Do you know International Polar Bear Day is celebrated each year on 27^th February? Unfortunately polar bears are threatened species. According to the World Wildlife Fund, Polar bears will become extinct soon. There is no correct data to show how many polar bears are left in the world. The biggest reason why they are close to extinction is climate change. Every one of us wants to go on a polar bear adventure. But before heading out first read these fun facts about polar bears.

Here is a list of Polar Bears Fun Facts

Polar Bears are Huge Carnivores

There are not many people who have seen polar bears in real life. We have watched them on television. Therefore, it is difficult to tell how gigantic they are. Actually, polar bears are the largest carnivores in the world. They can grow up to 9.8 feet long. Not only largest carnivores but also the largest predators on earth.

Weight of an average Polar Bear

Male polar bears are heavier than female polar bears. An adult male polar bear weighs up to 544 kg while an adult female polar bear weighs around 330 kg. According to Polar Bear International, the heaviest polar bear recorded weighed 1000 kg.

Fur of Polar Bears is not White

The fur of polar bears is white just like snow. But the truth is that their fur is translucent. The translucent fur reflects light thus appears white. That’s why you can hardly spot them in snowy surroundings. Surprisingly, the skin of polar bears is black which absorbs heat energy. Their dark skin makes them able to survive through extremely cold weather conditions.

Marine Mammals

Polar bears are marine mammals. They spend most of their time on the Arctic Ocean. So they are dependent on the ocean for their food. Unlike polar bears other bear species are land dwelling.

Primary Food Source

Seals are the primary source of food for polar bears. Polar bears spend most of the time on the ice in hope of catching seals for meals. Seals contain high amounts of fats that’s why they are the perfect source of food for polar bears. Polar bears mostly stay on the breathing holes created by seals. Whenever seals come to the surface to breathe polar bears snatch them.

Incredible Sense of Smell

The most developed sense in polar bears is their sense of smell. They can detect their prey from a distance of 1.5km. Even seals 1m under the snow are not safe from a polar bear’s nose.

How fast can Polar Bears run?

As polar bears are water-dwelling so most of us thought that they cannot run fast. But when on land polar bears can run at a speed of 40km/h. While in water they can reach speeds of up to 10km/h. So don’t try to mess with them thinking that they are lazy.

Subspecies of Brown Bears

Polar bears are evolved from Ursus Arctos or brown bears. Polar bears and brown bears can mate for producing offspring.

Scientific Name of Polar Bears        

The scientific name of polar bears is Ursus maritimus. In Latin, it means sea bear.

God’s Dog

Traditional people of northern Europe don’t like to call them polar bears. Instead they call polar bears “God’s Dog” or “Old Man in the Fur Cloak” to avoid any disrespect towards polar bears.

Still-hunters

Polar bears are known as still-hunters. They don’t run after their prey instead they use their sense of smell to find seals underwater.

Lifespan of Polar Bears

The average lifespan of polar bears is 25 years. The tough weather conditions and drive to hunt prove challenging for their survival but they can live fairly long lives. Debby was the oldest Polar bear from Canada. The adult female polar bear died at the age of 42.

Total Number of Polar Bears in the World

Though the data is deficient, according to the World Wildlife Fund, approximately 31,000 polar bears are wandering in the world. The mystical animal can be found in Russia, Greenland, Canada, Arctic Ocean and Alaska. But in the United States polar bears are included in the list of threatened species.

Cubs of the Year

After the mating season female polar bears give birth to baby bears in December. When cubs are newly born they are called cubs of the year. Cubs live with their mother for two years only.

Solitary Animals

Polar bears are solitary animals. They love to spend most of their time alone except when there is a season of mating.   

Polar Bears can Travel Hundreds of Kilometer

As food is scarcely available in the Arctic Circle so polar bears have to travel hundreds of miles in search of food. How long can an average polar bear travel? They can migrate up to 2, 896 kilometers.

Hyper-carnivores

Polar bears don’t always eat seals because the chances of catching seals is only 2 percent. Due to this reason bears spend almost half of their time searching for prey. As the chance of success is less so polar bears have other options to eat like carcasses, vegetation and birds. Almost 70 percent of their diet consists of meat so they are called hyper-carnivores.

Excellent Swimmers

Polar bears are excellent swimmers. They can swim continuously for hours. Their paddle like front paws help them to propel through the water. Polar bears hold their back feet flat using them like rudders. Because of this reason polar bears can swim for even days without getting tired. The swimming speed of polar bears can reach up to 6mp.

Climate Change is affecting Polar Bears Badly

Polar bears are one of those species who are badly affected by climate change. There are 19 subpopulations of polar bears out of which 8 subpopulations are categorized as vulnerable due to global warming by researchers. It is expected that by 2050 about 30 percent of the species would decline.

Polar Bear Hybrid

Grizzly bears are the hybrids of polar bears. These polar bears are the result of genetic testing that was carried out in 2006. The nickname of grizzly bear is Pizzly bears. Grizzly bears grow in the same way as the white bears and they are birthed by polar bears. But grizzly bears have brown fur.

Hibernation

Pregnant female polar bears hibernate while male polar bears and non-pregnant female polar bears don’t. Polar bears are the only species of bears that don’t hibernate even in winters. From all that they sometimes enter in temporary hibernation which is called carnivore lethargy.

Polar Bears have Dark Blue Tongue

The tongue of polar bears is highly pigmented and receives an abundant supply of blood that’s why it is dark blue in color.

Polar bears are Smart Animals

Polar bears are quite smart when it comes to hunting. They cover their nose with their paws to betray seals.

They spend hours cleaning themselves

After having meal, polar bears spend hours cleaning themselves ensuring that there is no dirt left on their beautiful fluffy body. They often sit in human-like positions to relax.

Short Claws

In comparison with other species of bears they have short claws. These claws help them in digging ice.

Blubber keep the body warm

A thick layer of fat is present under the fur of polar bears known blubber. This layer is 10cm thick and acts as an insulation for them. The fatty layer helps polar bears to maintain their body temperature.

Why do polar bears look thin in Zoos?

Polar bears have the ability to adjust in slightly different climates. In a warm place they stop producing blubber because of no longer the requirement of heat storage.

Polar Bears are Lefties

It’s a myth that polar bears are left handed. No scientific research backs up this myth. Polar bears use both of their hands to do their routine tasks.

How many teeth does a polar bear have?

Polar bears have an incredible set of 42 teeth.

How Polar Bears Communicate with each other?

Polar bears are silent animals. They snarl only in anger. Polar bears use nose touch gestures to ask for permission of eating another bear’s food.

Unfortunately, global warming has changed the arctic climate so much that polar bears are at risk of becoming extinct soon. We should focus on reducing the effects of global warming to save these beautiful animals.