Everything about Polar Bears

Polar bear is the largest bear species. It inhabits the territories lying within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and land areas. The range includes the territory of five countries Denmark, Norway, Russia, the United States and Canada. Because of expected habitat loss caused by climate change, the polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species. The five nations signed the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears to cooperate efforts on polar bears' research and conservation. There are 19 subpopulations of polar bear. One is in decline, two are increasing, seven are stable and nine have insufficient data as of 2017. The polar bear's body characteristics are adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice and open water and for hunting seals, which make up most of their diet. Polar bears have black skin, transparent and not white fur, blue tongue, 42 razor-sharp teeth and three eyelids. Although most popular bears are born on land, they spend most of their time on the sea ice. A boar, adult male, weighs around 350-700 kg, while a sow, adult female, is about half that size. Polar bears spend over 50% of their time hunting for food. A polar bear might catch only one or two out of ten seals it hunts. Their diet mainly consists of ringed or bearded seals because they need large amounts of fat to survive. The polar bear's most common hunting method is called steel hunting. The bear uses its excellent sense of smell to locate a seal breathing hole and crouches nearby in silence for a seal to appear. The bear may lie in wait for several hours. When the seal exhales, the bear reaches into the hole with a forepaw and drags it out onto the ice, then kills the seal by biting its head. Polar bears can also hunt walruses or their calves as well as beluga whales and sometimes swim underwater to catch fish like the arctic char or the four-horned sculpin. Polar bears are talented swimmers. They can swim at a pace of 6 miles per hour. To catch a seal, they can swim underwater for three minutes. Thick layer of body fat and a water-repellent coat insulates them from the cold air and water. Polar bears are solitary marine mammals, but they enjoy playing together for hours and even sleeping in an embrace. Cubs are especially playful. Among young males in particular, play-fighting may be a means of practicing for serious competition during mating seasons later in life. Mating happens on the sea in April and May. A male polar bear may follow the tracks of a breeding female for 100 km or 60 miles or even more. When he finds her, he will be fighting with other males, which can result in scars and broken teeth. A pair will spend together a week, during which they mate repeatedly. During four months of pregnancy, the female eats substantial amounts of food, gaining at least 200 kg and even more, that doubles her body weight. In autumn, pregnant female makes a den in snowdrifts, on sea ice or underground in permafrost. In the den, she goes into a sort of a dormant state, similar to hibernation, with her heart rate slowing from 46 to 27 beats per minute. Between November and February, cubs, there are usually two in a litter, are born absolutely helpless. They are blind, covered with a light fur and weighing less than 1 kg. The family remains in the den until February to April, with the mother keeping her fast while nursing her cubs on a fat, rich milk. By the time the mother breaks open the entrance to the den, her cubs weigh about 10 to 15 kg. For about two weeks, the family spends time outside the den in its vicinity. The mother gazes on vegetation while the cubs are walking and playing. Then they begin the long walk from the den area to the sea ice, where the mother can once again catch seals. During this time, cubs play with each other, imitating the mother's hunting methods, in preparation for later life. Female polar bears can adopt other cubs. However, adult bears of either gender occasionally kill and eat polar bear cubs. Cubs are usually nursed for two and a half years. After that, the mother chases them away or abandons them. After the mother leaves, sibling cubs sometimes stay together, traveling and sharing food for weeks or months. Females begin to breed at the age of 4 years in most areas. Males usually reach sexual maturity at 6 years. But because competition for females is so fierce, many do not breed until the age of 8 or 10. In the wild, polar bears live up to 25 years. In captivity, the oldest female was 43. In the wild, polar bears are the apex predators and usually don't have enemies except humans. Old animals eventually become too weak to catch food and gradually starve to death. Polar bears injured in fights or accidents may either die from their injuries or become unable to hunt effectively, which leads to starvation. The polar bear is a keystone species in the Arctic. These Arctic giants are attractive and appealing and are great masters of their environment.