Polar Bears Explained #17. Scientists can
extract polar bear DNA from their footprints Polar bears leave DNA behind in their footprints.
This is extracted by a special scientific process. An innovative new technique was
developed by DNA specialist firm SPYGEN. Two tiny scoops of snow from a polar bear track reveal not
just the DNA of the polar bear that made it, but even from a seal it has recently eaten.
#16. They can live for up to 30 years in the wild Polar bears can live up to 30 years in the wild.
But even so, they typically average 25 years of life. The oldest wild and captive polar
bears on record died at 32 years and 43 years, respectively. They typically die when they become
too old and sluggish to hunt. They fair much better in captivity. Especially when they have
handlers who provide them with food and absolve them of the need to hunt. It's worth noting that
the bear family itself is about 38 million years old, though. Their status today is listed by
conservation groups as "vulnerable." #15. Polar bears can overheat
Polar bears do not sweat. And so, they run the risk of overheating if they
exert themselves too much. Luckily, the artic environment does well to help them cool down.
But this is why when they hardly survive when taken out of their natural environment.
#14. They struggle to find food Despite the fact that polar bears have great
adaptations for hunting in both terrestrial and aquatic environments, they struggle to
find food. This is less of a problem with them and more of a problem with their environments.
These days, they are losing there hunting grounds. They spend almost all their time hunting, but only
about 2% of their hunting expeditions result in a meaningful catch. They tend to prefer seals,
but if they can't catch them, they have no choice but to content themselves with smaller animals
like fish, birds, eggs, and even vegetation. #13. Their hairy paws facilitate movement
Unlike the fur everywhere else on their bodies, the fur on paws doesn't just exist
to keep them warm. Rather, it allows them to move skillfully on ice. Without hairy paws,
they wouldn't be able to generate enough friction on the ice. Then, they would only be able to slide
and skid about. But having hairs on their paws prevents this and allows them to walk
and run without any problems. #12. They are marine mammals
Polar bears are formerly classified as marine mammals. This puts them in
the same group as other creatures like whales and dolphins. However, unlike those other two,
polar bears are much better suited for terrestrial living as well as aquatic. They are the only bear
species to receive this special classification. Other bears like brown bears and grizzly bears
are fully terrestrial. The only thing that sets polar bears aside from these other bear families
is their affinity for aqueous environments. #11. They tend to migrate in search of food
Polar bears tend to migrate large distances in search of food. As the seasons change and the ice
melts, they will migrate within their individual "home range." This will often range between 50,000
square miles to 135,000 square miles. That's about half the area of the state of Texas. They
typically do this because their main source of food, seals, migrate first in response to weather
changes. Bears then migrate in pursuit of them. They typically migrate in the summer season.
#10. Only pregnant polar bears hibernate in winter
Other species of bears, such as black bears and grizzly bears, are infamous for hibernating.
During hibernation, these animals enter periods of deep sleep so as to survive
adverse environmental conditions such as cold or the lack of prey. Only pregnant polar bears
have the ability to do so. Pregnant polar bears must hibernate in order to ensure that gestation
goes according to plan. However, other polar bears just have to hunt through the cold.
#9. They have an extremely strong sense of smell that allows them to detect prey up to 1
mile away. They can also detect prey buried up to beneath snow. They use this skill to
detect seals who resurface to breathe through holes in the ground. When these seals come up,
they just may find a pair of gaping jaws waiting for them. Their hearing is as good as a humans',
and they can see long distances pretty well. #8. They are great divers
Since polar bears are marine mammals, they do a fair amount of hunting underwater. For this
reason, they are great divers. They can dive up to 15 feet beneath the surface of the water.
This is facilitated by their ability to hold their breath for up to 2 minutes while underwater.
Although these creatures have no natural predators in terrestrial environments,
there are many creatures underwater which may well kill them if they stay too long.
#7. They are the largest land carnivores in the world
These creatures tend to average weights of 770 pounds to 1500 pounds. That's one and a half
times as heavy as a grand piano. Females are half the size of males. However, females tend to gain
a lot of weight when they are pregnant. When baby polar bears are born, they weigh about 400 pounds.
Since how much polar bears is a function of their body weight, adult males need to eat the most,
followed by females, followed by the young. #6.
There are 19 discrete subpopulations of polar bears on Earth. As of 2019, one of these
subpopulations is in decline, two are increasing, seven are stable, and nine have insufficient data.
Putting a number to these estimates, between 22,000 and 31,000 polar bears exist on Earth
today. These populations are distributed across the arctic circle and the arctic ocean,
as well as countries like Newfoundland, Greenland, Russia, Alaska, Denmark, Canada, and Russia. Polar
Bears need to stay near water to survive, but sometimes they go inland for miles and miles.
#5. They sometimes hybridize with grizzly bears Have you ever heard of a pizzly bear or a grolar
bear? These creatures are hybrids between polar bears and grizzly bears. They have been bred both
in captivity and in the wild. As a sign of their genetic lineage, their fur is typically off-white,
with brown patches covering them. When observed by scientists, these creatures exhibited behaviors
more consistent with polar bears than with grizzly bears. They were first discovered by
Jim Martell, a hunter from Idaho, in 2006. He shot one while on a hunting expedition.
#4. they are hypercarnivorous creatures Polar bears can eat between 10 to 20 percent
of their body weight at a time. A ringed seal weighing 121 pounds could provide up to eight days
of energy for a polar bear. It's worth mentioning that in recent times because food is hard to find,
the vast majority of polar bears are malnourished. So much so that they tend to look skinny and
emaciated. It gets so bad for adult males that they sometimes cannibalize young polar bears.
These young are defenseless and, as such, are easy targets.
#3. They love to eat seals Seals are so essential to the
diet of polar bears that seal populations and seal migration patterns also affect polar bears.
There are a large variety of seals in existence. Seals, which are also known as pinnipeds, include
walruses, sea lions, elephant seals, and so on. Like polar bears, they are also aquatic mammals.
Interestingly, the closest living relative of the seal family is the bear family.
#2. They are decent swimmers This shouldn't come as a surprise since we have
emphasized that polar bears are aquatic mammals. They are quite adept at movement both on land and
in water. Polar bears can swim at average speeds of 6 miles per hour. However, they are faster on
land, and they can run at speeds of 25 miles per hour. In both instances, they can outpace humans.
What's more impressive is that they can constantly swim for days at a time. Their large paws are
specially adapted for swimming, which they'll use to paddle through the water while holding
their hind legs flat like a rudder. This allows them to save a lot of energy while they swim.
#1. They have black skin This fact about bears may
cause more than a few people to raise their eyebrows. After all, polar bears clearly look
white. The fact of the matter is, this white color comes from the nature of their furs.
If you found a polar bear and shaved it to its skin, it would be black underneath all that
hair. So, their skin color, is in fact, black. But they appear white because of their fur.
Which facts about Polar Bears did you find most surprising