Polar bear, few do not know it, thanks to stuffed toys, coloring pages and TV commercials, if not cartoons, but few really know it.How much does it weigh, what does it eat, how does it behave with its young and… there is much to tell about this animal so candid and in danger . Not of getting dirty but of becoming extinct!
Polar Bear: Characteristics
The Polar Bear, also called white bear for obvious reasons, less obviously called Ursus maritimus for experts and is a quadruped mammal. Not only that: together with other bear colleagues it is the largest terrestrial carnivore on Planet Earth and is included like the others in the superclass of Gantostomi.
Among all these somewhat abstruse terms, let’s clarify a significant one: the Polar Bear is among the plantigrade animals , which means that when it walks, it supports the entire sole of the foot unlike the digitigrades that support the tip of the toes. Let’s think about felines, for example, including our cat, whether it is of one of these breeds or not.
The polar bear lives in the cold and temperate regions of the Northern or Northern Hemisphere, forms rather homogeneous families and lives on average 25-30 years if raised in the wild, in captivity it can even reach 40 years.
Polar Bear: weight
As anticipated, our protagonist is one of the most massive animals of his family, rivaled only by the Kodiak ( Alaskan Brown Bear ). You can see it with the naked eye and, if you don’t trust us, just know that male Polar Bears measure up to 3 meters in length, reaching a ton. The white “bears” are about 2 meters long and don’t go over 400 kg, unless they are pregnant.
It must be said, let’s give him this honor, that compared to the Brown Bear , our Polar Bear is more slender and has a more “delicate” and elongated muzzle. This does not take away the fact that the paws are considerable paws, with toes joined by a membrane that helps them to swim in the sea, the fur is very thick and long , the comfort of white is not at all banal. And not even an aesthetic choice , but it fits perfectly into the landscape that this beautiful animal inhabits. When it gets old it cannot turn gray, so it becomes yellowish!
Polar Bear: Size
Given the weight and length, it is now clear that we are talking about an animal easily recognizable by its notable size, if there was ever any doubt. To increase the effect of the size of the Polar Bear there are also its stocky shape and short and wide neck, the big head and the eyes that, overall, seem small. The ears are not very large but rounded, the tail in turn, imagine, is usually a stump.
Polar Bear: Hibernation
Even though it is used to the cold all year round, the Polar Bear certainly hibernates. Let’s not be surprised and if we want to know its reasons, before mocking it, we can read them in the article dedicated to ” Animals that hibernate ” among which there is also our Marsican Bear .
Polar Bear: cubs
First the females, at 3 years, then the males, at 4, Polar Bears become sexually active, the mating season is usually at the end of winter but procreation is not so immediate because the females are available only if they do not have cubs under three years old to take care of. Do the math!
A polar pregnancy lasts from 195 to 265 days and births are usually concentrated in the winter season. In the coldest of cold, Polar Bear cubs are born blind and naked. These 2 kg “little ones” will become enormous, but initially they are kept warm in an igloo den, embraced by the warm mother who provides them with milk for several weeks.
This is a milk that is more precious than ever because it is very rich in fats and proteins and it is not a figure of speech because in less than a year the puppies go from 2 kg to 25. Before coming into contact with the world the puppies are protected for 4 months and the separation from the mother occurs at the age of three, first they must learn hunting techniques.
Polar Bear: Is It At Risk Of Extinction?
The destruction of ecosystems and biotopes in which the Polar Bear and other similar animals live, by human beings, endangers this animal. And I am referring to increasing pollution but not only that, also to the melting of the Arctic polar ice and other phenomena of environmental degradation. There are therefore all the reasons to consider it a “vulnerable” animal.
Even in the past, in a less polluted world, it has never fared very well because it was a hunting target: it was allowed until the mid-80s of the last century, now the killing of a few heads every year is allowed and only to Eskimo tribes, who feed on the meat and use the fat and fur for their survival.
Polar Bear Coloring Page
Now that we know who the Polar Bear is and how it lives , coloring a picture of it will be much more fun.