*Top 15* Amazing Polar Bear Facts!
Polar Bears are one of the most beloved endangered species on the planet! The white fur covered beasts live in the Arctic, which is an ocean covered with ice. As incredible as it sounds, they hunt for seals, rest, and breed on the ice.
Read on to learn more amazing Polar Bear facts!
1) Polar Bears are Mammals
Polar Bears are Mammals, which means that they have hair or fur, are warm blooded, have lungs that breathe air, and have a complex brain. In addition, they give birth to live young and nurse them.
Since they are such excellent swimmers and spend so much time in the water, some scientists consider Polar Bears to be marine (not land) mammals!
2) Polar Bears are 1 of the 8 Bear Species
There are 8 Bear Species – Andean (Spectacled) Bear, Asiatic Black Bear, (North American) Black Bear, Brown Bear, Panda Bear, Polar Bear, Sloth Bear, and Sun Bear.
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3) Polar Bears live in the Arctic
Polar Bears live in the Arctic, which is an ocean covered by ice that is surrounded by land.. This includes Alaska, Russia, Greenland, and some northern islands owned by Norway, such as Svalbard. And Canada, where 60% of the world’s Polar Bears live.
Note that Polar Bears spend most of their time on sea ice – not land. They hunt for seals, rest, and breed on the ice.
4) Polar Bears are one of the Largest Bears in the World
Polar Bears are one of the largest bears in the world. As unbelievable as it sounds, males can weigh up to 1,760 pounds! In contrast, female Polar Bears average a mere 660 pounds.
5) Polar Bears are Carnivores
There are 8 bear species. The majority (6 out of the 8) are Omnivores, which means that they eat both plants and animals. here are two exceptions. Giant Pandas eat almost nothing but bamboo. And Polar Bears are mostly Carnivores.
6) Polar Bears Hunt for Seals on Sea Ice
Polar Bears main food source is seals. Seal blubber is high in calories, which makes a nutritious, body warming meal. The bears wait at seal breathing holes for hours – or even days – for the seals to come up for air.
The sooner the water freezes each year, the more days the bears get to hunt. Sadly, the amount of ice has been shrinking each year, which results in a shorter hunting season. As a result, the bears now spend more time scavenging for food along the coast.
7) Polar Bears eat up to 99 Pounds at once!
It is so cold in the Artic when Polar Bears kill their prey, the carcass can quickly freeze rock solid. Therefore, the bears have to eat as much as they can at once. Amazingly, they sometimes eat up to 99 pounds in one sitting!
8) Polar Bear Paws have evolved for Life on Ice and Water
* Rough areas on their foot pads that grips ice and reduces skidding
*Fur on the bottom of their paws that insulates their feet from snow and ice
*Strong legs and short claws that makes it easy to walk on ice
* Long snout they can poke into a seal’s breathing hole
9) Polar Bears have Thick Fur to Keep them Warm in Winter
Polar Bears have a double layered coat to keep them warm in winter. Their glossy outer fur acts like a jacket, and protects them from driving snow and ice. And their dense underfur acts like a sweater, which traps air in an insulating layer.
As strange as it sounds, Polar Bears have “hollow” hair that contains air that provides insulation and buoyancy. Even in temperatures that dip to 2-49° F, Polar Bears can wait several hours for a seal to surface at a breathing hole.
10) Polar Bears have Thick Blubber
Polar Bears have a thick layer of body fat, which keeps them warm while swimming. The fat provides warmth and buoyancy during long swims between ice floes.
11) Polar Bears are Excellent Swimmers
Polar Bears are excellent swimmers! They swim an amazing 6 miles per hour. (Which is the same as Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps!) In comparison, the average human only swims 2 miles per hour.
A Polar Bear’s insulating fat helps it float. They then paddle with their strong front paws, and hold their hind legs flat like a rudder to steer. In addition, the webbing between their toes helps them swim faster and farther.
12) Polar Bears have Excellent Night Vision
Polar Bears do most of their hunting during the winter. Their excellent night vision helps them hunt for seals in winter weather. If a Polar Bear does hunt during the summer, they do it at night. That way they can sneak up on an unsuspecting seal.
13) Polar Bears Do Not Hibernate
Most bears hibernate during the winter, which means that they lie still to conserve energy, and don’t eat or drink. This is an evolutionary response to survive harsh elements and food scarcity.
Polar Bears are one of the few bears that don’t hibernate. Winter is the most important time of the year for them. They do the majority of their eating for the entire year out on the frozen ice.
During the summer months, Polar Bears can not use their natural advantages (listed above) to catch seals. So they mostly lie around conserving energy.
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14) Polar Bears are a Threatened Species
In 2008 Polar Bears were declared a Threatened Species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. This is due to the loss of their sea ice habitat.
Final Thoughts
Polar Bears are perfectly adapted to life on ice and sea. Their strength, thick blubber, and hunting skills make them the top predators of the Arctic. However, melting ice and habitat loss now threaten their survival. Protecting their environment is critical to ensuring the future of Polar Bears.
