Polar Bears: Some Unknown Facts

Earlier I have shared some interesting facts abut Penguins which lives in the Antarctic. Today I will share some facts about an inhabitant of the other part of the globe The Polar Bears, which live predominantly in the Arctic circle.

The scientific name of polar bear is Ursus maritimus. Which means maritime bear. As they live mostly in the water.

They have developed several adaptation features for living in the arctic circle.The body of a polar bear is covered by 10 cm thick blabber which protect them from cold weather. Large furry feet and short, sharp, stocky claws giving it good traction on ice.

The fur which seems to us as white is originally not white. It is hollow and reflects light and thus seems as white. 

They don’t drink water. They get the supply of liquid from their prey.

Polar bear is the world’s largest land predator. They have fantastic sense of smell and can detect seals from more 1.5 km away. They also have a good sense of hearing and vision.

They show very explicit sexual dimorphism. A male can grow up to 11 feet and weigh over 1500 lbs whereas females are just half of their size. A newborn is very light(one lb in weight) when compared to mature sizes. The male bear called Boar, the female called sow.

Polar bear builds den with multiple rooms to live as well as with ventilation systems. They reach hibernation like state in the den. Unlike other mammals the body temperature does not decrease during this state but the heart rate slows down considerably.

Polar bear mainly eats seals. They hunt primarily at the interface between ice, water and air. After eating its prey, they clean themselves using water or snow. A liver of a polar bear is so enriched in vitamin A that it is poisonous to human being if eaten.

Polar bear can swim at a pace of 6 mile per hour. But they can can swim up to 100 miles at a stretch. They don’t have any paddle or flipper they swim using their forepaws for propulsion. They can run at a speed up to 40 km/h.

There are no chance that a polar bear and a penguin can ever meet as they live in the opposite ends of the earth. The Greek word for bear is arctic. So Antarctic(where most of the penguins live) literally mans a place where there is no bear. Like penguins, most polar bear born on the land but spend most of their life at sea. 

Unlike Grizzly Bear they are not territorial by nature.

The life expectancy of a polar bear is 25 years.

Only human hunts polar bears. There are no other predator known who hunt them.

They are classified under vulnerable species under IUCN. It is predicted that by 2050 two third of the population will be lost due to global warming and other man made pollutions.

Hope you enjoyed the article. Thanks for reading.