Polar bears are extravagant animals and extremely large. The polar bears native range is within the Arctic Circle surrounding the Arctic Ocean. Since these animals spend most of their life on the sea ice they depend on it, and therefore are classified as marine mammals. Polar bears have many body characteristics adapted for the extremely cold climate they live in and have evolved to full-fill their role in the ecosystem, their main diet is seal and they catch them by standing on the edge of the sea ice.
An adult polar bear is called a (boar) and weighs around 772 pounds to 1,543 pounds and can be 7 ft 10 in. - 9 ft 10 in. in height, an adult female is called a (sow) and generally weighs about half the size of a boar and is 5 ft 11 in. – 7 ft 10 in. in height, these large animals have adapted not only for the cold temperatures but also for moving across the snow, ice and open water. Polar bears are insulated by 4in of adipose tissue also known as blubber, and their fur consists of 2 layers, the outer layer consists of guard hairs that are transparent but appear to be white to tan and the second layer consists of an extremely dense underfur. They have 42 teeth that reflect their highly carnivorous diet.
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These bears have an excellent sense of smell which helps them locate a seal breathing hole. When a bear locates a breathing hole, they crouch nearby in silence and wait for a seal to appear, they may lay and wait for several hours. When the bear smells the breath it then reaches into the hole and grabs the seal. Polar bears also have another hunting tactic, which is stalking the seals while there on the ice, when spotting a seal, they will stay about 100 yards away and crouch, if the seal doesn’t notice, the bear will silently get closer to about 30-40ft from the seal then suddenly rushes to attack. The third hunting method is to raid the birth lairs the female seals create in the
The polar bear possesses a low, flat skull with high-sitting eyes which is best suited to a semi-aquatic life. This also benefits the Polar bear by enabling them to put their heads into puppy dens or breathing holes.
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.
Their feet are made for the ice and snow; they have rough leather pads so they don’t slip on ice, fur between toes and sharp claws as a weapon. They are plantigrade and left handed. Their toes are webbed so they can swim in water. Their fur is a yellowish white; the top lay is long and hollow to absorb heat and can float in the water. The undercoat covers their black skin that has four inches of blubber, which is an extra layer of warmth. This kind of coat makes it uncomfortable for polar bears to be in the heat. A polar bears sense of smell is the best sense they have, they mostly rely on it. It can smell a dead whale 15 miles away, can smell where a seal is hiding in six inches of ice, and can smell a human before they could even see them. Their eyes are small to block out the sun reflecting off the snow and their ears are small, close to their heads to keep warm.
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 polar bear, the largest land carnivore in North America, one of the largest animals in the world and a favorite at zoos worldwide, has, over the years, adapted to its harsh Arctic environment. The appropriately named ‘ursus maritimum’ or sea bear usually lives between 15 and 18 years in the wild and spends most of its life on ice. It is the most recent of the eight bear species. The first polar bear was a brown bear subspecies, with brown bear dimensions and brown bear teeth. The polar bear evolution was rapid due to the small population and extreme pressure to survive. Even today, the polar bear continues to evolve to better adapt to the harsh realities of Arctic life.
Wild bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) have inward confronts, an unique mound on their shoulders, and long paws around two to four inches in length. Both the protuberance and the hooks are characteristics
The polar bear is a burly white bear that lives in the lands surrounding the north pole. The polar bears is threatened species because their population is decreasing due to sea ice melting
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).
Polar bears are one of the most endangered species in the IUCN states this is due to Global warming which most of us are still ignorant about, It has a climatic impact on the Arctic by the rising temperature which results in melting the ice glacier and these glaciers are the homes of polar bears that have been disappearing and shrinking making it
The polar bear has to be able to stay warm in the harsh winter cold. In fact sometimes because they have such thick fur they have to lay down on the snow to cool off so the harsh cold isnt even enough to keep them up to tempreture.
As polar bears inhabit the Arctic regions of five separate nations, it is important to examine the different nation specific management plans in place for conservation of the species. By examining the various management plans in place, a comprehensive look into polar bear management of the species on a global level may be achieved. Of the five nations with polar bear populations, the three largest have some form of a national management plan in place. However, in all five nations, all have specific polar bear hunting regulations and restrictions that also assist in polar bear preservation.
Artic Polar Bears have made many adaptations to live in the harsh climates of the Artic. These Polar Bears live in the northern areas of the world which is some of the harshest climates in the world.
The average temperature of a polar bear is 37°C, they are able to maintain this temperature by the thick layer of fur they have, they also have a tough hide and a insulating fat layer. This insulation is able to keep the polar bear warm in temperatures that drop to -37°C. However as polar bears have a very thick layer of fat they can overheat and can die because of this, so the way they are able to keep cool is they do not travel for too long at a slow pace. Doing this stops the polar bear from overheating. If there is excess heat it will be released through the nose, ears, muzzle, footpads, thighs and shoulders as these areas do not have any fur covering it and these areas they have blood vessels which are located close to the skin. Another thing they can do to cool down
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the biggest terrestrial mammal in the Arctic. He is also considered as an animal with a circumpolar or broad distribution in polar regions. The conservation status of bear remains problematic, according to the global warming that is happening now. If further managements are not implanted, polar bear population`s will disappear in the future. The polar bears live in the Arctic, an ocean surrounded by land. The Arctic has a very low species diversity and polar bears the first animal into the food chain. Also, the Arctic has cold winters which are not suitable for some aquatic species. With global warming and interglacial period, the ice and snow began to recede about 20.000 years ago. The rate of ice loss has
Polar bears are one of so many animals that are going extinct . The polar bear is a bear who is a carnivorous whose native range lives in the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. The polar bear is going extinct for many reasons but the main reasons is that there is ongoing and potential loss of their sea ice habitat because of climate change.According to WWF “Polar bears were listed as a threatened species in the US under the Endangered Species act in May 2008. The survival and the protection of the polar bear habitat are urgent issues.”