Post by brobear on Aug 5, 2021 2:31:23 GMT -5
www.livescience.com/27436-polar-bear-facts.html
Polar bears: The largest land carnivores.
Polar bears depend heavily on the ocean environment and are the only bears to be considered marine mammals.
Polar bears are usually 3.5 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) tall at the shoulder on all fours, but an adult male may reach more than 10 feet (3 m) when standing on its hind legs, according to Polar Bears International. In 1960, a polar bear that was killed in Alaska stood 12 feet (3.7 m) tall on its hind legs, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
Male polar bears usually weigh between 770 pounds and more than 1,300 pounds (350 to 600 kilograms). The 12-foot-tall Alaskan bear shot in 1960 is the heaviest recorded bear and weighed 2,210 pounds (1,000 kg). Females weigh half as much as their male counterparts, at 330 to 650 pounds (150 to 295 kg), according to Polar Bears International.
Polar bears are the biggest bear species, but Kodiak bears, a subspecies, or type of brown bear, can grow to about the same size as some polar bears. Kodiak bears live on islands in the Kodiak Archipelago off southern Alaska, where they have been isolated from other brown bears for about 12,000 years, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. These brown bears can stand over 10 feet (3m) tall on their hind legs and weigh up to 1,500 pounds (680 kg), according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Some sources, such as the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, claim that Kodiak bears are the largest bears on Earth. The confusion is partly due to the way that "largest" is defined, because the answer varies depending on whether bears are measured by length, weight, or by the largest individual ever recorded, according to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Polar bears are heavier and taller on average, but individual Kodiak bears may be larger than average-size polar bears.
Polar bears have been recorded swimming for nearly 10 days at a time and traveling up to 427 miles (687 kilometers) in a single swim without stopping to rest, Live Science previously reported. Long swims like this put polar bears at risk of drowning, but they may be forced to undertake such great journeys more often as warming temperatures associated with climate change melt sea ice in the Arctic.
Polar bears are the most carnivorous bear species and almost exclusively eat meat. Their primary prey are ringed seals (Pusa hispida), according to the National Wildlife Federation. Polar bears will sit by a seal breathing hole waiting for a seal to pop up so they can grab it. The bears will also sniff out seal dens, then crash through the roof and kill the seals inside.
If polar bears have a plentiful supply of seals and are in good health, they'll only eat the seal's blubber, according to Polar Bears International. This is the highest calorie meal available to polar bears and helps them build up fat reserves and stay healthy between feedings. Polar bears can consume 4.4 pounds (2 kg) of fat each day, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Polar bears will also hunt walruses, sea birds, fish and small mammals such as rodents; scavenge on whale carcasses and other dead animals; and eat small amounts of vegetation, according to the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web (ADW). However, these are alternative food sources when seals aren't plentiful; seals are crucial to sustaining a polar bear population. Polar bears are top of the food chain and have no natural predators other than humans.
Polar bears are solitary except for when a mother is raising her cubs. However, unrelated bears will occasionally be seen together, such as when they share a large whale carcass or garbage dump, or when they are waiting on land for sea ice to re-form, according to Sea World. They do not defend territories, but polar bears may occasionally fight over a carcass, and males may fight over a female during the breeding season, between March and June.
Polar bears: The largest land carnivores.
Polar bears depend heavily on the ocean environment and are the only bears to be considered marine mammals.
Polar bears are usually 3.5 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) tall at the shoulder on all fours, but an adult male may reach more than 10 feet (3 m) when standing on its hind legs, according to Polar Bears International. In 1960, a polar bear that was killed in Alaska stood 12 feet (3.7 m) tall on its hind legs, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
Male polar bears usually weigh between 770 pounds and more than 1,300 pounds (350 to 600 kilograms). The 12-foot-tall Alaskan bear shot in 1960 is the heaviest recorded bear and weighed 2,210 pounds (1,000 kg). Females weigh half as much as their male counterparts, at 330 to 650 pounds (150 to 295 kg), according to Polar Bears International.
Polar bears are the biggest bear species, but Kodiak bears, a subspecies, or type of brown bear, can grow to about the same size as some polar bears. Kodiak bears live on islands in the Kodiak Archipelago off southern Alaska, where they have been isolated from other brown bears for about 12,000 years, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. These brown bears can stand over 10 feet (3m) tall on their hind legs and weigh up to 1,500 pounds (680 kg), according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Some sources, such as the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, claim that Kodiak bears are the largest bears on Earth. The confusion is partly due to the way that "largest" is defined, because the answer varies depending on whether bears are measured by length, weight, or by the largest individual ever recorded, according to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Polar bears are heavier and taller on average, but individual Kodiak bears may be larger than average-size polar bears.
Polar bears have been recorded swimming for nearly 10 days at a time and traveling up to 427 miles (687 kilometers) in a single swim without stopping to rest, Live Science previously reported. Long swims like this put polar bears at risk of drowning, but they may be forced to undertake such great journeys more often as warming temperatures associated with climate change melt sea ice in the Arctic.
Polar bears are the most carnivorous bear species and almost exclusively eat meat. Their primary prey are ringed seals (Pusa hispida), according to the National Wildlife Federation. Polar bears will sit by a seal breathing hole waiting for a seal to pop up so they can grab it. The bears will also sniff out seal dens, then crash through the roof and kill the seals inside.
If polar bears have a plentiful supply of seals and are in good health, they'll only eat the seal's blubber, according to Polar Bears International. This is the highest calorie meal available to polar bears and helps them build up fat reserves and stay healthy between feedings. Polar bears can consume 4.4 pounds (2 kg) of fat each day, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Polar bears will also hunt walruses, sea birds, fish and small mammals such as rodents; scavenge on whale carcasses and other dead animals; and eat small amounts of vegetation, according to the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web (ADW). However, these are alternative food sources when seals aren't plentiful; seals are crucial to sustaining a polar bear population. Polar bears are top of the food chain and have no natural predators other than humans.
Polar bears are solitary except for when a mother is raising her cubs. However, unrelated bears will occasionally be seen together, such as when they share a large whale carcass or garbage dump, or when they are waiting on land for sea ice to re-form, according to Sea World. They do not defend territories, but polar bears may occasionally fight over a carcass, and males may fight over a female during the breeding season, between March and June.