In celebration of Polar Bear Day, we’ve gathered some interesting facts and great photos of these beautiful animals.
1. Polar bears are the largest land carnivores in the world. They feed almost exclusively on ringed seals and bearded seals.
2. Polar bears live in one of the planet’s coldest environments, the Arctic (U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway).
3. According to Wikipedia, there are between 20,000-25,000 polar bears in the world.
4. Adult male polar bears can weigh up to 700 kg (1540 lb) and measure up to 3 metres (9 ft 10 in) in total length. Adult females usually only weigh about half as much as males. At birth, polar bear cubs are 12 to 14 inches long and weigh around 1 pound.
5. They are not actually white. The individual hairs in a polar bear’s coat are transparent. And their skin is black.
6. Their fur is thicker than any other bears and covers even the bottom of their paws, which protects against cold surfaces and provides a good grip on ice.
7. Polar bears use floating sheets of ice as a platform to hunt seals. They keep from slipping on ice with the help of small bumps on their feet called papillae.
8. They have a very strong sense of smell, with the ability to detect seals nearly a mile away (1.6 km).
9. Female polar bears usually give birth to twin cubs. Single cubs and triplets also occur depending on the health and condition of the mother. Cubs stay with their moms for more than two years until they can hunt and survive on their own.
Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest for more awesome pictures!
Sources:
Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, Image 4, Image 5, Image 6, Image 7, Image 8, Image 9, Image 10
Follow Animals-Zone!