You may be deceived by the cute and friendly looks of polar bears but they are fierce and brave creatures, that are majestic but dangerous. Polar bears live at the periphery of the northern polar ice cap in the Arctic Circle. Most of their time is spent at seawater areas surrounded by ice or patches of the unfrozen sea along with patches of water between ice sheets and coasts are their favorite hangouts, as these places are populated by seals. No polar bears are found at the South Pole and the surrounding Antarctic region, they are found in coastal parts of Alaska Canada Russia Norway, and Denmark. The polar bear Provincial Park situated north of Ontario Canada is a 9093 square miles expanse devoted to the conservation of these magnificent animals. Global warming is adversely affecting the polar bears by causing the rapid melting of the Arctic ice sheets. Polar bears are also poached for their meat and fur by men. In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, they are classified as vulnerable. We'll discuss some amazing facts about the polar bear. Get ready to be amazed by the life and times of polar bears the white Giants of the Arctic polar bear.
1. Polar bears are the largest land predators on earth standing over 11 feet high and weighing over 1,700 pounds.
2. Polar bears are the largest of all bears also they are the largest carnivores that live on land.
3. They also have huge appetites and can eat up to ten percent of their own body weight in under an hour.
4. Polar bears on average can swim non-stop for over 60 miles.
5. Despite their harsh environment polar bears can overheat.
6. Churchill Canada is known as the polar bear capital of the world.
7. Newborn polar bears are as small as rats.
8. They switch to a vegetarian diet in summers and eat berries if there are no other options available.
9. A male polar bear can weigh as much as a dozen men, it can reach up to 1200 pounds.
10. A polar bear can survive for 10 days without eating, they can slow down their metabolism.
11. A polar bear can sniff out a seal from a distance of 20 miles.
12. The fur of the polar bear is transparent and not white, it appears white due to reflection.
13. The polar bear can only be found in the Arctic region they live on frozen icy surfaces on the sea where conditions are extremely cold.
14. Female polar bears can grow up to 7 feet tall and weigh up to 650 pounds.
15. They have rough surfaces on their paw pads to prevent them from slipping on ice.
16. In the wild polar bears can live up to the age of 25 years in captivity they can live as long as 40 years.
17. They can reach speeds of up to 25 miles an hour on land and up to 6 miles an hour in water.
18. Polar bears have wide front paws and slightly webbed toes to help them swim they are able to swim distances of up to 100 miles without stopping.
19. There are between 20 and 25 thousand polar bears left in the world.
20. Polar bears have black fur and skin under their outer layer of white fur.
21. Their fur is oily and water repellent allowing them to shake dry after swimming.
22. They are able to keep warm easily thanks to nearly ten centimeters of blubber under their skin.
23. Polar bears have an excellent sense of smell and are able to detect seals from over a mile away.
24. A polar bear's bite is around ten times stronger than a human's.
25. Polar bears have extremely large pores similar to the size of a tennis racket but the polar bear's diet consists mainly of seals.
26. Despite their reputation as fearsome hunters less than two percent of hunts by a polar bear are successful even in areas full of seals they will normally only catch one seal every five days.
27. Since there are three adult males to every breeding female, competition between males is fierce and they will often fight other males to the death although the weaker bear usually submits after injury
28. A female will give birth to between 2 and 3 cubs at a time pregnancy will last around 8 months some cups have been known to weigh as little as one pound when they are born.
No comments:
Post a Comment