Majestic Characteristics Physical Stature: Polar bears are the largest land carnivores, with males weighing between 900 to 1,600 pounds and standing about 8 to 10 feet tall when on their hind legs. Females are smaller, typically weighing between 400 to 700 pounds.
Adaptations for Survival: They have a thick layer of blubber and dense fur that insulates them from the extreme cold. Their large, powerful paws are adapted for swimming and walking on ice, and their sharp claws and teeth are essential for hunting.
Habitat and Distribution Arctic Range: Polar bears are found throughout the circumpolar Arctic, including regions in Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway. They are highly dependent on sea ice for hunting seals, their primary prey.
Behavior and Diet Hunting Skills: Known as excellent swimmers, polar bears can swim for hours to hunt seals, which they catch using their keen sense of smell to locate breathing holes in the ice. They are also capable of ambushing seals by breaking through ice.
Diet: Their diet mainly consists of seals, particularly ringed and bearded seals. They occasionally eat other animals like birds, fish, and even whale carcasses when seals are scarce.
Reproduction and Lifespan Breeding: Female polar bears give birth to usually two cubs after a gestation period of about eight months. The cubs are born in dens made in the snow and are cared for by their mothers until they are capable of surviving on their own, usually around two years old.