COMMON NAMES: Polar Bear, Ice Bear
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ursus maritimus
APPEARANCE:
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ADAPTATIONS:
- Thrives on a fat-rich diet with no apparent heart damage
- Feeds mainly on seals, specifically seal fat which is the highest calorie food source possible
- Other animals (exception of walrus and whale) are too low calorie to sustain body or build up fat reserves
- Feeds mainly on seals, specifically seal fat which is the highest calorie food source possible
- When in good shape...
- Eats only blubber to build up fat reserves to sustain between meals and leaves carcass for scavengers
- Can have a layer of fat up to 4.5 inches thick that prevents heat loss in water
- Body temperature and metabolism does not change even when temperatures reach -34 degrees Fahrenheit
- 2 layers of fur that prevents heat loss on land
- Dense, insulating underfur
- Guard hairs of various lengths
- Teeth
- Sharp cheek teeth shear off meat
- Long, sharp, widely spaced canines to seize and hold prey
- Claws
- Can haul out a 40-90 kg (150-200 lb) seal from the water
- Traction on ice
- Heightened senses
- Powerful sense of smell can detect seals under ice
- Long necks used to keep head out of water while swimming and for sticking heads into holes to catch pre
- Strong swimmers and divers with high stamina and can swim under thin ice with forepaws acting as paddles and hind paws acting like rudders
- Thickly furred large paws that help distribute weight on thin ice
- Papillae (soft small bumps on black footpads on bottom of paws) grip ice and keep from slipping
- Dig shelter pits in snow banks and curl up in a tight ball with muzzles covered by paws in extreme weather conditions
- Compact ears and small tail conserve heat
FUN FACT: Polar bears have such efficient insulation that they are often in more danger of overheating then freezing, especially when running. This and being covered in fat is why polar bears walk at a leisurely pace and move slowly and methodically to conserve energy.