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.
To begin with, the melting of polar ice caps has caused polar bears to swim long distances. According to Bryan Walsh of TIME Magazine the melting of the ice caps have caused polar bears especially the young cubs to swim longer distances which has caused a “ forty-five percent mortality rate” (Walsh). In the article Walsh, writes about a study that showed that younger cubs because of low fat and strength were more likely to die due to the long di...
Bears can live anywhere but Grizzly bears live in subalpine meadows and dense forests. When grizzly bears hibernate they usually live in caves. A sloth of bears is usually a mom and the cubs. The mom bear is called a sow, the dad bear doesn't have a name because they are never with the family and the babies are called cubs. There is usually a dearth amount of cubs in a family. The families are always together and not with a different family. All bear look different but I'm not talking about the other bears I am talking about grizzly bears. Grizzly bears are usually just the color brown and not really anything different. Grizzlys need big paws to get around and travel. Bears have small black eyes. Their eyes are small because they don't need very good eyesight because they have such good sniffers. Usually the weight of a cub is about 4- 10 pounds when they are born but when they are adults they weigh 175- 500 pounds.
grizzlies will hibernate when there is a seasonal shortage of food, low environmental temperatures, or when there’s snow arrival. Grizzly bears hibernate five to seven months each year. The grizzly will enter into hibernation in October or November. During this time the grizzly bear must prepare a den and consume as much food as possible to last their hibernation period. While searching for a den the grizzly may travel many miles until it finds a suitable area that it likes. The dens are usually at elevations above 1,800 m (5,900 ft) on north-facing slopes. The reason why bears have to eat as much food as possible is because they need the energy from the food to last through the entire winter. They may eat up to 90 lbs of food per day, while trying to put on as much weight as possible. When it’s time for grizzlies to hibernate; will enter their den, and fall into a “deep” sleep. During this time the grizzlies won’t eat or drink; but instead they digest their stored up fat; (the fat used to last them through their entire hibernation.) The bear also will not urinate or defecate, but will reabsorb their urine and feces into proteins. The bear can use 25-40% of their body weight during hibernation; the bear’s heart rate and body temperature may also drop. By March or April, male grizzly bears usually emerge from the den and the females emerge in late April or May. When bears emerge from hibernation they’re
In 1782, the bald eagle was elected as the national symbol of the United States of America, yet by the early 1960’s, it was nearly extinct in the Continental United States. A combination of many dangers, with the main danger being the pesticide DDT, the bald eagle was on the verge of extinction. Yet, through conservation measure applied by the United States government the bald eagle cam back from the brink and was taken off of the endangered species list in 2007.
grizzly bears prefered habitat is deserted rivers, wild mountains, and thick and dense forest. Grizzly bears are majestic symbols of the wild. Bears live in and use a variety of habitat types, playing important roles in each one. This makes them an “umbrella species,” meaning that when we protect them and their habitat we also protect many species. Grizzly bears can also help ecosystems by distributing seeds and nutrients through their scat, and occasionally regulating ungulate populations.
The Antarctic Minke Whale is the largest of the Minke whales family. Minke whales are stocky, having a layer of blubber several inches thick. They have a life expectancy of 20 years, but due to hunting some whales are not making it to see their 20th birthday.1 This...
Out of an Ice Age emerged one of our most majestic creatures in the world the polar bear. From its brown bear ancestry, the predator evolved to be a master of a harsh and unwelcoming ice kingdom. Intelligent, adaptable and fierce, the polar bear learned how to survive in a place that offers few comforts to any creature. But now that very environment is in flux. And so is the polar bear’s fate (Nature). Polar Bears are very different from other bears. Polar bears are very large bears compared to Black bears. Polar bears weigh anywhere between 330-1700lbs and Black bears weigh anywhere between 150-600lbs. They have strong legs with large, flattened feet with some webbing between their toes that help with walking on ice and swimming. The wide paws prevent sea ice from breaking by distributing weight while walking. Their paws allow them to pull a 600 pound seal out of its breathing hole (Rosing, 20). The webbed feet results in making polar bears, unlike other bear species to be considered as marine mammals along with seals, sea lions, walruses, whales and dolphins (Polar Bear). According to Rosing Polar bears are excellent swimmers and have been known to swim up to six miles an hour and as far as 60 miles at a stretch. The bears paddle with their front feet and steer with their back feet. They often overheat. Sometimes they venture into the waters just to cool off. When a bear climbs on an ice floe, it shakes itself off because it is trying to prevent ice from forming on its fur (22-23). Because of climate change and hunting of polar bears are now becoming an endangered species which is affecting the food chain. We can fix this by going green, banning polar bear hunting and keep creating these new hybrid bears that are mixed with griz...
