Polar Bears :: essays research papers

Polar bears are big, white bears (sometimes darker fur) that live in very cold regions like around the artic poles. There are 21,000 to 28,000 Polar bears alive that are known. Polar bears swim in water and are carnivores, they eat fish . Polar bears feed mainly on ringed seals and bearded seals. Depending upon their location, they also eat harp and hooded seals and eat carcasses of beluga whales, walruses, narwhals, and Bowhead whales. A polar bears' stomach can hold up to 15% to 20% of its body weight. It can use 84% of the protein and 97% of the fat it eats. Polar bears need about 2 kg (4.4 lb.) of fat per day to survive. A ringed seal weighing 55 kg (121 lb.) could provide up to eight days of energy for a polar bear. On cold days polar bears curl up and cover their muzzle area. During the winter, some polar bears leave their dens and find other places to stay warm. They may use these shelters for several months at a time. Polar bears generally walk with a steady, clumsy walk. The front paws swing towards the sides with each step, landing slightly pigeon-toed. The head swings from side to side. The walk has a four-beat pattern, first the right front foot touches the ground, then the left back foot, then the left front foot, and lastly, the right back foot. Humans may encounter polar bears wherever human and polar bear habitats come together. Polar bear attacks occur most often at sites of human camp where they fish and hunt or in towns close by polars' habitat. Compared to other bears, polar bears are more willing to consider humans as prey. Most likely the person attacked is killed, unless the polar bear is killed first. Polar bears can live up to 20 to 30 years, but only a few of the polar bears live past 15 to 18 years. The oldest known polar bear in the Arctic lived 32 years. And the oldest polar bear in a zoo lived 41 years. Adult polar bears have no natural predators. Males sometimes kill other males competing for mates. Males rarely kill females protecting cubs. Cubs less than one year old sometimes are prey to adult male polar bears and other meat eaters, such as wolves. Newborn cubs may be killed by mothers that are hungry. Polar bears have been hunted for thousands of years.