These polar bears are amazing animals. They embody beauty and power, mystery and danger. These are the largest land predators, and, according to scientists, one of the most intelligent mammals. Let's get to know them better.
Fact No. 1.
Despite what you see in photographs, polar bears are not white at all. Their fur is colorless because the hairs are hollow and transparent. They reflect light and appear white.
Fact No. 2.
Polar bears do not hibernate. Pregnant females or mother bears remain in dens and reduce their activity, while males continue to hunt throughout the winter.
Fact No. 3.
There is a big difference between the weight and size of male and female bears. The weight of males can reach 680 kilograms, and their length is three meters. While the weight of females rarely reaches 270 kilograms, and the length is two meters.
Fact No. 4.
Newborn polar bear cubs are much smaller in size than newborn human babies. Newly born bears are no larger than a rat. Their weight is about 450 grams.
Fact No. 5.
Although temperatures in the Arctic can drop to -45°C, polar bears usually have problems not with freezing, but with overheating. Especially while running. And all this is due to the physiological characteristics of the bear, which are responsible for maintaining heat. Therefore, bears prefer to move slowly and steadily.
Fact No. 6.
Polar bears are excellent swimmers. Thanks to the structure of their paws, they swim gracefully and quite quickly. average speed is 10 km/h. And it won’t be difficult for bears to swim 161 kilometers without stopping. By the way, they spend so much time in the water that some scientists classify these animals as marine mammals.
Fact No. 7.
Polar bears have an excellent sense of smell. They can smell a seal 32 kilometers away.
Fact No. 8.
When bears curl up to sleep, they cover their noses with their paws to keep warm.
Fact No. 9.
Polar bears are big clean people. After eating, they spend about 20 minutes cleaning themselves. They need to make sure that there are no food residues left in the wool that could reduce its insulating properties.
Fact No. 10.
Polar bears are known to have temper tantrums. More than once the bear was seen throwing huge chunks of ice and growling loudly in despair after a failed attempt to grab its prey.
The only living things that threaten bears are people.
The polar bear is one of the largest predators living on land. Its height at the withers (from the ground to the neck) is 1.5 m, the foot size is 30 cm in length and 25 in width; males weigh polar bear 350-650 kg, some even more, females 175-300 kg. A bear lives 15-18 years.
Polar bears live in the Arctic - at the North Pole.
The color of the fur is from snow-white to yellowish, thanks to this the bear is almost invisible in the snow, but the polar bear’s skin is black, but it is not visible through the thick fur, except very slightly on the nose. Polar bears are very resilient and can cover long distances at a brisk pace. Their feet are covered with fur, which gives them greater stability when moving on ice and snow. Polar bears can run, but they usually walk.
Polar bears are excellent swimmers; they jump into the water head first or slide off an ice floe, and swim using their front paws. They dive with closed nostrils and open eyes. They know how to fish. After coming ashore, they immediately shake off the water.
White bears most spend years on ice-bound shores along the coast. As a rule, they hunt alone. They search for food both day and night. Polar bears hunt seals by lying in wait at holes through which the seals breathe air, or by approaching animals lying on the ice. Polar bears have a very sensitive sense of smell. They are able to smell seals lying in a shelter under the snow.
These animals are very curious and intelligent. While tracking a seal, the polar bear covers its black nose with its paw, blocks the prey's escape route, or even pretends to be an ice floe floating by. A bear can experience emotions from rage to joy: after a successful hunt and a hearty lunch, he sometimes begins to frolic like a kitten.
In winter, when there is severe frost and polar night, the bear can hibernate. The she-bear also lies down for the winter in an ice den along with her cubs. For five months she does not eat any food and at the same time feeds the born cubs, usually two, with milk. The cubs, covered with sparse whitish fur, are born helpless, blind and deaf, no larger in size than newborn kittens. Their length is 17-30 cm, and their weight is 500-700 g.
In summer, bears' food is more varied: small rodents, polar foxes, ducks and their eggs. Polar bears, like all other bears, can also eat plant foods: berries, mushrooms, mosses, herbs.
There are not very many polar bears left on earth and hunting for them is limited.
Polar bear for children
This article is dedicated to all the boys and girls who love bears as much as I do! Listed here are some interesting polar bear facts for kids.