The winter will last 8 to 10 months followed by the short and much less cold summer. During the summer some lower areas of the Tundra will defrost at which point most of the flora and fauna will start to creep out of hiding. The few summer months are used by many animals such as the polar bear, to mate and to prepare for the once again oncoming winter. During the winter months, most everything remains frozen. Many of the animals migrate south for the winter whereas some stay behind or even group together for ritual group suicide (lemmings).
There born small, pink, hairless, and blind. After birth the mother stays with the cub for many days, not even for drinking. Sadly many newborn pandas die because they are so vulnerable when their mothers leave to eat for a few hours. They start to slowly get gray hair which slowly turns to the coarse black and white pattern. Baby pandas start to crawl at 3 months old. Baby pandas begin to eat bamboo at 6 months old. By the time they are a year old they weigh around 100 pounds. Pandas develop quickly, they stay with their mothers from 1 - 2 years before becoming independent. Giant pandas become mature at 4-6 years old. Females are mature at four years and males at six years. They are now able to reproduce. Female pandas are pregnant for 3-5 months and give birth alone and the newborns are hidden in safe locations, away from predators. This is the life cycle of a panda. Know that we know how long they live, where do they
Black bears in Alaska range from sea level to the wooded forest. Where they live depends on what time of the year it is. Most black bears are not found on islands in the Gulf of Alaska, but some are found in the southeast near those islands except for Admiralty, Baranof, Chichagof, and Kruzof. They are not on these islands because most are inhabited by brown bears and most bears like to keep to themselves. You hear more about bears that live in the forest then the ones that live by the sea. The habitat of a black bear that lives in the forest is normally wooded areas that has thick vegetation.
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the brown bear is located all throughout Alaska, mostly in areas that allow them to seasonally hunt salmon (Alaska Fish & Game, 2010). This allows them to become larger and live in higher concentrations than the grizzly bear. The traditional brown bear and the grizzly bear are actually both classified as brown bears, despite having several differences in appearance. Brown bears are one of the most fascinating and powerful species in the Alaskan wilderness. Cubs are usually born during January or February, usually in groups of one to four (Alaska Fish & Game). A fully grown, male brown bear can weigh up for 1,500 pounds and be over 10 feet in stature (Alaska Fish & Game, 2010). Brown bears also have the ability to run at speeds up to 40 mph for short bursts of time (Alaska Fish & Game). All of these unique characteristics make many people upset that it is legal to hunt them. There are several groups that are working to conserve the brown bear population, particularly in Alaska, such as The Northern Forum’s Brown Bear Working Group (Fish & Wildlife Journal, 2010). The bear population in Alaska is thriving and is classified as a status of least concern, by the IUCN Red List (IUCN, 2010). Overall, the brown bear population faces no danger whatsoever.
One way that the environment impacts the animals is that the animals such as bears adapt and store their energy in the winter. This is also known as hibernating. “Animals in the mountains have also adapted to save energy during the harsh winter months.” (Cassandra Maier, Adaptations of plants and animals to mountains) When animals hibernate, they are less active during the winter, and they just sleep for most of the day. Other animals such as the goat and deer do not hibernate during the winter,
What it looks like: Siberian tiger is the largest and most rare of all members of the cat family. This cat is 8-10 feet long, excluding their 25-38 inch rattling tail. This species of tiger weighs 400-700 pounds. Like all members of the tiger family, males are significantly larger than females.
The Arctic region is home to a variety of valuable animals and plants, including polar bear, seal, and so on. The ecosystem of the Arctic region is fragile because these animals are evolved to live in extreme conditions. With the climate change, many animals are endangered. Ice is the habitat of polar animals because they have to rely on sea ices for resting, food, and reproduction. With the climate change and the decrease of sea ice, the number of polar animals is decreasing and their health is threatened. For example, the average weight of female polar bears in 1980 was about 650 pounds, but the number reduced to about 500 pounds in 2004 (Djoghlaf 15). The earlier breakup and later condensation of sea ice shortens the hunting season of polar bears. Polar bears mainly feed on seals that indwell icy land. The melting ice reduces the number of seals and food intake of polar bears. In addition, polar bears are used to living in ice caves. The rising temperature causes the collapse of ice caves, which can kill baby bears. The climate change is negatively affecting the biodiversity in the region and will definitely harm the ecosystem
First of all pandas have a different lifestyle than many other animals since they are also known to be anti-social. They can also live up to twenty years in wild, but they can live up to thirty years of age living in captivity. Pandas also live alone unless mating season, but researchers have found pandas living together and protecting a large territory. Panda babies also are only with their mother until the age of three but never their father. Pandas have a complex lifestyle while they ar...