Polar bears are the world’s one of the largest fascinating & loveable carnivorous land mammals. Also, they are one of the largest bear species. They are mainly native to different land areas of the Arctic Ocean & Arctic Circle.
Polar bears have long necks with small heads & ears which are rounded. Their body is slim; stocky & tails are very short. And male polar bears are larger than female polar bears. Most of their body parts are covered with white transparent thick fur except the nose, lips, and some parts of the soles of the feet.
Their feet are broad and have hairy soles which protect them from slipping from ice places. Also, sharp strong claws help them gain traction for killing prey and digging the ice.
How Much Does A Polar Bears Weigh?
As I said earlier male polar bears are larger than females. On average an adult male polar bear which is known as a boar can weigh between 770 pounds to 1300 pounds or 349 kg to 589 kg or more. On the other side, a female polar bear that is known as sows weighs half of its male counterparts.
On average a female polar bear weighs between 330 pounds to 650 pounds or 150 kg to 295 kg. However, according to Polar Bears International, the heaviest polar bear weighed 2210 pounds or 1002 kg in 1960 which was a 12 foot tall male Alaskan Polar bear.
How Much Does A Baby Polar Bear Weigh?
Baby polar bears are generally born in snow dens from November to December. When born, a baby polar bear weighs around 1.5 pounds or 0.680 kg. Although these baby polar bears grow very quickly & at age two a newly born cub reaches fully grown level.
Their mother’s milk helps them grow quickly. For the first few days, they start exploring outside areas and don’t go far from their den where they sleep at night. These baby polar bears stay with their mothers until they reach three years of age.
During that time they learn everything from their mother including how to survive in critical situations.
Where Do Polar Bears Live?
Polar bears live in very cold places across the world. You will find them ice-covered waters of the Arctic circle & Arctic countries including the Alaska part of the USA, Canada, Denmark(Greenland), Russia, Norway, Iceland. However, they are not available in the Antarctica region.
They mainly depend on sea ice for their prey. These polar bears stay on the lands for several months in the summer when sea ice gets broken(although pregnant polar bears stay on the shore near the coast where they make their dens) and wait for the ice to freeze over again.
They swim in different places of sea ice and the shore and hunt their prey, cool off their body and search for their mate. They use their back legs as the rudder and use big front paws to paddle through the water.
How Fast Can A Polar Bear Run?
A polar bear can run up to 25 mph or 40 km/h for a short distance which is top speed for it. However, they can not maintain this speed for longer distances as they will become overheated if they do. Which ultimately makes them tired quickly. Although when they walk they maintain an average speed which is around 3.5 mph or 5.6 km/h.
How Fast Can A Polar Bear Swim?
Polar bears are excellent swimmers. They can easily swim hundreds of miles around the bay areas. They swim at a speed of 6 mph or 10 km/h. The longest record for swimming a polar bear was 700 km or 400 miles by an adult female. She took continuous 9 days to swim this distance.
How Tall Is A Polar Bear?
On average an adult male polar bear’s height can be 2.4 meters to 3 meters which are 7 ft 10 inches to 9 ft 10 inches. Adult females are the half size of their males and the height of a female polar bear can be 1.8 meters to 2.4 meters or 5 ft 11 inches to 7 ft 10 inches.
Do Polar Bears Hibernate?
Surprisingly polar bears do not hibernate during the winter season. However, only female polar bears do hibernate during this time into their dens. During the hibernate times denned polar bears eat nothing and rely on their fat reserve for sustaining themselves and their babies.
What Do Polar Bears Eat?
Polar bears love to eat meat very much. Ringed & bearded seals are their primary food. Depending on their location, they can eat hooded & ribbon seal, harp etc. Other things they eat are walruses, sea birds, different fishes and small mammals like rodents.
Sometimes they eat scavenge of a dead whale & other different dead animals. Sometimes they do eat vegetables but a very small amount. They mainly rely on seals for sustaining their population.
How Much Does A Polar Bear Eat?
Depending on the time of the year & availability the amount of food a polar bear eat can vary. They do have huge appetites and they store huge reserves in their bodies to avoid starving when sufficient foods are not available.
So, for surviving, a polar bear can easily eat up to 150 pounds or 68 kg of food very quickly in just one sitting. For maintaining their body weight they need to eat at least 4.5 pounds or 2.04 kg of fat each day. That’s why they need to capture a seal at least once in every five to six days intervals.
How Long Does A Polar Bear Live?
A wild polar bear can live 20 to 25 years and can survive up to 30 years. However, in captivity, a polar bear can live up to 30 years or more due to human care.
Polar Bear Reproduction
Generally, a male polar bear starts breeding when reaches eight to ten years of age. Although a female reaches sexual maturity at four to six years of age give typically give birth to one or two cubs at a time. A female polar bear reproduces every three years intervals or less depending on the health condition and survival rate of the cubs.
Are Polar Bears Endangered?
According to the IUCN red list of threatened species, polar bears are vulnerable to extinction. Their biggest threats are climate changes as temperatures of Arctic sea areas are increasing. Although some human-related activities are another threat for them.
This includes gas and oil drilling in the arctic. They are listed as threatened to the US endangered species list & are protected under the act of Marine Mammal Protection.
How Many Polar Bears Are Left?
According to IUCN(International Union for Conservation of Nature), there are roughly around 26000 polar bears living in the wild. Although scientists determined that there are around 22000 to 31000 polar bears still exist around the world today.
How Much Does A Polar Bear Cost?
If you consider Canada then the cost of a poler bear can be anywhere between $350,000 to $420,000.
Can You Have A Polar Bear As A Pet?
Yes, you can make a polar bear a great pet in many ways. They are very cute and loving when they are cubs. You can easily be safe with them and can cuddle up with them in their thick soft warm coat of fur!
Fun Facts:
>>Polar bears are the only bear species that are considered marine mammals as they spend most of their lifetime on the sea!
>>You may see a polar black-white but it is black, not white. This is because of their translucent fur which only appears white but beneath it, everything of their skin is jet black.
>>Polar bears are very expert swimmers and they can swim steadily for long distances.
>>Scientists can easily trace the exact polar bear by checking its DNA from the footprints!
>>A male polar bear can weigh as much as 10 men & a small car!
>>Polar bears have a strong sense of smell and easily detect their prey up to one km away & under 1m (3 ft) snow.
>>They do survive temperatures below -50°C in the Arctic region. Also, they do overheat when temperatures rise and go up to 20°C.
>>Polar bears keep themselves clean by taking a swim or rolling their body in the snow! Also rolling their body in the snow helps them to cool off when their body gets too hot.
>>Polar bears are the largest carnivorous of land.
