Fact Of The Post
Polar bears are the only bear species to be considered marine mammals, as they spend most of their time on the sea ice.
Polar Bear Facts And Information
1. International Polar Bear day is held on February 27th every year.
2. The Latin word for the polar bear is “Ursus maritimus”. This translates as, Ursus meaning “bear” and maritimus meaning “of the sea, maritime”.
3. These beautiful bears can be found on the continents of North America and Eurasia, mostly around the North of the Arctic Circle. Although some polar bears have been spotted traveling as far South as Alaska and Hudson Bay, Canada.
4. Although they have been known to travel as far inland as 124 miles (199 kilometers) from the shoreline, they mostly live close to or on the ice during the winter months.
5. As the season's change and the ice melts, they will migrate within their individual “home range”. This will often range between 50,000 square miles to 135,000 square miles (129,499 square kilometers to 349,648 square kilometers).
6. An average polar bear can travel more than 1,800 miles (2,896 kilometers) in a year migrating to follow a food supply.
7. When traveling across the ice, polar bears can jump over ice cracks as wide as 19 feet (5.8 meters)!
8. Polar bears are the only bear species to be considered marine mammals, as they spend most of their time on the sea ice.
9. Their skin is actually black. The only reason why they appear white is that their fur is translucent and reflects the light, making them appear white.
10. They have hairy feet, but not just to keep them warm. The bottoms of their paws are covered in small hairs to help them have traction on the ice.
11. When in water, polar bears can reach swimming speeds of up to 6 mph (9.6 kph).
12. Polar bears can swim continuously for hours and sometimes even days! Most people would think this is impossible if you aren’t a fish, but because they have huge paws, they can use them as paddles and they hold their feet up like rudders to steer. This allows them to save energy which means they can swim for longer without tiring.
13. Although they spend about half their time hunting for food, they are rarely successful. Quite often a catch is less than 2% successful.
14. Their main prey consists of seals and bearded seals, as well as smaller animals like birds. When needed, they will also scavenge carcasses, eggs, and vegetation.
15. Polar bears are considered to be “hyper carnivores”, which means they have a diet that consists of more than 70% meat.
2. The Latin word for the polar bear is “Ursus maritimus”. This translates as, Ursus meaning “bear” and maritimus meaning “of the sea, maritime”.
3. These beautiful bears can be found on the continents of North America and Eurasia, mostly around the North of the Arctic Circle. Although some polar bears have been spotted traveling as far South as Alaska and Hudson Bay, Canada.
4. Although they have been known to travel as far inland as 124 miles (199 kilometers) from the shoreline, they mostly live close to or on the ice during the winter months.
5. As the season's change and the ice melts, they will migrate within their individual “home range”. This will often range between 50,000 square miles to 135,000 square miles (129,499 square kilometers to 349,648 square kilometers).
6. An average polar bear can travel more than 1,800 miles (2,896 kilometers) in a year migrating to follow a food supply.
7. When traveling across the ice, polar bears can jump over ice cracks as wide as 19 feet (5.8 meters)!
8. Polar bears are the only bear species to be considered marine mammals, as they spend most of their time on the sea ice.
9. Their skin is actually black. The only reason why they appear white is that their fur is translucent and reflects the light, making them appear white.
10. They have hairy feet, but not just to keep them warm. The bottoms of their paws are covered in small hairs to help them have traction on the ice.
11. When in water, polar bears can reach swimming speeds of up to 6 mph (9.6 kph).
12. Polar bears can swim continuously for hours and sometimes even days! Most people would think this is impossible if you aren’t a fish, but because they have huge paws, they can use them as paddles and they hold their feet up like rudders to steer. This allows them to save energy which means they can swim for longer without tiring.
13. Although they spend about half their time hunting for food, they are rarely successful. Quite often a catch is less than 2% successful.
14. Their main prey consists of seals and bearded seals, as well as smaller animals like birds. When needed, they will also scavenge carcasses, eggs, and vegetation.
15. Polar bears are considered to be “hyper carnivores”, which means they have a diet that consists of more than 70% meat.
Polar Bear Facts
1. Have you heard of a Grolar Bear or Pizzly Bear? They were
discovered after genetic testing in 2006 and are the nicknames for the
Grizzly bear-Polar bear hybrid.
2. These Grolar/Pizzly bears are only birthed by polar bears and grow up living like a polar bears, but they have brown fur.
3. The population of wild polar bears stands at around 26,000 (2019) and is divided into 19 subpopulations. Unfortunately only one of these subpopulations is on the incline, five populations are stable and 4 are in decline as for the remaining nine, it is uncertain.
