Polar Bear

Polar Bear

Weight

Range: Lands and islands around the North Pole.

Habitat: Pack ice and coastal waters.

Diet: Ringed seals, Walruses, Reindeer, small mammals and berries in the summer and autumn.

The huge polar bear is the largest land carnivore (meat eater) in the world. Apart from mothers with cubs, polar bears usually live alone. During the breeding season from March through June, females and males pair up briefly and mate. In late fall or early winter the female seeks out a suitable place to dig out a den where she will give birth to 1-4, but usually two cubs. Polar bears are well adapted to survive in their icy home. They have a heavy coat and a dense underfur that keeps out the intense cold. Additional protection comes from a layer of blubber (fat) just under the skin. The whitish color of the fur gives the polar bear ideal camouflage in the snowy landscape. The polar bear also has fur on the soles of its feet, between the foot pads, wich allows the bear to move across ice and snow without slipping. Polar bears feed mainly on seals, waiting for them to come up to surface to breath or stalking them while they rest on the ice. They also feed on carrion (dead animals) such as whales or walruses, and fish or crabs that have washed ashore.

DID YOU KNOW?
If you could magnify one of the polar bear's hairs, you'd see a hollow transparent tube with no color.  The polar bear's hair appears white to us because the rough inner surface of the hollow hairs reflect visible light. Ultraviolet light from the sun travels down the core of each hair where it is soaked up and stored by the bear's black skin.