The cub stays in the den with the mother until March, then, they all come out. The mother feeds the babies milk, which makes them grow fast, and after 10 weeks, the cubs weigh about 20 to 25 pounds (9.1 to 11.4 kilograms). Adult females are smaller, normally weighing 150 to 290 kilograms (330 to 650 pounds). Polar Bear Appearance. It has no natural predators and knows no fear of humans, making it an extremely dangerous animal. The babies are born six weeks after their mother mates. By the time they are two years old, the cubs have grown into large bears. Polar bears use their incisors to shear off pieces of blubber and flesh. These rules help keep the polar bear population where its at today. They are strong and fast, and can run as fast as 25 miles (40 km) an hour for a short distance. Wildscreen's Arkive project was launched in 2003 and grew to become the world's biggest encyclopaedia of life on Earth. Males are about 2.6 metres (8.5 feet) from head to tail. Additionally, polar bears are opportunistic as well as predatory: they will consume dead fish and carcasses of stranded whales and eat garbage near human settlements. Young polar bears wrestle in the snow to build their strength and skills. During the first year, the cubs begin to eat solid food but still nurse from their mother. A polar bear can crawl across ice too thin for a human to walk on. The muzzle is elongated with a "Roman-nosed" (slightly arched) snout. Polar Bear Description. [6] They are strong and can swim very well. Description of the Polar Bear When you think of a polar bear, you think of thick, white fur. Sunlight can pass through the thick fur, its heat being absorbed by the bear’s black skin. Polar bear is also called arctic bear or white bear. The bears are hunted especially by Inuit people for their hides, tendons, fat, and flesh. The broad feet have hairy soles to protect and insulate as well as to facilitate movement across ice, as does the uneven skin on the soles of the feet, which helps to prevent slipping. They live in very cold climates which is why they have thick, white fur to keep them warm. It has black skin under the white fur. Males weigh 900–1,600 pounds (410–720 kilograms). While they do spend most of their time in the water, they also spend time on land. They stand just over 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall at the shoulder and can reach a length of 8 feet (2.5 meters). Polar bears are opportunistic as well as predatory; they will consume dead fish and carcasses of stranded whales and eat garbage near human settlements. Their diet mainly consists of ringed and bearded seals because they need large amounts of fat to survive. © … Internationally, they are listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN. Polar bears are easily recognizable by their white fur, which yellows with age. Polar bears have 42 teeth, which they use for catching food and for aggressive behavior. [3] It is also called white bear or northern bear. No, polar bears are not an endangered species, but they are threatened. Corrections? They begin to learn to hunt and swim. Bears do not generally communicate by sound and usually are quiet, but they do growl at times when feeding, when being challenged by another bear or by humans, and when competing for mates.…, These include the polar bear (as much a marine as a terrestrial animal), caribou, arctic wolf, arctic fox, arctic weasel, arctic hare, brown and collared lemmings, ptarmigan, gyrfalcon, and snowy owl. 2) These are seriously big bears, gang. They can kill a predator with just one swat of their powerful front paws. Mating occurs in spring, and implantation of the fertilized ovum is delayed. Laws have been passed in many areas of the world to protect bears from hunters and the destruction of their habitat. It has no natural predators and knows no fear of humans, making it an extremely dangerous animal. across on adults. [7]. [30] Polar bears are stocky, with a long neck, relatively small head, short, rounded ears, and a short tail. Polar bears investigate the submarine USS Honolulu 450 kilometres (280 mi) from the North Pole The polar bear is found in the Arctic Circle and adjacent land masses as far south as Newfoundland Island. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. Polar bear scientists call this "the cowboy walk." The polar bear or the sea/ice bear are the world's largest land predators. Their huge size and weight make them the … Teeth. They have a long thin but well developed neck, highly developed hindquarters and a straight profile (Brown 1993, p 51). For bears, height is usually measured at the shoulder when the animal is on all fours, according to Polar Bear International. A polar bear is a great white northern bear (family Ursidae) found throughout the Arctic region. Sometimes, because of global warming, this is impossible and the cubs die before they have had a chance to live. [9], From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, This article is about the animal. Adult females … Each hair on a polar bear is hollow, and the skin beneath its fur is black. Males mature at about the same age as females but do not breed until a few years later. The skin is not white; it is black. They hunt and live alone. They can be found in the Artic, the U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark (Greenland), and Norway. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large bear which lives in the Arctic. Female polar bear weighs over 990 lbs (450 kg) and it averages up to 7 feet (214 cm) in the overall length. Adult males normally weight 350 to more than 600 kilograms (775 to more than 1,300 pounds). They can live off of one seal for many days, but it will make them hungry if they do. But they play with other bears they meet. Then they use their claws to slowly push themselves across the ice.