The polar bear is a large yellow-white bear. It can grow to approximately 2.8 meters long and weigh up to 700 kg, making it the largest bear species. The polar bear feeds on seals, fish, snow hares, arctic foxes, lemmings, seabirds, young walruses, beluga whales, indeed any source of meat – including carrion and human waste, making it a potentially rather dangerous neighbor in arctic communities.
Lifestyle
As a method of capture, the bear uses its large claws and canines, its fantastic sense of smell and, not least, its ability to want to investigate and explore, which often brings it on a collision course with human society, but which also keeps it alive when food is scarce, and imagination have to. The polar bear is larger and longer than the other bears, with a longer neck and narrower head. Its teeth are extremely well adapted to life as a carnivore. The canines are somewhat larger than those of other bears and its molars are sharper and more serrated. This is because the polar bear lives almost exclusively on meat, while other bears also eat plant food. eg. berries and grasses.
Apart from the mating season and raising the cubs, the polar bear lives mostly alone. It is active both during the day and at night. The polar bear is a good swimmer, but can also move quickly on foot – it can reach a speed of 55 kilometers per hour.
Facts
- Age: 25-35 years.
- Weight: 350–700 kg.
- Length: 180-240 cm.
- Height: 120-160 cm.
Fur
Polar bears’ fur insulates well. It consists of a layer of undercoat and a layer of cover hair. Selvom isbjørnens pels ser ud til at være hvid, er hårene gennemsigtige og selve Although the polar bear’s fur appears to be white, the hairs are transparent and the skin itself is dark – almost black, so it absorbs heat extra well. This system is so efficient that there can be a temperature difference of 69 degrees between the polar bear’s skin and the surroundings. Researchers have tried to film polar bears with an infrared camera, but due to the animal’s efficient conservation and absorption of heat, there were no traces of the animals on the developed film.
Cubs
Polar bears become sexually mature after 3-4 years and mate in March-May. They only mate every 3 years. The female is pregnant for 7-8 months and usually gives birth to two cubs. Pregnant females spend the winter in self-dug breeding burrows in the snow. The cubs are very small at birth and blind for the first 28-30 days. The cubs nurse for 1-2 years and fend for themselves after 2-3 years.
Spread
The polar bear has a circumpolar distribution, more specifically it has a distribution area along the coasts of the Arctic region. Several, more or less distinct subpopulations occur within its range. In Greenland, the polar bear occurs in both East and West Greenland. On the West Coast, the polar bears live especially in the areas where the drift ice lies close to the coast, that is to say north of and around Sisimiut. In Southwest Greenland, however, there are also polar bears that are brought to the area with the drift ice from East Greenland. Polar bears occur along the entire East Greenland coastline. For large parts of the year, the polar bear is also found on the drift ice between West Greenland and eastern Canada, respectively, and between East Greenland and Svalbard.