Polar bears are among the most majestic, beautiful and dangerous creatures on Earth. Those of you who have seen the film The Golden Compass will remember Iorek Burnison, Prince polar bears. Although Iorek speaks in the movies, real polar bears do not, at least not in the Queen's English or any other human language! Real polar bears are less cruel, much friendlier than Iorek, but just as strong and brave as he is. In this article I have collected some amazing facts for children about polar bears. Every fact about polar bears is unique and incredible. Be prepared to be amazed by the life and times of polar bears.
Interesting Facts about the polar bear for children
Polar bears are known by the scientific name Ursus Maratimus. The Inuit call polar bears "Nanuks". Today, there are approximately 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears worldwide. Here are the promised facts about polar bears for children, presented in order of increasing surprise!
The Arctic is my home!
Polar bears live near the North Pole, above the Arctic Circle, which is one of the coldest places on Earth. They live on sheets of ice and cold earth located around the Arctic Circle. They live in coastal Alaska, Canada, Russia, Norway and Greenland. The normal temperature in these regions is minus 55 degrees Celsius and the wind here blows at an average speed of 48 kilometers per hour! Read more about this in the section “Where do polar bears live?”
I love swimming!
Polar bears are champion swimmers! They can swim at a speed of 9.5 kilometers per hour in sea water at subzero temperatures. None of our gold medal swimmers would stand a chance against a polar bear. Polar bears are known to swim 160 kilometers non-stop, quickly, sometimes relying on ice sheets.
I'm a giant!
Polar bears are the largest bears on earth. Newborn bears are small like rats, but when they start to grow, they stretch three meters in height and weigh more than 635 kilograms! They are one of the largest predators on Earth. Polar bears live up to 25 years, with a maximum of 30.
I have thick fur!
Now you might be wondering how polar bears were able to stay warm and alive in these temperatures. The reason is a thick layer of subcutaneous fat. It acts as a layer of insulation that protects them from the cold, helping them maintain body temperature.
Seals are delicious!
What do polar bears eat that helps them grow to such enormous sizes? They hunt seals, fish, deer and birds. They can sit in an ice hole for several hours to pounce on seals. Sometimes they even eat whale meat. In the summer they switch to a vegetarian diet and eat berries. They are the kings of the Arctic Circle, unparalleled in their strength and endurance.
I have a sensitive nose!
Polar bears have a very keen sense of smell that can smell prey such as seals even 20 kilometers away or one meter below the ice.
My fur reflects white!
Now, the next one of the most interesting polar bear facts for kids is that the polar bear's fur is not white, although it may seem so! Every hair in a polar bear's fur is actually transparent. The fur appears white because it reflects the white color of the ice. The polar bear's fur is oily and repels water, so it can easily stay dry.
My house is melting! Help!
Global warming negatively impacts polar bears, sheets arctic ice, which are their floating homes and hunting grounds, are melting very quickly. Polar bears are also valuable to humans for their meat. Today they are classified as vulnerable animals. Read more about this in the article “Polar bears are endangered.” As you can see, each of the facts about polar bears is not comparable to any other animal on Earth. The polar bear is adapted to survive in Arctic and water conditions. We hope these interesting polar bear facts for kids have left you in awe of these majestic creatures of the ice.
