Habitat:
Description:
Size:
Adaptations:
Many adaptations make polar bears uniquely suited to life in icy habitats.
Behaviors:
Learned Behaviors:
- Polar bears are only found in the Arctic. The Arctic is the northern most region of the Earth. It is a cold, icy habitat.
Description:
- Polar bears are marine mammals, and spend much of their time on Arctic sea ice.
Size:
- The polar bear is the largest land carnivore. Male polar bears can grow to be almost 10 feet long, that's almost twice as large as their female counterparts. Fully grown male polar bears can weigh between 770-1500 pounds. The largest ever found weighed 2,210 pounds!
Adaptations:
Many adaptations make polar bears uniquely suited to life in icy habitats.
- Their fur is thicker than any other bears’ and covers even their feet for warmth and traction on ice.
- A thick layer of blubber beneath their fur provides buoyancy and insulation.
- The long neck and narrow skull of the polar bear probably aid in streamlining the animal in the water while warming the air that they breathe, and their front feet are large, flat and oar-like, making them excellent swimmers.
- They use their large claws and teeth to tear apart their prey.
- Have excellent sense of smell and hearing which helps them catch their prey.
- Have thick, sand paper like paws which helps them run on the slippery ice.
- They also have a thick layer of fat which keeps them warm when they swim in the cold water.
- They have white fur which helps them blend in.
Behaviors:
- Polar bears are basically solitary, which means they live alone for most of their life.
- Polar bear mothers take very good care of their young until they are old enough to survive on their own. Cubs stay with their mother for 2 years.
- When food is scarce, a polar bear may go into light hibernation. They fast during hibernation. They live off their body fat.
- Mother bears give birth while they are hibernating.
- A polar bear's sense of smell is acute, and it is the most important sense for detecting prey on land.
- Polar bears are strong swimmers; they swim across bays or wide leads without hesitation. They can swim for several hours at a time over long distances.
- Polar bears use camouflage to help them blend in with their icy environment. This helps them be better hunters beacuse they can sneak up on their prey.
- Polar bears use body language and vocalizations to communicate.
- They are very good swimmers and divers, which helps them swim from one ice floe to the next one.
- They can swim for several hours with ease.
Learned Behaviors:
- The polar bear must learn how to hunt for food, swim, climb, dive, and float.
- Polar bears are born knowing to migrate for food, hibernate, walk, sleep, and drink their mother's milk.
- Homing is an instinct that polar bears use to find their way home after long hunting trips.
- Polar bears feed almost exclusively on ringed seals and bearded seals. They are also known to eat walrus, beluga whale, bowhead whale carcasses, and birds’ eggs.
- Polar bears travel great distances in search of prey.