Survival of the fittest serves to be true in all walks of society. When drawing attention to the animals on top of the food chain, it’s important to analyze what sets them apart from the rest. What is the edge they have on the competitors? What are their weaknesses? The animals that occupy the artic regions have learned to survive the furry of Mother Nature, but still must compete for survival with the top predator of the artic, the polar bear.
Polar bears inhabit the circumpolar arctic regions. They live near their primary food source in the ice packs of the artic. The bears inhabit the circumpolar North, which would consist of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, and other regions in the artic. The temperatures range between -40°F to -50°F in the winters and summer temperatures stay around -29°F. When summer reaches the artic the polar bears are forced to travel to the remaining ice. They have adapted to survive in their unforgiving climate, the weather and starvation being their only competitors. They have developed extraordinary capabilities for hunting.
In order to hunt in the artic regions, polar bears have succeeded in adapting to their location. They have developed a large olfactory bulb (Region of the brain that senses smell), which allows them to smell seals almost a kilometer away and a meter under compressed snow. Polar bears weigh 544kg, and could kill almost any animal with a swipe of a paw. Their paws measure up to 31 centimeters across and are purposed to help distribute weight while walking on the ice. Their paws help them maintain stealthy attacks on marine animals, and conquer the obstacle of thin ice. Polar bears are also known as the “Sea Bear”, due to their tremendous swimming abilities. While in the water the...
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...ive in the hunt for prey. The artic serves as one of the most extreme climates on Earth. Polar bears have created at series of adaptations such as their coats, paws, and feeding patterns to help combat the subzero temperatures. Reproducing is necessary for a species to survive. Polar bears have learned the most efficient method for raising their young in the artic environment. They serve as the main predator for many of the artic animals, but their only predators carry a different caliber. Global warming and starvation are the only competitors for polar bears in the arctic. Mother nature is an impossible competitor to defeat, but one you must work and adapt to. Polar bears are begging the battle to adapt with mother nature, but will they be able to survive the fight is the question.
Works Cited
http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/about-polar-bears/essentials
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animals such as the polar bear, to mate and to prepare for the once again
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