Polar Bear, sometimes also called White Bear or Ice Bear! Amazing animals that live in the cold and frozen arctic region! The polar bear is the apex predator in the Arctic region.
Mammalia, which has the Latin name Ursus Maritimus or Sea Bear, is the largest species of bear in the world. Perhaps only the Kodiak Bear is comparable to the Polar Bear in terms of size.
Male polar bears range from 2.4 to 3 m in length, and weigh up to 350 to 700 kg. Female polar bears are much smaller. They are only about 1.8 to 2.4 m long, and weigh between 150 and 260 kg.
Polar bears are not only the largest species of bear, they are also the largest land carnivore in existence today. The biggest polar bear ever found, male sex. Body length 3.39 m, with a weight of 1002 kg.
Like bears in general, the polar bear species also has a tail, but it is very short. Not more than 7 to 13 m in length.
The physical form of the bear is not much different from other bear species, it's just that their body and skull are slightly longer. Polar bears also have very large feet, which make it easier for them to walk on surfaces and to help propel their bodies while swimming.
Although some call it a white bear, however, the polar bear does not have a snow-white fur color, instead it is slightly cream or brownish white.
They have a dense coat, which consists of a dense undercoat and an outer layer that serves as protection from the cold as a coat should. The outer layer of fur or hair is between 5 and 15 cm long.
Polar bears also undergo a gradual molting, which usually lasts from May to August. Their white fur will slowly turn beige with age.
Polar bears have sharp hearing and eyesight. Their eyes are able to see well at long distances. Polar bears also have a very keen sense of smell, so they can detect the presence of seals at a distance of 1.6 m, even though their prey is under a 1 m thick layer of ice.
Polar bears are aggressive animals. They are a type of stealth hunter who is very skilled at ambushing their prey suddenly, without their prey even being aware of their presence.
The main food for polar bears is seals, which are quite abundant in the Arctic region. In addition, sometimes polar bears also eat fish, crabs, shellfish, eggs, or hunt walruses and various other marine animals.
Polar bears also do not hesitate to prey on animals that live on land ice, such as reindeer, muskox, caribou rodents, snow geese, birds, and so on.
Although polar bears are carnivores, they also eat plant life, such as seaweed, willow, fruits and grass.
Adult polar bears usually live alone, but they love to play together for hours on end. Just like humans, polar bear cubs also like to play together every day. Even when they are teenagers, polar bears still love to play together. They also often sleep in each other's arms.
April and May are mating seasons for polar bears. Male polar bears often engage in fights over their partners.
Polar bear pairs will mate and stay together for about a week, until the female polar bear becomes pregnant.
During this gestation period, for about 4 months, female polar bears will eat very voraciously, causing them to gain weight. Oftentimes, their weight increases more than doubled.
Once enough fat is stored in the body, the female polar bear will start digging a nest for birth. They will live in the hole until their children are born. While waiting for the birth of their cubs until the breastfeeding period, the female polar bear will fast for months.
Polar bear cubs live with their mothers until they are between one and a half and two and a half years old. After that their mother will drive them out or leave them.
Polar bears living in the wild rarely live to be 25 years old. Although there are also wild polar bears that can live up to the age of 32 years. In captivity, the life expectancy of polar bears is much higher, even up to 43 years old.
Polar bears are classified as marine mammals, even though they can walk and run on land.
Polar bears tend to be sluggish when walking on land, with an average speed of 5.6 km/h. Even though they look slow, polar bears can run at speeds of up to 40 km/h.
Polar bears are good swimmers. They can swim at a speed of 10 km/h. A polar bear can stay underwater for 3 minutes. Polar bears can swim continuously for days in very cold seas up to hundreds of meters, sometimes even reaching more than 1,500 m.
Polar bears really like areas filled with layers of ice that cover the waters. It is in this area that they usually hunt for prey. In summer, the ice melts, causing polar bears to be unable to hunt, and are forced to fast.
Polar bears can endure fasting for months, where they laze around more to conserve energy.
The polar bear population is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. This carnivorous mammal is spread across Greenland, Alaska, Russia, northern Canada, and the Svalbard Islands in Norway.
However, as global warming increases, the ice caps in the Arctic region are melting more and more. This is a serious threat to the survival of polar bears. Their habitat is getting narrower and hunting prey is even more difficult!
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