I would like to tell you about animal that thrives in the cold and snow – Polar Bears.
A male bear is called a boar weighing in around 770 lbs to 1,545 lbs. Whereas the female version is called a sow weighs about about half the size of a boar.
Polar bears are born on land but send most of their at sea. As they hunt seals as their main food source. From the edge of sea ice. When that is not available. They will live off their fat reserves. They have been seen climbing the edge of cliffs to get bird eggs and chicks to eat. They will get a narwhals or beluga whale if they come up for air at one of their breathing holes. Polar bears can smell so well that they can detect a seal a mile away under 3 feet of snow. Now that is a powerful sniff. Polar bear are one of two of the largest terrestrial carnivore bears alive today. When their main food source is not around. They will adapt to what they can they can savage.
Sometimes a Polar Bear with mate with a brown bear creating a hybrid. When the brown bear move further north looking for food and Polar bears move in land because of lack of food and ice to hunt seals. Thus the two meet. Neither bear is adapted to survive in each other’s environment.
Polar bears are insulated to protect them from the cold. they have at least 4 inches of blubber, their fur and hide. They do not shed their coat to get darker in warmer months when they move in land for lack of ice and food.
Polar bears are active all year around. With the exception of a pregnant female. They do not hibernate like other bears. Such as the brown or black bear.
Mating and court takes place on sea ice while they are hunting seals for food during April or May. A male can track a female for 60 miles. Sometimes fight break among the males to determine who will mate with a female. When the winner is established. The pair will mate in a course over a week’s time. Cubs are born between November and February blind weighing less than 2 lbs. Most litters consists of two cubs.
Photos from Pixabay.com
The only polor bear I saw was in the Zoo and they were impressive.
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I it interesting that they are called Boars and Sows, like pigs, but their babies are call cubs.
ReplyDeleteI love bears, well to look at them.
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