Polar bear
Ursus maritimus or the "sea bear."Polar bears
live near the circumpolar at north in
areas where they
can hunt seals at
open leads. Scientists estimate that
there are
between 22000 to 27000 polar bears. Its closest relative is the
brown bear.
Adult male polar bears are 2,5 to 3 meters
tall . They
weigh 250
to 770 kilograms. Adult
female bears are smaller. They are about 1,8
to 2,5 meters tall and weigh 90 to 320 kilograms. Polar bears
usually eat seals – usually the
ringed seasl, but sometimes the bearded
seals. When hunting is
good , polar bears will
typically eat only the
fat and leave the
rest of the carcass for scavengers
including arctic foxes,
ravens , and younger bears. Polar bears also sometimes
kill and
eat
both walrus and beluga whales. They have
even hunted short-legged
reindeer and sometimes even
birds and
bird eggs. Polar bears are top
of the food chain in the Arctic. They help to
keep the
balance of
nature by preventing an overpopulation of seals. In the
wild , polar
bears live an
average of 15 to 18
years ,
although biologists have
tagged a few bears who are 30 years old. One zoo bear in London lived
to 41. Female polar bears have their
first set of cubs between the
ages of four and
eight (most frequently at age
five or six). At
birth , the cubs are 30 to 35 centimeters long and weigh little more
than half a kilogram. They are
blind , toothless, and covered with
short, soft fur. The cubs are born in November or December and
remain in the den
until March or April.
During that time, the
mother does
not eat,
drink , or defecate. There are usually two cubs in a litter.
Polar bears cubs normally
stay with their mother until they are 2 1/2
years old. Polar bears do not hibernate!
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