The huge polar bear is the largest land carnivore in the world. It’s coat, which varies in color from pure white to shades of yellow, blends in well with it’s snow-covered environment. Actually, the polar bear’s fur is actually not white. It’s clear. It’s skin is black and the fur only seems white because the light reflecting on it. Polar bears have a keen sense of smell. They can smell a dead whale 20 miles away and they can sniff out seal dens under the snow.They mainly feed on seals. They wait for them to come to the surface to breathe, or they stalk them while they rest on the ice. The seal is killed by a crushing blow to its skull. The polar bear only eats the fat and skin, needed for warmth in the water, and leave the meat behind. In the late summer and early autumn, the bears patrol the coastal areas for whale and walrus carcasses. Sometimes ten to twenty bears may be found feeding on the same carcass together. At this time of year, their diet is more varied, including such land mammals and lemmings, arctic foxes, and eider ducks. And like most bears, there is some vegetation in its diet.
The polar bear is found throughout the polar region. They are solitary animals and are active at all times of the year. Polar bears are excellent swimmers. They can go through the water at speeds of 6 miles per hour, using the front legs to propel their bodies with their hind legs trailing behind. They can remain submerged for 2 minutes, and when they emerge, they immediately shake the excess water on their fur so it wouldn’t freeze. The polar bear’s black nose can be seen through binoculars so when they are hunting, they cover their nose with snow.
Inside a polar bear’s den, it can be 40 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the outside temperature. In the north, the land is slippery because everything is frozen into ice so on flat frozen land, it walks pigeon toed so it will balance without slipping. On slopes covered with snow, they slid on their belly with their arms and legs outstretched. Many people think that the cute creature is tame really gentle. But inside all that ball of fur, is a ferocious predator that can kill a human with one slash of the paw. Some people have even been killed by a polar bear while visiting a zoo!
They mainly feed on seals. They wait for them to come to the surface to breathe, or they stalk them while they rest on the ice. The seal is killed by a crushing blow to its skull. The polar bear only eats the fat and skin, needed for warmth in the water, and leave the meat behind. In the late summer and early autumn, the bears patrol the coastal areas for whale and walrus carcasses. Sometimes ten to twenty bears may be found feeding on the same carcass together. At this time of year, their diet is more varied, including such land mammals and lemmings, arctic foxes, and eider ducks. And like most bears, there is some vegetation in its diet.
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