The Polar Bear

The Polar Bear looks like a cute stuffed animal from afar, but we need to be careful of this wild animal. It is the largest carnivore on land, and shares the title of largest predator with the Kodiak Bear. The Polar Bear is also one of the fewest all-white animals on Earth. Only its eyes, nose and lips are black. Under all that thick, furry snowy-white fur, the Polar Bear's skin is also black; we just can't see it.


Polar Bears live in some of the coldest places on Earth: where there are snow and ice, Polar Bears are sure to be there. They are also strong swimmers; they use their large front paws, which are webbed like the fins we use on our feet when we snorkel. Although the Polar Bear lives in very very cold temperatures (sometimes as low as -30 degrees!), they have ways to stay warm:

1. Fur - The Polar Bear's thick fur is protected by an outer coat of guard hairs (longer, stiffer hair that grows through the fur of a mammal's coat). This second coat of hairs stick together when the Polar Bear gets wet, giving the animal a waterproof covering! Even the Polar Bear's huge paws are covered with its thick white fur to provide warmth and allows the Polar Bear to grip the ice and snow firmly.

2. Blubber - This is a very thick layer of fat that Polar Bears have to keep warm. The blubber is underneath their thick fur. Sometimes Polar Bears get too hot (with the combination of the blubber and fur) that they swim in the cold water to cool off! Blubber also provides a food reserve if the Polar Bears aren't able to hunt.

3. Winter Sleep -Although Polar Bears don't hibernate, they drift off into a deep sleep where their body functions slow down. This winter sleep helps them fight off the cold air around them.

Polar Bears' favorite food is the seal, especially its blubber. Polar Bears wait above the ice hole for a seal to come up for air, and then it strikes, biting and crushing the skull of the seal. Other foods the Polar Bear eats are walruses and small whales.

The Polar Bear is not classified as an Endangered Species. Yet. Its official classification is VULNERABLE SPECIES, a step before being Endangered. Scientists estimate that there are only 20,000 Polar Bears left in the world, and their number is decreasing. Some reasons for this decrease, and why they are being classified as a Vulnerable Species:

1. Global Warming - Ice sheets are melting and cold areas are becoming warmer. Polar Bears use the floating sheets of ice to travel from place to place and to hunt for food. If the number of ice sheets decrease, Polar Bears may be stuck in one place for too long a period of time, and there may not be enough food for all of them.

2. Shrinking Environment - The natural habitat of the Polar Bears seem to be getting smaller as more and more people look for places to live.

3. Hunting - People hunt the Polar Bear for several reasons. Fur for pants and footwear in cold places. People eat the bear's meat, and fat is used for food and as fuel for lighting and warming homes. Tendons are used for sewing clothes, and the gallbladder and heart of the Polar Bear are dried and powdered for medicines. The large teeth are also being used as lucky charms (talismans).

4. Pollution - Pesticides can easily poison the Polar Bear. Oil spills and gas spills, especially in the Arctic area, will pollute the environment of the Polar Bear and may kill them, reducing their already decreasing number.

Polar Bear Fast Facts
Scientific Name: Ursus Maritimus
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 7.5 to 8 feet
Weight: 900 to 1,600 pounds
Range: the Arctic, Russia, North America
Diet: Seal, walrus, whales

To solve a jigsaw puzzle of the Polar Bear, click on the image or here.