[8]. Scientists have even seen a mother polar bear stand up and leap at a helicopter to keep it away from her cubs. Finally, the bear's skull was set on an ice floe to release its spirit back into the Arctic. One important adaptation of polar bears to their unique climate is the transparency of their thick fur, which allows sunlight to pass through and reach their black skin, where heat from the sun is then absorbed. Therefore, they can absorb sunlight efficiently. Polar bears are solitary and overwhelmingly carnivorous, feeding especially on the ringed seal but also on the bearded seal and other pinnipeds. [4], As adults, male bears fight with each other over a female each male fluffs out his coat of fur to make himself look bigger. It has black skin under the white fur. A boar (adult male) weighs around 350–700 kg (770–1,540 lb), while a sow (adult female) is about half that size. They spread out their legs and lay their bellies flat on the ice. Polar bears are the largest carnivorous land mammals on Earth. Polar bears mate in April or May. Paws:polar bear paws are perfect for roaming the Arctic. Mother polar bears will do anything to protect their young. Polar bears are apex predators. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) lives in the Arctic beyond the Arctic Circle in Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Russia, and in the areas covered by sea ice around the North Pole.It does not hibernate during winter, and stays in areas with sea ice, which helps him to move from one place to another and hunting for seals, mainly ringed and bearded. The world's largest land carnivore, a male polar bear can reach two to three metres in length and weigh between 300-800 kilograms. It has no natural predators and knows no fear of humans, making it an extremely dangerous animal. A polar bear is a great white northern bear (family Ursidae) found throughout the Arctic region. With their small ears and tails and short legs, polar bears are adapted to … They can be up to 250cm long and 160cm tall and weigh up to 600kg. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership - Now 30% off. Description. The polar bear was the most dangerous animal to hunt. Longevity in the wild is 25 to 30 years, but in captivity several polar bears have lived to more than 35 years old. After 24 hours, people's skin began to peel off. Then, he swaggers along, growling, to scare off his rival. They eat the ringed seal as well as the bearded seal and other pinnipeds. A baby polar bear has fluffy white fur which protects the cub from extreme Arctic chill. Young polar bears may die of starvation or may be killed by adult males, and for this reason female polar bears are extremely defensive of their young when adult males are present. Polar bears and grizzly bears can be dangerous to people, especially when they are sharing a habitat, but for the most part, bears are shy and are easily frightened of humans. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Another adaptation is polar bears’ use of only their front limbs when swimming, which is found in no other four-legged mammal. They are strong and fast, and can run as fast as 25 miles (40 km) an hour for a short distance. For other uses, see, 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T22823A14871490.en, https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Polar_bear&oldid=7234614, Беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎, Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. Compared to brown bears, polar bears have an elongated body and face. Polar bear fur is translucent, and only appears white because it reflects visible light. Polar bears are also the largest species of bear. Polar bear is a big bear by any standards. The polar bear digs a den in the snow, whereas grizzlies build large mounds of dirt in front of their dens. The Inuit gave thanks and respect in turn. Male polar bears are much larger than the females. Males weigh about 408 kilos (900 lbs) and females about 226 kilos (500 lbs). Then, a polar bear dance was held. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. They practice using their strong paws, and they show off their big, sharp teeth. The bear's blubber, meat, and fur all help the Inuit survive. When ice is very thin, polar bears extend their legs far apart and lower their bodies to distribute their weight even more. Then they come closer and touch noses. Polar bears live in the Arctic which is near the North Pole. Adult polar bears have no natural predators, though walruses and wolves can kill them. 22. It was also greatly respected for its strength and spirit. Females are about 2 metres (6.5 feet). Young Polar bears stay with their mothers for 1–2 years, and they become mature when they are 5–6 years old. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the category of vulnerable, as distinct from the category of endangered, means that polar bears have a slightly lower risk of extinction than if they were endangered. They grow up to a length of 8.3 feet (253 cm). Due to the absence of human development in its remote habitat, it retains more of its original range than any other extant carnivore. Model forecasts by the U.S. Geological Survey suggest that habitat loss may cause polar bear populations to decline by two-thirds by the year 2050. The male, which is much larger than the female, weighs 410 to 720 kg (900 to 1,600 pounds). Each of these countries either banned hunting or established rules for how many polar bears could be … Description. [9] Inuit people knew that eating the liver could cause sickness and death. It grows to about 1.6 metres (5.3 feet) tall at the shoulder and 2.2–2.5 metres in length. But they cannot live on their own. External Description. A Polar Bears skin, visible only on the nose and footpads, is black. Polar bear fur is made up of a layer of dense underfur and an outer layer of "guard hairs", which appear white to tan but are actually translucent. The cub is born in December, when the mother is hibernating. They eat immediately after hibernating. In May 2008 the U.S. government listed the polar bear as a threatened species. A polar bear's paws are perfect snowshoes for them. The polar bear eats seals, fish and fruits (berries). While adult polar bears are perfectly insulated by the dense white fur, baby polar bears develop lighter furs in the initial days following the birth. Females first reproduce at four to eight years of age and breed every two to four years thereafter. After a hunt, they held a celebration that lasted for several days. In Russia, polar bears are classified as a Red Data Book species, a listing that includes animals considered rare or endangered. They are about seven to eight feet long, measured from the nose to the tip of their very short tail. These bears are massive, with the largest ever recorded standing just over 11 ft. tall on its hind legs! On average, polar bears on all fours are 3.5 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) tall, but when standing on its hind legs, an adult male polar bear may reach more than 10 feet (3 m). Polar bears have 42 teeth. As their prey is aquatic, polar bears are excellent swimmers, and they are even known to kill beluga whales. Polar bear males are larger than females. The nose is broad and black. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... See how a polar bear preys on a walrus in this video. The sharp claws help grip the ice. The bear spends more than half of its life in water which is why it is also called marine mammal. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Save 30% off a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large bear which lives in the Arctic. Updates? The tail is 7–12 cm (3–5 inches) long. The Polar Bear is the largest of the bear species. When polar bears hunt, they often wait at holes in the ice, where the seals come up to breathe. Polar bears are strong swimmers, and individuals have been seen in open Arctic waters as far as 200 miles from land, although swimming long distances is not preferred since it requires so much energy for adults and can be fatal to younger bears. Young polar bears testing their strength. They also eat sea lions, walruses, reindeer, arctic hares, penguins, seagulls, small whales, lemmings, crabs and carrion. [9] The symptoms included drowsiness, wanting to sleep, being irritable, headaches, and vomiting. Omissions? Polar bears prefer ice that is subject to periodic fracturing by wind and sea currents, because these fractures offer seals access to both air and water. The polar bear's liver contains a lot of vitamin A. Both male and female polar bears live to be as much as 30 years old (in a zoo). Polar bears are excellent swimmers and are capable of swimming for days without break. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large bear which lives in the Arctic. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Polar bears rely heavily on sea ice for traveling, hunting, resting, mating and, in … It one particular case, a polar bear was spotted swimming for 9 days at a stretch covering a distance of 687 kilometers across frigid Bering Sea. Except for one subspecies of grizzly bear, the polar bear is the largest and most powerful carnivore on land. It is a large bear, approximately the same size as the omnivorous Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi). The bear stalks seals resting on the ice, ambushes them near breathing holes, and digs young seals from snow shelters where they are born. The polar bear travels long distances over vast desolate expanses, generally on drifting oceanic ice floes, searching for seals, its primary prey. When two polar bears meet, they have a special way of greeting each other. Paws measure up to 12 inches across and help distribute weight when treading on thin ice. Polar bears live in one of the planet's coldest environments and depend on a thick coat of insulated fur, which covers a warming layer of fat. Including the delay, gestation may last 195–265 days, and one to four cubs, usually two, are born during the winter in a den of ice or snow. This fauna, together with the vegetation that feeds the lemming, ptarmigan, and caribou, forms a tight ecological…. Humans probably cause most polar bear deaths by hunting and by destruction of problem animals near settlements. The babies are … They are adults by this time and weigh 330 to 660 pounds (150 to 300 kilograms). Polar bear, (Ursus maritimus), also called white bear, sea bear, or ice bear, great white northern bear (family Ursidae) found throughout the Arctic region. Although it is the sister species of the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body c… Adult polar bears can measure over 2.5m long and weigh around 680kg. Strong, sharp claws are also important for gaining traction, for digging through ice, and for killing prey. Under the skin is a layer of insulating fat. Beneath all that thick fur, their skin is jet black. After swimming for so long, the bear reached the ice far from land. Except for one subspecies of grizzly bear, the polar bear is the largest and most powerful carnivore on land. Lengthwise, they are 7.25 to 8 feet (2.2 to 2.5 m) from head to rump. In 2015 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Polar Bear Specialist Group designated polar bears as a vulnerable species. Except for one