The Trouble with Polar Bears

By Stephen Spreadbury


Polar bears have long fascinated us. With their thick, white coats, they look incredibly cuddlesome, particularly the pups. Truthfully, they're the largest and most powerful bears in the world. Alas, they could be added to the endangered species list. Polar bears are an amazingly attractive animal. Unfortunately, they're under lots of pressure as a species due to climate change in the Arctic. Receding ice and pollution issues are leading to concerns polar bears might be facing extinction. To clearly understand polar bears, here?s an outline of this extraordinary animal.

While penguins are only found in Antarctica, polar bears are only found in the Arctic Circle. This, of course, means they are particularly at the mercy of any environmental changes in the Arctic. Polar bears are the biggest bear species by over 400 pounds normally. They are primarily solitary creatures. For food, seal is always on the menu, but they'll also scavenge if they come across something flavorsome. Curiously polar bears never drink water. They get it all from their meals.

Polar bears are known for their beautiful white coats. Honestly, the coats are not white. The hairs are drab, hollow tubes that soak up the light giving them the bears their white color. Polar bear skin is basically black like their noses. A typical story is the hollow tubes of polar bear skin can act like fiber optics for your phone. This myth has been disproved, however it gives you an idea of the nature of the hairs. Female polar bears generally give birth in the last two months of the year. They nearly always give birth to twins. When it is time to do that the mas will dig dens out of the ice and snow. They are going to remain in the den without food till the cubs may be able to leave.

When born, polar bear pups are definitely little. They weigh less than one pound, which is pretty amazing considering an adult polar bear can weigh 1,100 pounds typically. After birth, the mother will stay with the pups for 2 years and train them in all sides of polar bear etiquette. After that she deserts them to their own destiny. The dads take no part in the raising of the pups.

As with several animals, polar bears have some unique characteristics. They can walk up to 40 miles a day and swim up to 60. To catch seals, they stand over a respiring hole and wait for a seal to come up for air. They then swat the seal with their left paw, always their left paw for reasons unknown. After eating, they can go five days without swatting another seal. As of the writing of this piece, polar bear populations are under duress as the Arctic undergoes fundamental changes. Ice is liquefying and so is the territory of the polar bear. Latest guesses indicate only 25,000 polar bears remain.




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