The largest bear in the world
and one of the Arctic's top predators,
here are our top ten facts about the mighty polar bear.
Fact one
They are the largest land carnivore in the world. Adult males can grow up to
two and a half meters long and can weigh up to 800 kilograms.
That's the same weight as 10 fully grown men.
Fact two
Polar bears are classified as marine mammals.
This is because they spend most of their life on sea ice which they depend on
for traveling, feeding, and mating. Their main prey is seals,
and this means that the sea ice they live on needs to be thick enough to hold their weight
yet thin enough to allow seals to live on.
Fact three
Polar bears have adapted to live in cold conditions.
With a thick layer of fat to keep them warm, dense
fur for insulation, small ears to help reduce
heat loss, and relatively large feet to help them walk on
snow and ice, polar bears are well suited
for life in the Arctic.
Fact four
Polar bear skin is actually black, not white.
Polar bear fur is in fact translucent,
and only appears white or yellowish because it reflects visible light.
This acts as a camouflage
but beneath all that thick fur, their skin is in fact jet black.
Fact five
They’re faster than Usain Bolt, the world's fastest human sprinter.
Polar bears can reach speeds
up to 30 miles an hour over Arctic terrain
and could easily outrun any human.
Thankfully, they're more long distance wanderers than sprinters.
Fact six
They’re long-distance swimmers.
Polar bears can swim steadily
for many hours to get from one piece of ice to another. Their large paws are
specially adapted to help them paddle through water
while holding their hind legs flat like a rudder.
One polar bear was known to swing continuously
for nine days, losing nearly a quarter of her body weight in the process.
Fact seven
Polar bears can eat up to 20 percent of their body weight in a single meal,
and up to ten percent in just 30 minutes!
Pregnant females are known to double
or even triple their body weight during pregnancy,
which is needed to help them survive in their maternity den.
Fact eight
They give birth in snow dens.
Pregnant female polar bears enter these maternity dens between October
and mid-December and give birth around for weeks later.
Then they won't leave these dens until months later,
around February to May, meaning that during this whole time
they'll be fasting which can be up to six months.
Fact nine
Cubs hitch a ride. Sometimes cubs will hitch a ride on the backs of their
mothers whilst traveling through deep snow
or swimming in open water.
They’ll hold on to her fur with their claws.
Cubs usually stay with their mothers
for about two and a half years before weaning.
But sadly, only around 70% of polar bear cubs survive their first year.
Fact ten.
They're under threat.
Climate change means that the sea ice
that polar bears rely on is slowly melting.
It’s predicted that we could lose about 30% of the world's polar bears by 2050
if we don't take urgent action to tackle climate change.
We're working with researchers in the Arctic to track polar bears
and understand more about the impact climate change and other threats are having on them,
and to monitor their health.
We're also working with communities to reduce human/ polar bear
conflict and advocating for governments to recognise
and mitigate the effects of a changing Arctic on bears.
We hope you enjoyed this video.
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