Polar Bear

Habitat
Polar Bears are found throughout the polar region, but they spend most of their time along the southern edge of the icecap on coastal land near open waterr. The are active all year. Polar bears are well suited for life on the icy tundra. They are immensely strong and active. The soles of their feet are covered with fur, which makes in so they don't slip on slippery, frozen ground.



Food and Hunting
Polar bears feed mainly on seals. They wait for them to come to the water surface to breathe, or stalk them while the rest on the ice. Polar bears eat everything- they cannot afford to leave anything edible behind. In the late summer and early autumn plar bears will patrol the coastal areas looking for whale and walrus carcasses. Like most bears, polar bears also eat vegetation. Polar bears will often go underwater to catch fish. The are exellent swimmers. They can swim in the water at up to 6 miles per hour, using their front legs to propell them, with their hind legs trailing behind. With their eyes open and nostils closed, they can stay underwater for 2 minutes. When they emerge, they have to immediatlely shake the water from their coats, before it freezes.



Breeding
Springtime is the mating season for polar bears, with most activity taking place in April. Males seek avalible females;most females breed every third year after separataing from their young. In October and November, the bears dig dens in the snow or tundra. The dens are usually located on south-facing sloples of hills where notherly winds pile up lage amonts of snow. The dens are used for giveing birth. Young are born in November or December and weigh only 16-32 ounces. They are hairless, blind and deaf. They first come out of the den in April or March. They remain with their mother into the thrid spring of their lives.



Fun Facts

 * The black nose of a polar bear on the snow can be seen from six miles away on a clear day through binoculars. It has been said that, when stalking seals, the polar bear will cover its nose with a paw to escape detection.


 * The temperature inside a polar bears den can be 40 degrees warmer than the outside tempature.

Size
Height-5 ft. to shoulder

Standing height-8-11 feet

Foot size-12 in. long, 10 in. wide

Weight-Males, 880-990 lb.. Females, 660-770 lb.