Polar bear
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| Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774 |
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 Polar bear range
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Ursus eogroenlandicus |
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The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large bear that lives in the Arctic. It is also called white bear or northern bear. It has black skin under the white fur. They are strong and fast, and can run as fast as 25 miles (40 km) an hour for a short distance. Polar bears have 42 teeth.[2][3]
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[change] Appearance
Polar bear fur consists of a layer of dense underfur and an outer layer of guard hairs, which appear white to tan but are actually translucent. The fur keeps them very warm.[4] They are strong and can swim very well. Polar bears are similar in size to a normal bear but have a slimmer neck, longer legs and fur.
[change] Life
They are mostly carnivorous. They eat mostly seals and fish. When Polar bears hunt, they often wait at holes in the ice, where the seals come up to breathe.
Polar bears live alone. Young Polar bears stay with their mothers for 1–2 years, and they become mature when they are 5–6 years old. 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.
Polar bears live in many nations, including five nations as:
- The United States (Polar bears only live in the state of Alaska.)
- Canada
- Russia
- Denmark (Polar bears live on the island Greenland, which is part of Denmark.)
- Norway (Svalbard)
[change] Polar bear cubs
The babies are born six weeks after their mother mates. At birth, a baby cub weighs less than 2 pounds (0.9 kg). 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 kg). Young polar bears wrestle in the snow to build their strength and skills. They practice using their strong paws, and they show off their big, sharp teeth.
Mother polar bears will do anything to protect their young. They can kill a predator with just one swat of their powerful front paws. Scientists have even seen a mother polar bear stand up and leap at a helicopter to keep it away from her cubs.
During the first year, the cubs begin to eat solid food but still nurse from their mother. They begin to learn to hunt and swim. But they can't live on their own. By the time they are two years old, the cubs have grown into large bears. They leave their mother and strike off into territory of their own. They hunt and live alone. But they play with other bears they meet. Polar bears are ready to mate when they are five or six years old. They are adults by this time and weigh 330 to 660 pounds (150 to 300 kg). Both male and female polar bears live to be as much as 30 years old.
As adults, male bears fight with each other over a female. Each male fluffs out his coat of fur to make himself look bigger. Then he swaggers along, growling, to scare off his rival. Polar bear scientists call this "the cowboy walk."
[change] History
The polar bear was the most dangerous animal to hunt. It was also greatly respected for its strength and spirit. The bear's blubber, meat, and fur all help the Inuit survive. And they gave thanks and respect in turn. After a hunt, they held a celebration that lasted for several days. Then, a polar bear dance was held. Finally, the bear's skull was set on an ice floe to release its spirit back into the Arctic.
[change] Greeting
When two polar bears meet, they have a special way of greeting each other. They circle around each other for a while, grunting. Then they come closer and touch noses.
[change] Paws
A polar bear's paws are perfect snowshoes for them. The bottoms are wide and covered with fur to make them nonslip. The sharp claws help grip the ice.
A polar bear can crawl across ice too thin for a human to walk on. They spread out their legs and lay their bellies flat on the ice. Then they use their claws to slowly push themselves across the ice.
[change] Mating
Polar bears mate in April or May. The cub is born in December, when the mother is hibernating. The cub stays in the den with the mother until March, then they all come out. They eat immediately after hibernating. Sometimes, because of global warming this is impossible and the cubs die before they have had a chance to live. The cub leaves its mother in 2–3 years.
[change] Liver
If you eat too much of any polar bear's liver, you would die as it contains a lot of Vitamin A, and the body can not handle it. [6]
[change] Images
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A Polar bear
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A Polar bear mother with her babies
[change] Further reading
- Lockwood, Sophie (2006). Polar Bears. Chanhassen, MN: The Child's World. ISBN 1-59296-501-6.
[change] References
- ↑ Schliebe et al (2008). Ursus maritimus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 9 May 2006. Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is listed as vulnerable.
- ↑ "POLAR BEARS". seaworld.org. 2008 [last update]. http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/polarbears/pbphysical.html. Retrieved August 31, 2011. "42"
- ↑ "WWF - Facts about polar bears". wwf.panda.org. 2011 [last update]. http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/area/species/polarbear/polar_bear_facts/. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
- ↑ Lockwood, pp. 10–16
- ↑ Cole, Joanna (2000). The Magic School Bus, Polar Bear Patrol. U.S.A.. ISBN 0-439-31433-X.
- ↑ "Vitamin A in Bear Liver". http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257872/?page=2. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
