Featuring a new animal each month!
Now Showing: Polar Bears
What animal can weigh up to 1,500 pounds, has two layers of fur, and is at the top of the food chain in the Arctic? If you guessed the polar bear, you are right!
You will only find polar bears in the five “polar bear nations”—Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia and the United States (Alaska). They live in the Arctic and depend on the icy sea for seals, their favorite food. They are great swimmers, but only rarely hunt for seals in the open waters. They usually hunt on the sea ice, catching the seal when it comes up for air.
Polar bears don’t mind the extreme cold. They have a thick layer of blubber that keeps them warm. They also have two layers of fur, a small tail and small ears, all of which helps to keep in their heat. Polar bears actually have more problems with overheating than with getting cold. That’s one reason you’ll usually seeing them walking along at a relaxed pace rather than running. They don’t want to overheat.
The polar bear is the largest bear on Earth. Adult males can weigh between 775-1,500 pounds. They can stand up to 10 feet tall! Their big paws help them to evenly distribute all of this weight when they are walking on the ice. If the ice is too thin for walking, some bears will lie down and scoot across on their stomachs.
The polar bear has no natural enemies and is at the top of the food chain in the Arctic. So, why is it on the threatened species list? The main threat to the polar bear today is loss of their habitat. They depend on the Arctic’s sea ice for hunting and this ice is rapidly shrinking.
Got a question about polar bears? Did you draw a cool picture that you want to share? Send them to us and we’ll post great questions and answers, as well as your artwork at the end of the month!
Test your polar bear smarts! Take our polar bear quiz and see how much you know.
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