by Tammy L Mahan

Created on: February 22, 2008

The polar bear is one of the most majestic animals to walk the earth. They have an air of beauty and grace about them. Yet they are one of the world's most feared animals with their massive bodies, ability catch and consume large animals, skillfully run across ice and sustain temperatures well below freezing. Sadly with global warming the polar bear is at risk for becoming extinct.

The polar bear has been around for thousands of years evolving from a species of brown bears. When the bears began migrating in order to adapt to their new environment their coat thickened and the white color of their fur provided a measure of camouflage and warmth if you look closely at a Polar bears fur you will see that it is actually a clear color that effects of the sun make look white or light yellow, older bears fur is more of a yellow color. The bears molt their fur in the summer months while they maintain their insulation layer.

HABITAT

Polar bears live on land but spend a good amount of time in the ocean as well, which classifies them as a marine mammal. As global warming becomes more of a problem melting their ice caps they are forced to once again migrate to a more suitable location.

DIET

Polar bears will eat anything although they are carnivorous and eat mostly seals, walruses, whales, small fish, birds and even smaller polar bears they have been known to eat fruit, plants and seaweed. Being an excellent swimmer the polar bear can usually have its choice of food it will swim up to 50 miles from land in search of food.

MATING

Polar bears have a usually mating process they mate for a one week period in May. Zoologist determined that it takes one week for the female to ovulate causing the one week time frame. The fertilized egg remains dormant inside the female until September.

Between May and September the female polar bear eats huge amounts of food to prepare her body for the pregnancy sometimes even doubling their body weight from a normal weight of 350-550 pounds.

CUBS

The female goes into her den in September and remains in a hibernation type sleep even when the cubs are born in December she remains in this sleep state. The cubs nurse for duration of the hibernation period which ends in March. The female usually has a litter of 2 to 4 cubs at a time. The cubs will stay with their mother for two to three years before setting out on their own.

PREDETORS

As with most animals humans pose the biggest threat to polar bears. Not only from hunting them for their meat and beautiful coat but inadvertently as well by polluting the oceans. Many polar bears have been found to be filled with garbage contents and even PCB's after death.

With the polar bears nearing the extinct list as a result of global warming we should all make a little more effort in keeping our oceans a clean place for all marine life.

Sources

www.polarbearproject
www.polarbear.org
www .marinemammallife.net

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