1. The biggest bear. Being the largest land predator, the polar bear can weigh 700 kg and reach three meters in length. Only brown bears of the Kodiak subspecies, living on the island of the same name, can be of the same size. 2. Record swim. A polar bear is capable of swimming 687 km without a rest break. The bear completed such a record swim for polar bears in 9 days in the Beaufort Sea. The reason for this forced record was climate change on Earth. Polar bears are known to swim throughout their lives from drifting to fast ice in search of prey and resting places. But as sea ice rapidly melts due to rising temperatures, polar bears must travel ever greater distances, risking the health and lives of their cubs. Using a GPS collar, researchers who studied this bear for two months were able to track her throughout her “journey.” When the female finally reached the ice, it turned out that she had lost 20% of her weight (about 48 kg) and her one-year-old cub, for whom this swim was too much for her. 3. Excellent sense of smell. The polar bear has a very good sense of smell. So, he can detect prey located at a distance of 1.6 km from him or under a layer of snow about one meter thick. Most often, ringed seals and sea hares become its prey. 4. Proper nutrition. Adult bears usually feed on the high-calorie skin and subcutaneous fat of seals, while young bears eat red meat, rich in protein. 5. Curious animal. Being curious animals, polar bears often explore landfills and sample garbage. They consume almost everything they can find there, including hazardous substances. For example, plastic, hydraulic fluid and motor oil. Interestingly, the landfill in the city of Churchill in the Canadian province of Manitoba was closed in 2006 precisely because of polar bears, or more precisely, in order to protect them from consuming harmful “food”. Waste previously disposed of at this landfill is now recycled or transported to the Town of Thompson. 6. Attacks on people. Well-fed polar bears rarely attack people. This only happens if the animal is angry. Among the cases of a polar bear attacking a person, the incident with the Japanese photographer Michio Hoshino is well known. During his expedition in northern Alaska, he encountered a hungry polar bear. The latter chased the man, but Hoshino managed to get to his car. Before the photographer drove away, the bear was able to tear off one of his car doors. Michio Hoshino was subsequently killed by a brown bear while on a business trip in Russia. 7. Polar bear games. Adult polar bears lead a solitary lifestyle. However, there are many cases where these animals were seen playing with each other and even sleeping “in an embrace.” Polar bear researcher Nikita Ovsyanikov claims that there can be friendly relationships between adult male polar bears. In turn, the games of young individuals serve as practice for them before competition during the mating season. 8. Polar bear and dog. In 1992, near Churchill, a series of photographs were taken of a polar bear playing with a Canadian Eskimo dog about a tenth the size of the bear. The pair played every day for ten days straight. Moreover, neither the bear nor the dog received any damage during these games. According to scientists, the bear may have tried to demonstrate friendliness to the dog with this behavior, hoping to get the opportunity to feed with it. However, such behavior is not typical for a polar bear. Typically these animals behave aggressively towards dogs. 9. “Hibernation” of a polar bear. In autumn, when there is little ice, all pregnant female polar bears dig a shelter in the snowdrifts with narrow tunnel, which leads to 1-3 chambers. When the den is built, the female enters a state similar to hibernation there. It is not continuous sleep, but the bear's heart rate slows down to 46 - 27 beats per minute. The female bear's body temperature does not decrease during this period, as it would with any other hibernating mammal. From about November to February, the cubs are born and remain in the shelter with their mother until about mid-February or April. 10. Rescue of a predator. Concerns about the survival of the species have led to restrictions on polar bear hunting in different countries back in the mid-1950s. For example, the USSR banned polar bear hunting in 1956, Canada began introducing hunting quotas in 1968, Norway adopted a number of strict restrictions from 1965 to 1973, and then completely banned hunting of these animals. And in 1973, five countries, including Canada, Denmark, Norway, the USSR and the USA, signed the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears. The countries agreed to impose a number of restrictions on polar bear hunting and conduct further research on them. In Russia today, poaching poses a serious threat to the population of these animals. Hoping to eliminate the problem, the Russian government introduced a ban on hunting this animal in 2007. Only local residents Chukotka people can hunt polar bears using traditional methods. 11. How many are left? The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that the global polar bear population ranges from 20 to 25 thousand individuals, and its numbers are gradually decreasing. The US Geological Survey projects that two-thirds of the world's polar bear population will disappear by 2050, largely due to area decline. sea ice caused by climate change.
Today the world celebrates International Polar Bear Day, or in the more familiar Russian version, Polar Bear Day. Polar bears have existed for more than 200 thousand years, and it is known that there were several times more of them than there are now. They are believed to have originated from brown bears, which were separated by glaciers near Siberia. In order to adapt to new conditions, their bodies underwent evolutionary changes, and they finally began to look the way they look today. Now the habitat of polar bears is the entire Arctic region in the circumpolar regions of the North. Here are some interesting facts about this wonderful animal.
1. Polar bears are the world's largest land predators, tied for first place with the Kodiak bear. The weight of adult males can reach from 250 to 770 kilograms, and the length (from nose to tail) is 2.5-3 meters. Adult females are half the size: 90-300 kg and 1.8-2.5 meters, respectively.
