POLAR BEARS
By: Michael Suchanick
What Special Features does a Polar Bear have?
A Polar Bear has a lot of special features that help them hunt and adapt to there habitat. Polar Bears live in cold arctic places so they have an extra coat of fur to keep them warm. Polar Bears white fur help them blind in with the snow which allows them to sneak up on prey. Polar Bears have slightly oil fur to help them shake snow off of themselves. Polar Bears have foot pads that allow them to walk on ice.
Polar Bear Walking on Ice
Here is a Polar Bear using its foot pads to walk on ice
Polar Bear's Blinding in with the Snow
Here are Polar Bears using their white fur to blind in with the snow
Polar Bear shaking off snow
Here is a Polar Bear using its oil fur to help shake off the snow
How Polar Bears hunt? and What foods Polar Bears eat?
Polar Bears hunt for plants like seaweed, mosses, lichens, and leaves. Also try and find berries on bushes. Walrus and seals make up most of a Polar Bear's diet. When a Polar Bear hunts seals it waits for the seal by the water and when a seal comes up it jumps in the water and kills the seal.
Polar Bears Mating
A Polar Bears mating season is in the spring. During mating season male and female Polar Bears stay together for about a week. A Polar Bear usually gives birth to twins or triplets. Cubs are nursed for about 2 years then the cubs leave the den to learn how to hunt and swim.
Fast Facts of a Polar Bear
- Male Polar Bears weigh about 660-1500 pounds
- Female's weigh about 330-770
- A Polar Bears nickname is "Kings of the Arctic"
- Polar Bear is one of the largest of the bear species
- Polar Bears van live up to 35 years but most live 17 years
- A Polar Bear has no natural enemies besides a human
- Polar Bears live in Arctic zones such as Canada, US, Russia, Denmark, and Norway
Sources
ONLINE SOURCES
http://www.livescience.com/27436-polar-bear-facts.html
http://www.defenders.org/polar-bear/basic-facts
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/polar-bear
PRINT SOURCES
Wild Bears! Polar Bear By: Jason and Jody Stone Pictures By: Tom and Pat Leeson
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/animalsnature/polar-bears-threatened/