Can Polar Bears Adapt As Their Habitat Area Shrinks?

Polar Bear adaptation to the frigid and unforgiving Polar climate is one of nature's marvels. The dynamic sea ice, where polar bear live, is one of the cruelest and grimmest climates on planet earth.

It's only in the latest evolutionary cycle that bears adjusted to arctic sea life. It started about the time of the Ice Age, in the northern seas, when the seals needed to breathe and mate near the water's surface. By doing this, the seals became a copious year-round food source near a population of brown bears, who then began to inhabit the ice, changing into something similar to the polar bear of today, approximately 100,000 years ago.

Weighing roughly 330 to 1,760 pounds, the length of the polar bear's body is around 6.6 to 10 feet. The male body is usually heavier than the female. The polar bear, akin to the brown bear, is large and thickset. It has an long neck and small head. Its fur, usually white, may seem yellow, due to oxidation.

A polar bear has black skin, which helps it adjust to the Arctic temperature, absorbing and holding heat from the sunlight. It is definitely well dressed for the weather with a layer of fat more than 4 inches thick, allowing for efficient insulation. The dense fur on its feet (its foot is about 9 inches wide and 12 inches long) offers warmth and traction. Because each foot is so huge, it acts as a handy snowshoe.

It adjusts well to swimming with its broad front paws that serve as paddles and when swimming underwater it lays the tiny ears flat for protection, and its nostrils close under water. It paddles at about 6 and one-half miles per hour --forepaws only, hind feet trailing--and can remain under water for about 2 minutes. The hairs of its waterproof coat are hollow which is an adept insulator and increases the bear's buoyancy when swimming.

A polar bear has an excellent sense of smell, sensing prey at a distance of about 20 miles. Although little is known about its sense of touch (its eyesight and hearing is acute), a polar bear is able to manipulate various objects with surprising dexterity.

With canine teeth bigger and malariform teeth sharper than those of other bears, the polar bear is the most carnivorous North American bear.

A polar bear lives on Arctic islands, sea ice, and water and continental coastlines. It chooses the sea ice habitat, with water channels or cracks through the ice, next to continental coastlines or islands. Some polar bears spend part of the year on land, although in warmer climates a bear could become isolated. Most pregnant females spend the autumn and winter on land in maternity dens.

A polar bear travels throughout the year within single home ranges, which tend to be a larger area than for other mammal species because of the alterations in sea ice from year to year and even season to season. Small home ranges (19,000 to 23,000 miles) can be discovered near Canadian Arctic Islands, while larger home ranges can be found in the Bering or Chukchi Sea areas. The polar bear remains in the same area during the same time of year. A polar bear is capable of traveling 19 miles or more per day for several days, although some are capable of a good deal more than that. One can only hope that polar bear adaptation will carry on, as their habitat area shrinks and the pressures of civilization continue to encroach on the the natural homes where the polar bear dwell.

For more information, check out my blog Polar Bear News. You can also find information at Are You Polar Bear Aware? and Polar Bear Video Showcase

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Polar Bears, Rulers of the Arctic North

The polar bears (Thalarctos maritimus) live in the Arctic regions of the north near open water where they can find their main source of food which are seals. These bears are huge with adults at 7 to 8 ½ feet tall and up to 1,600 pounds. Polar bears are white to creamy white all year round which gives them excellent camouflage against the Arctic snow when hunting. Along with the Arctic fox, the polar bear is the most northerly located land mammal on earth.

Unlike other species of bears, polar bears have longer necks and smaller heads making them appear more streamlined. Despite their large sizes, they are incredibly fast being able to run up to 25 miles per hour. At speeds like this, a polar bear can outrun a reindeer. They are also excellent swimmers being able to swim at about 3 miles per hour but for considerable distances.

During winters, they spend most of their time on the ice floes hunting seals. Polar bears have rough, leathery pads on the bottoms of their feet to maintain footholds on slippery ice surfaces. Their adaptation to the cold Arctic waters is even more impressive. Their thick coats of fur traps a deep layer of insulating air around their bodies. An inner layer of fur is so compact that it is almost impossible to wet it. An outer layer of long guard hairs mat together in the water which forms another layer over the inner layer. After a polar bear leaves the water, it simply shakes its body which results in most of the water being thrown right off leaving the bear almost dry. These protective layers of fur ensure that the polar bear's skin is kept dry most of the time, even while in the Arctic waters.

Polar bears hunt seals by waiting for seals to come through holes in the ice to breathe. They also stalk their prey utilizing their white camouflage abilities against the mounds of ice. Sometimes polar bears have been known to crawl on their bellies until they are close enough to rush their prey, particularly if no cover is available. Besides seals, polar bears will eat Arctic foxes, birds, baby walruses and even man if they are extremely hungry.

Males and females stay apart for most of the year except during the summer mating season. Females tend to breed only every other year and when they do, usually 1 to 4 cubs are born during March to April. The polar bear cubs stay with their mothers for 1 to 2 years. The life span of polar bears can be up to 34 years.

The Inuit hunt polar bears for their fat, tendons and fur. Scientists say that climate changes have been reducing the ice floes in the Arctic which has disrupted the polar bear's feeding grounds and migration patterns. There are estimates of about 22,000 to 25,000 polar bears left in the world with 60 percent of them in the Canadian Arctic region. Their populations are thought to be stable for now but some speculate that the species is at risk. Some think that if climate changes continue at its present rate and if worldwide hunting is not adequately controlled, polar bears could face extinction in about 100 years. There is presently much debate on adjusting annual hunting quotas of polar bears, even for Inuit hunters, to further help protect these great bears.

