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 Polar bears are among the largest members of the
bear family. They live in the Arctic Circle, including
the North Pole and northern parts
of Europe, Asia and North America. Polar bears have a large body with
a long neck and a smaller head than other bears. They have powerful muscles in their hind legs and neck. Their
large and flat front feet make them strong
swimmers. They have a short tail and small ears. Their
skin, nose and lips are black in color.
Polar bears are one of the largest land predators in the world. They
can reach 122 centimeters tall
or more at the shoulder. When they stand up on their hind legs,
they may be over 305 centimeters tall. Male polar bears weigh between 360 to 720
kilograms. Females usually weigh between
180 to 360 kilograms. The largest recorded polar bear was a
male that was over 365 centimeters tall and weighed over 990 kilograms!
Polar bears spend a lot of time in water to catch food. They are excellent hunters. Their favorite food is the seal. But they eat a variety of food. Polar
bears can go for weeks without eating. This is because they have huge stomachs and can eat up to
67 kilograms of food at one sitting. During the
summer, they will eat seaweed. They will also wander around inland in search of foods such as
berries and grass. They do not eat fish.
Most fish in the Arctic Ocean live in very deep water, and polar bears
are not deep sea divers.
Female polar bears start reproducing when they are between 3 and 5
years old. They usually mate in the late spring and
give birth to cubs in late December or
early January. When cubs are born, they are very small. They are born
without the ability to see or hear and
have no hair. The mother bear keeps them warm and protect them. They stay with
their mother for about three years to learn what they need to survive. Polar bears live
about 20 to 25 years.
Sadly, the number of polar
bears is decreasing due to over-hunting, pollution and global warming. Today, there
are only about 20,000~25,000 polar bears in the world. |
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