The Polar Bear
Nearly a quarter of all mammal species and a third of amphibians are threatened with extinction so there is an urgent need to protect wildlife and the places in which they live. Each year the World Conservation Union (IUCN) draw up a list, known as the Red List, which shows how many of a certain species is left and how threatened they are. This includes plants and animals. The different categories are: Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Extinct or Extinct in the Wild.
The definition of Polar Bear is: noun a large white arctic bear which lives mainly on the pack ice. (Compact Oxford English Dictionary). It is a powerful swimmer and feeds chiefly on seals.They are the world’s biggest bear! Males can grow up to 11 feet long and weigh over 1500 (700 kg) pounds and females about half this size
The bears are protected from the extreme cold by their thick coats and their blubber, which can be up to 10cm or 3.9 inches thick
The polar bear can be found in five arctic nations; U.S.(Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark(Greenland), and Norway
The scientific name Ursus maritimus is Latin, which translated means sea bear. The polar bear is sometimes thought of as a marine mammal because the amount of time it spends in the sea
The main diet of a polar bear is seals
Polar bears are amazing at long distance swimming, they are capable of swimming 155 kilometres (nearly 100 miles), and a female polar bear has been documented as swimming a distance of 354 kilometres (220 miles)
When a polar bear is born it weighs a little more than a pound, is born blind and is usually one of two cubs in a litter
Polar bears don’t drink water! They get all the liquids that they need to survive from the animals that they eat
It is unusual for a polar bear to live longer than 25 years old, although they can live longer in captivity. The oldest captive polar bear on record lived to be
43 years old
The Polar bear is classified as a vulnerable, endangered species, with over 50% of polar bear populations in decline. Climate change, resulting in the changing of its habitat is the most significant threat to the polar bear
The Polar bear is classified as a vulnerable, endangered species, with over 50% of polar bear populations in decline. Climate change, resulting in the changing of its habitat is the most significant threat to the polar bear
Polar bear fur is not white! The fur has thick, hollow hairs that reflect light which makes the coat look white. Another surprising fact is that their skin is black
The Polar bear is classified as a vulnerable, endangered species, with over 50% of polar bear populations in decline. Climate change, resulting in the changing of its habitat is the most significant threat to the polar bear