Polar Bear
Ursus maritimus
Polar bears live in cold environments, mostly in the Northern Arctic region. Polar bears are omnivorous: they feed on both animals and plants. Seals and narwhals are their prey. Polar bears need glaciers and ice caps to hunt because they need a physical platform with no water contact to capture their prey.
Credit: Cecile Fisher
SPECIES IN DETAIL
Polar Bear
Ursus maritimus
CONSERVATION STATUS: Vulnerable
CLIMATE CHANGE: Vulnerable
Geographic Distribution
Polar Bears mostly live at or near the Northern Pole that is also known as the Northern Arctic area. Not a lot of polar bears live in the Southern Hemisphere because the environment is not as cold and the number of ice caps are limited. Polar bears utilize the ice caps to hunt for food and avoid contact with the water.
Habitat
Polar bears normally live in areas that have cold temperatures with many ice caps. Not many polar bears call the Southern Hemisphere home because of warmer water temperatures.
Physical Characteristics
Both male and female polar bears are large animals who average over 2 meters (7 feet) long. They have white fur that covers black skin. Polar bears use their claws, along with sharp teeth, to hunt and gnaw on their food. Polar bears have a total of forty-four teeth: their incisors tear certain foods and their canine teeth tear tough skin.
Size
Adult Female polar bears weigh 149—250 kilograms (330-550 pounds) and reach 1.79—2.40 meters (5.9—7.9 feet) in length. The larger adult male and weigh 449 kilograms (990 pounds) and grow to 3 meters (10 feet) in height and 2.40—2.98 meters (7.9—9.8 feet) in length.
Diet
Polar bears feed on both animals and plants. Polar bears feed on plants like berries and animals such as certain breeds of walruses and narwhals. They will eat the carrion of these animals as well.
Reproduction
Polar bears are mammals so have live births. Young cubs stay with their mother for two to three years while they learn how to hunt and swim. Polar bears mate in the spring but the female can delay the implantation of the egg until the fall. During this time, the female almost doubles her body weight to have enough energy for herself and her newborn cub when they prepare a den for the fall and winter months.
Behavior
During mating season, male polar bears fight aggressively in order to decide who gets all the food. Polar bears also hibernate using stored fat that they acquired from previous meals. Polar bears dig underground burrows to protect themselves from the extreme cold weather.
Adaptation
Polar bears have fur on their paws that allows them to have a firm balance on ice when they are traveling. On top of that, their white fur allows them to camouflage themselves on the ice.
Longevity
These amazing animals live up to 20—30 years! A small population of polar bears has a different lifespan of 15—18 years old.
Conservation
Climate change in the Arctic has created a dilemma for the polar bear population. With rising temperatures, ice sheets necessary for hunting are decreasing in size and number. Facing this issue, polar bears have entered a phase of starvation and a related decrease in population size. On top of that, polar bears were hunted for their fur and meat; human actions are the primary cause of their population decreases.
Special Notes
Polar bears are the largest polar bear that live on land, and seals are their primary food source. Polar bears may look like they are white, but it’s their white fur! Underneath their fur polar bears have black skin!
SPECIES IN DETAIL | Print full entry
Polar Bear
Ursus maritimus
CONSERVATION STATUS: Vulnerable
CLIMATE CHANGE: Vulnerable
Polar Bears mostly live at or near the Northern Pole that is also known as the Northern Arctic area. Not a lot of polar bears live in the Southern Hemisphere because the environment is not as cold and the number of ice caps are limited. Polar bears utilize the ice caps to hunt for food and avoid contact with the water.
Polar bears normally live in areas that have cold temperatures with many ice caps. Not many polar bears call the Southern Hemisphere home because of warmer water temperatures.
Both male and female polar bears are large animals who average over 2 meters (7 feet) long. They have white fur that covers black skin. Polar bears use their claws, along with sharp teeth, to hunt and gnaw on their food. Polar bears have a total of forty-four teeth: their incisors tear certain foods and their canine teeth tear tough skin.
Adult Female polar bears weigh 149—250 kilograms (330-550 pounds) and reach 1.79—2.40 meters (5.9—7.9 feet) in length. The larger adult male and weigh 449 kilograms (990 pounds) and grow to 3 meters (10 feet) in height and 2.40—2.98 meters (7.9—9.8 feet) in length.
Polar bears feed on both animals and plants. Polar bears feed on plants like berries and animals such as certain breeds of walruses and narwhals. They will eat the carrion of these animals as well.
Polar bears are mammals so have live births. Young cubs stay with their mother for two to three years while they learn how to hunt and swim. Polar bears mate in the spring but the female can delay the implantation of the egg until the fall. During this time, the female almost doubles her body weight to have enough energy for herself and her newborn cub when they prepare a den for the fall and winter months.
During mating season, male polar bears fight aggressively in order to decide who gets all the food. Polar bears also hibernate using stored fat that they acquired from previous meals. Polar bears dig underground burrows to protect themselves from the extreme cold weather.
Polar bears have fur on their paws that allows them to have a firm balance on ice when they are traveling. On top of that, their white fur allows them to camouflage themselves on the ice.
These amazing animals live up to 20—30 years! A small population of polar bears has a different lifespan of 15—18 years old.
Climate change in the Arctic has created a dilemma for the polar bear population. With rising temperatures, ice sheets necessary for hunting are decreasing in size and number. Facing this issue, polar bears have entered a phase of starvation and a related decrease in population size. On top of that, polar bears were hunted for their fur and meat; human actions are the primary cause of their population decreases.
Polar bears are the largest polar bear that live on land, and seals are their primary food source. Polar bears may look like they are white, but it’s their white fur! Underneath their fur polar bears have black skin!