▪Polar Bear:
The Polar bear also known as the 'sea bear'(Ursus maritimus) is one of the largest land predators, measuring up to 10 feet and can weigh up to 600kg. They can live 25 to 30 years on an average.
According to the Animal Diversity Web (ADW) "The fur generally has a white appearance, but it can be yellowish in the summer due to oxidation or may even appear brown or gray, depending on the season and light conditions". The Polar bear skin is actually black and the fur is clear, and lacking pigment. The white appearance is the direct result of light being refracted from the clear hair strands.'
▪Habitation:
They live in countries that surround the Artic Sea, countries like; The United States(In Alaska), Russia, Canada, Greenland and Norway.
During winter, the temperature in Artic is around minus 29 degrees Fahrenheit(29°F) and can go as low as minus 92°F.
According to the San Diego Zoo, Polar bears are exceptionally perfect swimmers, they can even swim 6 miles per hour using their big front feets to paddle, while the two back legs serves as rudders and that's why their scientific name is called, Ursus maritimus, which means ''Sea Bear''.
Unlike black bears and Brown bears, Polar bears do not hibernate. Apart from pregnant polar bears, most of the polar bears still hunt for seals throughout winter.
▪Food:
bears are carnivorous animals and their main source of food is seals. Seals contain high calories, and that's the reason the polar bear prefer them. Seals actually helps them build up fat reserves, which makes them stay satisfied, healthy and also helps to maintain their body temperature.
The polar bears can swim as far as 100 kilometres without having to rest when they are in search of food. Unluckily, the polar bears have to swim longer distance as a result of the loss of sea ice that has been triggered by the current intensive Global warming.
Family Life:
Polar bears are friendly in their nature, though they totally act independently. Most times you can see the friendship between two bears last for two weeks and sometimes, years.
During the beginning of every spring, adult male go in search for mates. Researchers suppose that males find the females from their scent that is made by their foot print on the snow and if the males find any receptive female, they remain together for two weeks.
Fertilized polar bear eggs, does not develop immediately. But, it's development is triggered by the body conditions of the female polar bear and environmental factors, that most often take place between September and November.
A female polar bear usually gives birth to twin, although there have been record of triplet.
•Classification
Polar bears are members of the Ursidae family, as reported by the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Below are their full classification:
▪Kingdom: Animalia
▪Subkingdom: Bilateria
▪Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia
▪Phylum: Chordata
▪Subphylum: Vertebrata
▪Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
▪Superclass: Tetrapoda
▪Class: Mammalia
▪Infraclass: Eutheria
▪Order: Carnivora
▪Suborder: Caniformia
▪ Family: Ursidae
▪Genus & species: Ursus maritimus
Reasons Why Polar Bears Will Go Extinct Befor 2100
The current global warming is heating up and melting the Artic faster than any where else. The Artic ice diminishes by 14 percent every decade. According to Amstrups, former USGS polar bear expert, he said if the global warming continues, that the loss of ice may have bigger effect on the bears than we had thought. Amstrup's personal 2010 study showed that continued reductions of the sea ice would also lead to a reduction in the global population of the bears by two thirds.
The major source of polar bears calories is seals. In order for bears to catch seals, they wait still for hours by seals’ cone-shaped breathing holes in the sea ice. And, when the seals come out to breath, the polar bear pound's the head of the seal with it's paws. Then it bites and drag it on to the ice.
The bears are solitary animals, when there is alot of seals around, they spend 35 percent of their time being active and spend the remaining time to rest, yet they burn up to 12,325 calories a day. Nowadays, the polar bears are burning more calories and body fat, in order for them to get to the seals population they walk and swim longer distances as a result of the global warming which has caused a reduction in sea ice. Amstrup, also made us to know that the more polar bears walk and swim, the more smaller bears we will have as a result of the calories they burn up, the more reduced reproduction rates, and increased risk of death.
Conclusion
Polar bears are such an amazing creatures, the thought of not having to see them again in the nearest future really drive's me Nut. There are little ways we can contribute to heal the world and preserve the polar bears from going extinct. Like a saying goes 'Charity begins at home'. In our homes we can decide to use reusable products instead of using disposable products. Endeavour to recycle those reusable products when you are done with them. If there is no recycling program within your residence, ask about starting one.
Thanks for taking your time to read this post. I believe that together we can Make The World A Better Place.