subspecies of grizzly bear, the polar bear is the largest and most powerful carnivore on land. They are able to move easier in water though as they are very good swimmers. Polar bears are similar in size to a normal bear but have a slimmer neck, longer legs and fur. Polar bear paws are ideal for roaming the Arctic. A large male can weigh more than 1,700 pounds, while a large female is about half that size (up to 1,000 pounds). They are mostly carnivorous. Models developed by some scientists predict an increase in polar bear starvation as a result of longer ice-free seasons and a decline in mating success, since sea-ice fragmentation could reduce encounter rates between males and females. A polar bear learns the seasonal pattern of movements as a cub during the 2 years it remains with its mother (Stirling and Guravich 1990, p 68). It has black skin under the white fur. Cubs weigh less than 1 kg at birth and are not weaned until after they are two years old. A polar bear might catch only one or two out of 10 seals it hunts, depending on the time of year and other variables. Polar bears are actually black, not white. A polar bear's head is oblong and relatively small compared to body size. At birth, a baby cub weighs less than 2 pounds (0.9 kilograms). It is the largest extant bear species, as well as the largest extant predatory carnivore. The bottoms are wide and covered with fur to help keep the bear from slipping. With the help of over 7,000 of the world’s best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, Arkive.org featured multi-media fact-files for more than 16,000 endangered species. Description. Their feet are incredibly large as well, measuring 12 in. They are massive animals, and the only bear species larger than brown bears is polar bears.In fact, brown bears are closely related to polar bears, and share some of the same habitat. However the cub’s fur is not thick enough to prevent them from cold if they get wet. It is also called white bear or northern bear. Polar bear facts for kids is a collection of some of the most amazing and interesting facts about polar bears.The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the largest terrestrial carnivore in the world. Polar bears are ready to mate when they are five or six years old. Although polar bear meat is consumed by aboriginals, the liver is inedible and often poisonous because of its high vitamin A content. They eat mostly seals and fish. This fantastic PowerPoint will teach you a whole bunch of facts about polar bears and some fun polar bear habitat facts. Numerical changes to each population occurring between 1998 and 2013 are shown. [9] Several groups of European polar explorers were seriously ill after eating livers. Because of continued global warming, a substantial reduction in the coverage of Arctic summer sea ice—prime habitat for polar bears—is expected by the middle of the 21st century. The weight of an adult male is estimated at 1760 lbs (800 kg). They leave their mother and strike off into territory of their own. A male Polar Bear standing on its back legs may be 3 metres (10 feet) tall. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/animal/polar-bear, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment - Polar Bear, The National Wildlife Federation - Polar Bear, polar bear - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), polar bear - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), International Union for Conservation of Nature. The snow den is where the mother polar bear will give birth to her babies and where they spend the winters. In swimming the polar bear uses only its front limbs, an aquatic adaptation found in no other four-legged mammal. Polar bears have been known to kill people. Map of polar bear populations in the vicinity of the Arctic Ocean in 2013. They circle around each other for a while, grunting. …strong swimmers, most notably the polar bear. Mother polar bears usually give birth to one to three cubs at a time. Introduction to Polar Bears This is a very powerful bear with sharp claws that they use for hunting. Young remain with their mothers until they reach sexual maturity. Polar bears live in countries in the Arctic Circle, including these: The breeding time is 8 months. Description: A polar bear has an elongated body, with low, well-developed shoulders. Brown bears are a large species of bear that ranges throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most carnivorous species of all bears. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a carnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. Bears, however, lack the physiological characteristics (lower heart rate, body temperature, breathing rate, and blood pressure) exhibited by animals that truly hibernate. At the turn of the 21st century, an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears existed in the wild. Polar Bears have a thick fur coat either white or cream in colour, which helps them blend into their surroundings and stay hidden from prey although their black noses sometimes gives them away. Their tail adds another 3 to 5 in… Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The cub leaves its mother in 2-3 years. Polar bears are mostly carnivorous. This page was last changed on 30 December 2020, at 02:18. Polar bears are listed under a variety of classifications depending on international, national, and regional regulations. People think polar bears can become 25–30 years old in nature, but in captivity (for example, in zoos), they can become up to 45 years old. They are strong and fast, and can run as fast as 25 miles (40 km) an hour for a short distance.[4][5]. The fur keeps them very warm. 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