Polar bears have a heavy stout body with strong muscular legs and well-developed leg muscles.
They have short hair covered ears and a short tail. The front paws of a polar bear are very large and they have a slight web between their toes. The diameter of the bears forepaw can be up to 12 inches. Their slightly webbed feet are used to propel them through the water.
Polar bear fur is not white, despite what we see. It looks white because the hair has a hollow core that scatters and reflects visible light, like snow and ice do. The hollow hairs help the polar bear float.
The two layers of "white" fur help to camouflage the bear in its surroundings.
Polar Bear video.
Where do Polar bears live?
The semiaquatic polar bear was once considered to be nomadic, but has since been shown to have a very large home range — up to about 115 square miles. Polar bears live in the circumpolar north in areas where they can hunt seals at openings in the sea ice called “leads”. There are five nations with polar bears: U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Greenland (Denmark), and Norway. Polar bears do not live in Antarctica. Penguins do.
What does a Polar bear eat?
These powerful predators typically prey on seals. In search of this quarry they frequent areas of shifting, cracking ice where seals may surface to breath air. They also stalk ice edges and breathing holes. If the opportunity presents itself, polar bears will also consume carcasses, such as those of dead whales. These Arctic giants are the masters of their environment and have no natural enemies. Ringed seals are their preferred prey, but in winter, they will eat anything they can catch. In summer, they eat leaves, berries and seaweed.
How big are polar bears?
Very big! Adult males measure 2.5 to 3 meters (8 to 10 feet) tall and can weigh 250 to 770 kilograms (550 to 1,700 pounds). Adult females measure 1.8 to 2.5 meters (6 to 8 feet) tall and weigh 90 to 320 kilograms (200 to 700 pounds). The largest polar bear ever recorded was a male weighing 2,209 pounds!
Can polar bears live in cold weather?
Polar bears are made for the cold. Their hairs are hollow, making for excellent insulation that is capable of trapping much of their body heat. Only the nose and eyes radiate heat, so they cover them with their paws when they sleep. This adaptation to freezing temperatures may be the polar bear's downfall at this time of global warming. As the earth heats up due to human-created greenhouse gases, the ice has begun to melt, putting the existence of the polar bear in jeopardy.
Can polar bears swim?
Polar bears roam the Arctic ice sheets and swim in that region's coastal waters. They are very strong swimmers, and their large front paws, which they use to paddle, are slightly webbed. Some polar bears have been seen swimming hundreds of miles from land—though they probably cover most of that distance by floating on sheets of ice.
Did you know this about polar bears?
The polar bear has about one million hairs per square inch, which helps it stay warm in icy cold water. In comparison. humans have about 20,000 hairs per square inch on their heads.
The polar bear is so well-adapted to freezing temperatures that it overheats at those above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This is why their zoo enclosures are typically refridgerated and equipped with chilled cooling pools.
Able to shift into a hibernation-like metabolism pattern during periods of food shortage, the polar bear is the most advanced of all mammals when it comes to dealing with food and water depravation.
The best place to view polar bears in the wild is the small town of Churchill at Hudson Bay. The polar bears often walk within 10 feet of the visiting eco-tourists.
Polar Bear images
Polar Bear Wallpapers
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Polar Bear Coloring pages
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