2. Despite what you see in photographs, polar bears are not white at all. Their fur is colorless because the hairs are hollow and transparent. They reflect light and appear white. Under the fur lies black skin, which is necessary for better absorption of solar heat.
3. Only pregnant females go into long winter hibernation (up to two months or longer). And males continue to hunt throughout the winter.
4. The scientific name of polar bears is Ursus Maritimus (translated from Latin as “sea bears”).
5. Newborn polar bear cubs are much smaller in size than newborn human children. Their weight is about 500 grams and their height is 30-35 centimeters.
6. Although temperatures in the Arctic can drop to -45°C, polar bears usually have problems not with freezing, but with overheating. Especially while running. And all this is due to the physiological characteristics of the bear, which are responsible for maintaining heat. Therefore, bears prefer to move slowly and steadily.
7. Polar bears are excellent swimmers. Thanks to the structure of their paws, they swim gracefully and quite quickly. The average speed is 10 km/h. And it won’t be difficult for bears to swim 161 kilometers without stopping. When swimming, polar bears use their large front paws to propel themselves through the water and their hind paws to steer. By the way, they spend so much time in the water that some scientists classify these animals as marine mammals.
8. Polar bears have an excellent sense of smell. They can smell a seal 32 kilometers away.
9. When bears curl up to sleep, they cover their noses with their paws to keep warm.
10. Polar bears are big clean people. After eating, they spend about 20 minutes cleaning themselves. They need to make sure that there are no food residues left in the wool that could reduce its insulating properties.
11. It is known that polar bears can be subject to outbursts of anger. More than once the bear was seen throwing huge chunks of ice and growling loudly in despair after a failed attempt to grab its prey.
12. Only the polar bear is a predator. All other bears are omnivores.
13. If there is not enough food for them during the cold season, polar bears can starve for several months. This is their natural ability used for survival.
14. Polar bears are the only species of bear that is a marine mammal.
15. Polar bears have 9,677 hairs per square inch.
16. While most bears have bare feet, polar bears' feet have fur on the bases and between the toes. This is necessary to reduce heat loss on cold ice.
17. Polar bears are solitary animals. The exception is the period when they are ready to mate.
18. Thanks to the rough surface on the pads of their paws, polar bears do not slide on the ice.
19. The polar bear has 42 teeth.
20. Due to their adaptation to cold weather, polar bears may become extinct in the event of global warming. Man-made greenhouse gases are heating the Earth, causing the ice to melt, threatening the polar bear population.
21. There are 19 species of polar bears in the world, identified and classified by scientists. Currently, 5 of them are on the verge of extinction.
22. The most favorite food of polar bears are ringed seals, but in winter predators eat everything they can catch. In summer, they feast on berries, leaves and algae.
23. An adult polar bear usually eats one seal every 6-7 days.
24. Having given birth to their cubs on land, polar bears then spend the majority of their lives in the water. Most people mistakenly believe that polar bears are land animals, even though they are classified as marine mammals.
25. For a long time, there was a common myth that polar bears are left-handed. Scientists have not yet answered this question, and it is unlikely that an answer will ever be found. Bears use both paws to both grab their prey and dig. Unlike humans, they do not use only one hand.
26. Despite the fact that northern bears have a reputation as fearsome hunters, their hunting success rate is less than 2%. Polar bears, the most carnivorous of the bear family, expend a lot of energy while hunting. The time and energy they spend searching for food only increases over time as Arctic sea ice disappears and it becomes increasingly difficult for the animals to find their prey (mostly seals). Polar bears can eat more than 25 kilograms of meat in one sitting.
27. Habitats of polar bears: Russia, Canada, USA, Greenland, Arctic islands of Norway.
28. On average, in wildlife Polar bears live 17 years.
29. Female bears rarely give birth, once every two or three years. One litter can have up to three cubs.
30. The only living creatures that threaten bears are people.
And finally, a riddle:
Why don't Polar Bears eat Penguins?
The answer? the bear lives at the North Pole, and the penguin at the South Pole.
Swim, far away :)
Based on materials from lifestripes.ru and zooblog.ru
