When the Polar Bear hunts a seal he stays low to the ground and creeps quietly toward it. Even though Polar Bears usually do not like to swim, they probably will to catch a seal. Sometimes if a Polar Bear want to blend in with the snow even more when hunting, they will put their paw over their nose and lips so they won't be seen by the seal.
After they kill the seal by hitting it and strangling it, they will only eat the fat and skin, leaving the meat behind for scavengers like foxes and birds. Sometimes they come together to eat but they usually eat alone. Polar Bears travel many miles in search of food. Sometimes male bears fight over seal carcasses.
Polar bears only have two predators besides man. These are Orca Whales and adult walruses. Usually Orcas do not eat Polar Bears but sometimes they will attack cubs or swimming Polar Bears. Walruses usually don't eat them either but Polar Bears are scared of them because of their tusks.
Appearance
Polar Bears have two layers of fur over a thick layer of fat. Their coat is warm and water proof. Sometimes they will even lay down on the snow to let heat escape from their body. Their skin is black under their white fur, which is good camouflage against the snow, for when they hunt. Polar bears also don't have any eyelashes because they would freeze in the cold.
Polar bears can walk on the ice without slipping, because of the fur in between their toes. When they walk their front paws turn inward and they usually don't run.
The polar bear is the largest bear in the world. Polar bears are full grown at about five or six years of age and they stay with their mothers for about two and a half years. when the cubs are born they are blind, hairless and no bigger than a guinea pig. The largest polar bear ever seen was eleven feet standing. Their shoulder height is five feet . Males weigh 660 to 770 pounds.
Polar bears can move on ice with ease because they walk pigeon toed and that helps them to keep their balance. Sometimes they "ski" using their back paws to propel themselves and their front paws to slide. Their paws act like snowshoes. They are, however, unable to defend themselves when they are swimming.
Habitat, Environment and Shelter
The polar bear lives in the Arctic where there is snow almost all year round and it is always very cold. All year in the Arctic is sort of like one day for most people. The sun is up for the short Arctic summer and it sets for the long winter. In the Arctic, three quarters of the year is winter, there isn't any spring or fall really, and the summer only lasts for about a month and a half. Most of the Arctic land is called "Tundra" and that is where the polar bear lives.
In the fall many polar bears dig dens in the shelter of rocks and cliffs. They sleep for several months, living off their fat, which keeps them warm.
Life Cycles, Mating and Reproduction
In the beginning of winter females look for places to give birth. The female digs a den into a slopping snow bank using her feet to dig. The den is very warm and the female has her babies there. In the den, the mother makes a little hole over her head to get fresh air. After a week or two the family leaves the den for good.
Afemale Polar Bear's cubs stay with her for about two and a half years and are almost fully grown when they leave their mother. The female mates every 3 years, from the age of 5 or 6 to 20 years old. Mating season for Polar Bears is in April and May. The females urine has a different smell when she is ready to mate. The male bears follow this and eventually find the female.
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