Polar Bears

Polar Bears

  
 Polar Bears is the world's largest predator on four legs and the most carnivorous of all bears. Adult Polar bear males can weigh as much as 1,500 pounds. They are the most powerful predator on land. Their range includes all major landmass in the Arctic Circle. Polar bears live in Greenland, the Svalbard archipelago, Russia, Alaska and Canada. It is one of the largest bears along with the Kodiak brown bears. Kodiak bears on the Kodiak archipelago in Alaska and are the largest of the brown bears. They are about as large and heavy as polar bears but it is an omnivore that will eat carrion, salmon, and berries. Only a few of these brown bears will prey on deer and mountain goats.

  The polar bears are called by many biologists a marine mammal because they evolved many adaptations from the brown bears for the extreme cold of the Arctic Circle. They have a thick layer of blubber and two layers of fur that cover their black skin. The under coat is very dense thick fur. The outer layer of fur is the transparent guard hairs that appear white or light tan. The polar bears lose very little body heat. They are so adapted freezing winters polar bears easy over heat in arctic summers. Polar bears paws are modified for ice and water of the arctic. They are superb swimmers that will cross open water between ice floes. Its blubber allows it to float as they dog paddles using their front paws. Like most bears they can run very fast in short burst.  

  They use their exceptional sense of smell to find carrion and prey. With a seal resting on the ice floes the polar bear will sneak up on the prey within 40 feet before using a final burst of speed to catch the seal before it escape. Polar bears will search for seals pups in the seals breeding season. The favorite hunting method is to find the seals breathing holes. The seals need to return to breathing holes when they swim under the ice. Polar bears after they find one of them quietly waits close by for the seal to break the surface to take a breath. The polar bear will attack pulling the seal onto the ice then killed it by crushing it skull with its powerful jaws. Adult bears will first eat the energy rich fat. Younger smaller polar bears will scavenge the leftovers from other bears kills until they become successful predators themselves. Polar bears are powerful enough to kill adult walrus and beluga whales. Both are larger and heavier the polar bear and it is not unusual they are able to escape the bears attack. The adult walrus has very thick skin and two long ivory tusks they use for defense. A healthy adult walrus can put up more of a fight than polar bears can deal with so the walrus calves are targeted instead.