea World Parks have reported male polar bears occasionally eating newly-born polar bear cubs because they cannot find other food to eat. Lack of nutritional food leads to a reduced body size. Polar bears are becoming thinner and weaker from not eating enough (Rode, Amstrup, & Regehr 2010). They have to swim longer distances to find ice to hunt upon, causing many cubs to die because they are not yet strong enough. In the Hudson Bay, the average polar bear weight has decreased by 15% and the population has decreased by 20% (National Wildlife Federation). In the summer when there is no ice, polar bears in the Hudson Bay go onto land to fast until the ice reforms. Now that ice is

Polar bears are the top predator in the tundra biome. The polar bear mainly eats seals. Polar bears are the largest land carnivore on earth, their average weight is 990 for males, and 500 for females. Polar bears have white fur, but black skin. The black skin is used to absorb sunlight for warmth, while the white fur is used for camouflage.

One of the stand out animals there are the polar bears. Polar bears are known to roam and swim for hours. They spend their days hunting and sleeping after a great meal. They are surrounded by cold snow and ice, and enjoying their day in the snow (?Where do Polar Bears Live,? (n.d)). A polar bear usually feeds on seals. At the San Diego Zoo, the polar bear is woken up at 6:20 when the zookeeper makes its way to feed the polar bears. They are placed in separate rooms to eat, and their meal usually consists of meat, fish, and dog chow. Keep in mind, in the wild, polar bears prefer eating just seals, particularly ringed seals, but they don?t offer that here (?Polar Bear Mornings,? (n.d.)). The reason they don?t feed them seals is because a seal?s body is comprised of fat. Seals are an energy-rich food source, and one seal can provide eight days worth of energy. The fat keeps the polar bears warm in the cold artic (?What Does A,? (n.d.)). Keep in mind in San Diego the average temperature is about 70 Degrees Celsius. The polar bear?s diet is altered. They are also not able to hunt their food, which is what keeps them busy and entertained. The average polar bear enclosure in captivity is 1 million times smaller than the natural range of a polar bear in the wild. At around 9am the bears are moved to the main exhibit. Here people stare at them all

Polar bears diets mainly rely on seals so the current changes in ice will affect the life cycle of the seals as well as it will play a big role in the life cycle of an adult polar bear. A large decrease in adult polar bears has been noticed and is believed to have been noticed and is believed to have been caused by the ice changes over the last few years as the decline in the seal population results in the polar bears being hungry during the winter which means they are not storing enough fat to produce energy to keep them alive all winter resulting in the polar bears unable to survive the cold winter months without their natural food source (Prowse et al,

White bears require a variety of physical characteristics to survive in the harsh environment of the Arctic. Large, wide paws with bumps allow them to distribute weight and grip more efficiently. Water resistant fur with a luminescent quality keep the bear warm and dry. Additionally, Sharp and powerful teeth have the ability to penetrate hard flesh. These special features allow not only the ability to thrive in a difficult environment, but also are important for communicating with other species and another bear.

They need food, water, shelter, and a safe place to live. Depending on where they live they sometimes travel along a coast line which is a good place to find food. When the weather gets cold they return to their winter home, which they migrate to year after year. They return to their territory where they were born during the cold season to hibernate. Their hunting ground is their territory they sometimes share their territory with smaller animals and tend to go back to there hunting grounds year around; if they lose their hunting grounds to another bear they must find a new one. Polar bears hunt ring seals during the spring and early summer. They also eat wild berries, seaweed, and grass when they come across them. They will also go after snow geese, lemmings, birds’ eggs, dead whales, and walruses. They can get a successful kill every five days. (Smith)

The Polar Bear are found on the icy coasts that surrounds the North Poles and as far south as Hudson Bay. Around 60%of Polar Bears can be found in Canada with the remainings throughout Greenland, Alaska, Svalbard, and Russia where tend to be close to the ocean across the icy fields. The habitats are affected by human encroachment by hunting , and releasing chemical pollutants into the water.The Polar Bear eats Seals, Walrus, and Seabirds. Polar Bears can live up to 20-30 year. Polar Bears have a lot of fur and their fur is clear, white, or yellow. The Polar Bear is 6.5 ft-8.3ft. they can weigh up to 330lbs -1,322lbs and they can swim up to 25mph.

The favorite food of the polar bear is the ringed seal, however if hungry enough, they will eat other breeds of seals including bearded, harp, hooded and harbor. Polar bears will also eat beluga whales and walrus (Field Guide 2002). At times, they will even eat eggs, crabs and kelp (Milius 1994). The polar bear is strong enough to lift a beluga whale, several times its own weight, out of the water for a meal

The disappearance of ice in summer is forcing polar bears to go ashore. There may feed on bird eggs, berries and small mammals. But does the largest bears in the world will be able to survive the change of diet to ashore diet in a warming Arctic?

The truth is that polar bears are recorded as jeopardized and considered by numerous to be undermined. Explorers can keep away from the governmental issues of Alaska and see these superb animals on a Canadian polar bear visit before they vanish. (Gary 1993, p 117)

Polar bears live in the Arctic near large portions of ice found in the Arctic Ocean. Due to global warming, these species are forced to remain on coastlines or get stranded on small pieces of

The polar bear lives up in the Arctic region where global warming and climate change are melting the ice caps that the bears thrive on. They use the ice as a platform from hunting and rest. The random pocket holes in the ice, where the seals pop up at, is where the polar bear catches its prey. With this reduction of ice, “the abundance of seals, and increases the amount of energy and time needed for hunting, leaving less energy for reproduction” (Endangered Species and Habitats).

Can you imagine going from your warmy, sunshine state to the cold, tundra Artic? The polar bear and the Anglerfish are adapted to the extreme enviornments in which they live in. The polar bear and the anglerfish have characteristics to match each habitat they live in. The polar bear lives where the air, ice, and air intersect. They live most of their lives on sea ice. Where, the temperature an drop as low as 50 degrees Farenheit. On occasion, they might visit land only to build birthing dens for females. The famous polar bear may sound like it hibernates because you must think all bears hibernate, but believe it or not, the polar bear does not! They hunt year round which leaves no time to hibernate. The polar bear is the world's largest carnivore