Polar Bears

POLAR BEARS

 

 

Polar Bears are carnivores that eat seals and fish around the Arctic Circle. The male bear is called a boar and the female bear is called a sow. The boar weighs around 350 - 700 kg and the sow weighs half of the boar’s weight. It

has many body characteristics which include adaptation to cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water.

The polar bear is often called a marine mammal because it spends most months of the year at sea. It is the only living ‘‘Marine Mammal’’ with strong, big limbs and feet that allow them to cover miles on foot and run on land. Its preferred habitat is the annual sea ice covering the waters over the continental shelf.

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 lay in wait for several hours. When the seal exhales, the bear smells its breath, reaches into the hole with a forepaw, and drags it out onto the ice. The polar bear kills the seal by biting its head to crush its skull. The polar bear also hunts by stalking seals resting on the ice.

By: Jordi Romero