Polar bears have become the most popular symbol of the Arctic north with representations used in everything from soft drink commercials to corporate logos of northern based companies including Canadian North airlines. Nunavut even has their license plates cut in the shape of a polar bear. Tourists can see polar bears in the wild through unique tours on specially designed tundra buggies in Churchill, Manitoba Canada. It's also not surprising that polar bears are some of the most sought after Inuit art sculptures. Polar bears are definitely the rulers of the Arctic north.

Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca , an online gallery specializing in Inuit art and Native American Indian art. including carvings and prints. Also numerous information articles and videos.

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2 Great Preschool Polar Bear Activities

In the United States, Polar Bears have become synonymous with Coca-Cola advertisements. We watch cute polar bears have parties and fun while drinking Coca-Cola soda in the Arctic. Preschool children need to understand that there is much more to polar bears and that they don't actually drink Coca-Cola!

This article provides two preschool polar bear activities that will encourage preschool children to learn more about polar bears which include the facts and not the creative advertisements of Madison Avenue.

Art Activity

The first activity is an art activity that will have preschool children create a polar bear picture of their own. This activity is great for a rainy day or winter activity when it is simply too cold to go outside. Preschoolers will develop their fine motor skills in completing this activity. At the same time having a lot of fun exploring their creativity!

You will need the following:

Materials:

* white and black construction paper,

* scissors,

* glue, and

* colorful crayons.

Advanced preparation for this activity involves cutting the white construction paper into several different size circles which will comprise the body of the polar bear. Cut the white construction paper into one large circle for the body, one medium circle for the head, and two small circles for the paws.

Cut a small circle in half to create two semicircles for the feet. Cut another small circle in half to create two semicircles for the ears.

Begin this activity by asking the preschool children what they know about polar bears. Where do polar bears live? What do they eat? Explain that they are going to make polar bears of their own. Demonstrate how to glue the white construction paper circles onto the black construction paper background to create a polar bear.

Be sure to tell preschool children to not use too much glue when they are pasting on the circles as this will become a mess! Demonstrate how to take black crayons and draw distinction in the polar bear face, paws, belly, and ears. Encourage the children to draw other items that are in a polar bear habitat such as ice, snow, and fish. Display the artwork in the classroom or at home.

Learning More About Polar Bears Through Creating a Polar Bear Habitat. The second activity is to learn more about polar bears through creating a polar bear habitat. Preschoolers will find this a very exciting activity to participate in! Preschoolers love group activities, and this activity will enhance their social skills.

Materials:

* A large refrigerator box.

* A large sheet of white and blue art paper.

* Scissors,

* Masking tape.

* Cotton or White packing peanuts.

* You will also need the book, "Polar Bear Night" by Lauren Thompson, illustrated by Stephen Savage.

Advanced preparation for this activity includes cutting the large cardboard box along one of the long edges. This will allow you to flatten the cardboard box along the wall. The cardboard box will act as a polar bear house of snow and ice. (Polar bears create dens in snowbanks.)

Begin the activity by reading the book, "Polar Bear Night". Discuss the habitat of polar bears with the preschool children. Explain that polar bears have white fur so they can protect themselves by blending in with the snow. In addition, polar bears have water resistant fur that allows them to swim in the icy waters.

Tell the children that you are going to make a polar bear snow den. Have them help you tape the large white art paper to the cardboard box. Place a large piece of blue art paper on the floor near the polar bear snow den to represent water. Lastly, place cotton or package peanuts around the snow den to represent snow and ice. Allow the children to explore more about polar bears while sitting in the polar bear den.

Anne-Marie Killer is the webmaster of http://funprintables.info where she provides a huge selection of high quality printables for ALL ages & ALL occasions for FREE. Come take a look.

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Polar Bear Facts

Polar bears, also known as Ursus Maritimus (or "maritime bear" in Latin) are a species of bear native to the regions surrounding the Arctic Ocean, near the North Pole - that's how they got their name! Polar Bears live in many of the countries who are close to the Arctic Ocean, including Canada, Russia, Norway and Greenland. Polar bears live in these areas because they are well adapted to the cold climate and spend much of the year on or near the open waters of the Arctic Ocean, where they hunt arctic seal under the ice.

Polar bears live for most of the year on the sea ice, where they hunt for their prey, which includes seals, walrus calves and fish - but a hungry polar bear will eat almost anything. In the summer when sea ice breaks up, polar bears will make their way onto land where their diet may include reindeer, birds and berries. A fact you may not know about polar bears dining habits - they wash their faces and paws after eating whenever they can, using water or snow! That's how they keep their fur so white, even after a messy dinner of seal.

While polar bears are known as being less social than other species of bear, this is not always the case - polar bears do spend some time with others of their species and young bears especially are fond of playing together. Speaking of polar bear cubs, these bears usually have their cubs in the winter, when mother bears will make a special den to have her babies just a little ways from the water. The mother bear will give birth sometime between November and February. The whole bear family will stay in their den for the winter, not coming out until as late as April. Then the mother bear will allow the cubs out to play near the den where she can keep an eye on them.

Today, some populations of polar bears are growing, while others are threatened. One thing which is a danger to polar bears is global warming. Polar bears need the sea ice to hunt the arctic seals which are their primary source of food. Without ice for the bears to hunt on, they have to swim very long distances to catch seals. This means less food for polar bears - and that means fewer polar bears! Global warming has led to less sea ice, less of the year and this is a very bad thing for polar bears.

Global warming makes other problems for polar bears too - thawing of permafrost makes it harder for bears to build their winter dens and makes them less well insulated (even polar bears can get cold!). Right now efforts are underway to make polar bears a protected species - and it's about time! We think it's a better world with polar bears in it - and not just in a zoo or museum, but in the Arctic regions where these bears truly belong.

Quinn - http://www.kidsclubzilla.com (and the help of my mom)

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