4. On average, male polar bears can weigh up to the same weight as ten men! That’s around 1,764 lb (800 kg).
5. They can grow to around 9.8 feet (3 meters) long, making them the largest land carnivores in the world.
6. Female polar bears are around half the size of male polar bears.
7. Polar bears have an extremely strong sense of smell, and therefore can smell their prey up to 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) away. They use this sense to locate the seal breathing holes in the ice.
8. Polar bears will track down seal holes and wait by them until the seals rise out of them to breathe and then attack. This is also known as still hunting.
9. Polar bears can also detect if a seal is in the water, even if there are 3 feet of snow on top of the ice.
10. They are also speedy when they need to be. As well as still hunting, they can attack prey from about 50-100 feet (15-30 meters) away and can build up speeds to about 25 mph (40 kph).
11. Sadly polar bears were one of the first species to become threatened by climate change, and they are expected to decline by 30% by the year 2050.
12. There are many ways to track animals using modern technology, but in recent years it has been discovered by the WWF that you can retrieve a polar bear's DNA from its footprints in the snow. With only a few scoops, SPYGEN DNA specialists/scientists have found a way that you can isolate its DNA from the snow.
13. Other than polar bears that are pregnant, they are the only species of bear that does not hibernate during the winter. Sometimes, if it is particularly cold they will build dens and enter temporary hibernation. This is also known as carnivore lethargy.
14. Finally, the largest polar bear ever on record weighed a whopping 2,209 lb (1,002 kg) and was found in northwestern Alaska in 1960.
15. Grizzly-polar bear hybrids exist.
2. These Grolar/Pizzly bears are only birthed by polar bears and grow up living like a polar bears, but they have brown fur.
3. The population of wild polar bears stands at around 26,000 (2019) and is divided into 19 subpopulations. Unfortunately only one of these subpopulations is on the incline, five populations are stable and 4 are in decline as for the remaining nine, it is uncertain.
4. On average, male polar bears can weigh up to the same weight as ten men! That’s around 1,764 lb (800 kg).
5. They can grow to around 9.8 feet (3 meters) long, making them the largest land carnivores in the world.
6. Female polar bears are around half the size of male polar bears.
7. Polar bears have an extremely strong sense of smell, and therefore can smell their prey up to 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) away. They use this sense to locate the seal breathing holes in the ice.
8. Polar bears will track down seal holes and wait by them until the seals rise out of them to breathe and then attack. This is also known as still hunting.
9. Polar bears can also detect if a seal is in the water, even if there are 3 feet of snow on top of the ice.
10. They are also speedy when they need to be. As well as still hunting, they can attack prey from about 50-100 feet (15-30 meters) away and can build up speeds to about 25 mph (40 kph).
11. Sadly polar bears were one of the first species to become threatened by climate change, and they are expected to decline by 30% by the year 2050.
12. There are many ways to track animals using modern technology, but in recent years it has been discovered by the WWF that you can retrieve a polar bear's DNA from its footprints in the snow. With only a few scoops, SPYGEN DNA specialists/scientists have found a way that you can isolate its DNA from the snow.
13. Other than polar bears that are pregnant, they are the only species of bear that does not hibernate during the winter. Sometimes, if it is particularly cold they will build dens and enter temporary hibernation. This is also known as carnivore lethargy.
14. Finally, the largest polar bear ever on record weighed a whopping 2,209 lb (1,002 kg) and was found in northwestern Alaska in 1960.
15. Grizzly-polar bear hybrids exist.
Polar Bear Trivia Questions And Answers
How long do polar bears live?
Ans: 30 years
Polar bears in the wild can live to be 30 years of age, but this is rare. Most adults die before they
reach 25 years.
How dangerous is a polar bear?
Ans: Warning: Polar bears are aggressive, curious, and extremely dangerous to humans. A Polar bear should never be approached and if one is spotted, it is best to
retreat slowly on foot, preferably indoors, or move away in a
vehicle.
What does a polar bear look like?
Ans: Their thick furs and large paws help them survive and thrive on the ice
fields and in the water. For a land animal, the polar bear is an incredibly agile swimmer. His semi-webbed paws can be a
foot in diameter and are equipped with large, curved sharp claws. He has
tiny ears and a very small tail.
Do polar bears eat humans?
Ans: The study, published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin, also suggests
fat 'n' happy polar bears don't hunt humans. Nearly two-thirds of the attacks were by young adult bears who were starting to starve. The study only found 73
recorded polar bear attacks on humans in 144 years.
What animals can kill a polar bear?
Ans: Adult polar bears have no natural predators, though walruses and wolves can kill them.
Sources:
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