[128] In most areas, cubs are weaned at two and a half years of age, when the mother chases them away or abandons them. Model forecasts by the U.S. Geological Survey suggest that habitat loss may cause polar bear populations to decline by two-thirds by the year 2050. The late spring hunting season ends for polar bears when the ice begins to melt and break up, and they fast or eat little during the summer until the sea freezes again. It has been claimed that polar bears will be able to adapt to terrestrial food sources as the sea ice they use to hunt seals disappears. The sea ice provides a platform from which polar bears can hunt. [118] A study in Hudson Bay indicated that both the reproductive success and the maternal weight of females peaked in their mid-teens.Maternal success appeared to decline after this point, possibly because of an age-related impairment in the ability to store the fat necessary to rear cubs.[130]. [26] A comparison of the nuclear genome of polar bears with that of brown bears revealed a different pattern, the two forming genetically distinct clades that diverged approximately 603,000 years ago,[27] although the latest research is based on analysis of the complete genomes (rather than just the mitochondria or partial nuclear genomes) of polar and brown bears, and establishes the divergence of polar and brown bears at 400,000 years ago. Females communicate with their young with moans and chuffs, and the distress calls of both cubs and subadults consists of bleats. A polar bear may also hunt by swimming beneath the ice. Although it is the sister species of the brown bear,[8] it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice and open water, and for hunting seals, which make up most of its diet. For about 12 to 15 days, the family spends time outside the den while remaining in its vicinity, the mother grazing on vegetation while the cubs become used to walking and playing. [149] Only the liver was not used, as its high concentration of vitamin A is poisonous. [73], Researchers tracked 52 sows in the southern Beaufort Sea off Alaska with GPS system collars; no boars were involved in the study due to males' necks being too thick for the GPS-equipped collars. The Western Hudson Bay subpopulation is unusual in that its female polar bears sometimes wean their cubs at only one and a half years. Norway passed a series of increasingly strict regulations from 1965 to 1973, and has completely banned hunting since then. [104], Being both curious animals and scavengers,[100][105] polar bears investigate and consume garbage where they come into contact with humans. [87] Studies have also photographed polar bears scaling near-vertical cliffs, to eat birds' chicks and eggs. [31], Polar bears are superbly insulated by up to 10 cm (4 in) of adipose tissue,[60] their hide and their fur; they overheat at temperatures above 10 °C (50 °F), and are nearly invisible under infrared photography. Such was the intensity of human fascination with this magnificent predator, the only marine bear. Whereas brown bears often maul a person and then leave, polar bear attacks are more likely to be predatory and are almost always fatal. [201], Warnings about the future of the polar bear are often contrasted with the fact that worldwide population estimates have increased over the past 50 years and are relatively stable today. Omissions? [10], Because of expected habitat loss caused by climate change, the polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species. Although stereotyped as being voraciously aggressive, they are normally cautious in confrontations, and often choose to escape rather than fight. [75] Satiated polar bears rarely attack humans unless severely provoked. It is the largest extant bear species, as well as the largest extant land carnivore. [118] Polar bears have a generally polygynous mating system; recent genetic testing of mothers and cubs, however, has uncovered cases of litters in which cubs have different fathers. The bear family includes the most massive extant terrestrial members of the order Carnivora. Brown / Grizzly Bear Facts Grizzly cubs Taxonomy: While there has been much confusion about the taxonomy of brown bears (Ursus arctos), taxonomists agree there are at least two subspecies in North America — the grizzly bear (U. a. horribilis) and the Kodiak bear (U. a. middendorffi). [191] In recent years, polar bears in the Arctic have undertaken longer than usual swims to find prey, possibly resulting in four recorded drownings in the unusually large ice pack regression of 2005. [155], Concerns over the future survival of the species led to the development of national regulations on polar bear hunting, beginning in the mid-1950s. Polar bears primarily eat seals. [144], The polar bear may swim underwater for up to three minutes to approach seals on shore or on ice floes. [3][2] He chose the scientific name Ursus maritimus, the Latin for 'maritime bear',[14] due to the animal's native habitat. [2], According to the World Wildlife Fund, the polar bear is important as an indicator of Arctic ecosystem health. Polar bears often rest silently at a seal's breathing hole in the ice, waiting for a seal in the water to surface. The melting sea ice in the Arctic may be causing an increase of orcas in the Arctic sea, which may increase the risk of predation on polar bears but also may benefit the bears by providing more whale carcasses that they can scavenge. Ursus polaris The bear may lie in wait for several hours. Constantine John Phipps was the first to describe the polar bear as a distinct species in 1774. Whereas northern communities kill all the polar bears they are permitted to take each year, only half of sport hunters with permits actually manage to kill a polar bear. [36][183][184][185][186][187], The key danger posed by climate change is malnutrition or starvation due to habitat loss. In the wild, old polar bears eventually become too weak to catch food, and gradually starve to death. [48][62] Current estimates put the global population at between 20,000 and 25,000[39] or 22,000 and 31,000. Grizzly bear mating and life cycle is similar to the polar bear in that there is an induced ovulation brought on by copulation, and then the eggs remain in a state of suspension until the female goes to den in the fall. The polar bear's claws are short and stocky compared to those of the brown bear, perhaps to serve the former's need to grip heavy prey and ice. Earlier spring break-up of ice could separate traditional den sites from spring feeding areas, and young cubs cannot swim long distances from dens to feeding areas. [52] Adult male polar bears weigh 350–700 kg (770–1,500 lb) and measure 2.4–3 metres (7 ft 10 in–9 ft 10 in) in total length. Do polar bears hibernate? The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large bear which lives in the Arctic. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/animal/polar-bear, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment - Polar Bear, The National Wildlife Federation - Polar Bear, polar bear - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), polar bear - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), International Union for Conservation of Nature. On average, polar bears are larger than brown bears, but a large grizzly and a polar bear are comparable. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Polar bear can appear to be a snowdrift as it patiently waits for a seal to emerge. Coca-Cola has used images of the polar bear in its advertising,[219] and Polar Beverages, Faronics Deep Freeze, Nelvana, Bundaberg Rum, Klondike bars, and Fox's Glacier Mints all feature polar bears in their logos. Shy and secretive, the sighting of a bear is a rare treat for most Virginians. The agreement was a rare case of international cooperation during the Cold War. They are strong and can swim very well. Pound for pound few other animals can match the wolverine for strength or […] [81] Polar bears are usually quiet but do communicate with various sounds and vocalizations. Polar bear, (Ursus maritimus), also called white bear, sea bear, or ice bear, great white northern bear (family Ursidae) found throughout the Arctic region. Polar Bear Habitat and Distribution. This subpopulation feeds heavily on ringed seals in late spring, when newly weaned and easily hunted seal pups are abundant. [149], The Nenets of north-central Siberia placed particular value on the talismanic power of the prominent canine teeth. [12] It is sometimes referred to as the "nanook", based on the Inuit term nanuq.[13]. Neptune's orbit has a profound impact on the region directly beyond it, known as the Kuiper belt. [55] When pregnant, however, females can weigh as much as 500 kg (1,100 lb). 900 bears a year were harvested in the 1920s and after World War II, there were as many as 400–500 harvested annually. [147], Among the Chukchi and Yupik of eastern Siberia, there was a longstanding shamanistic ritual of "thanksgiving" to the hunted polar bear. In 1927, poisoning was outlawed while in 1939, certain denning sights were declared off limits. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. As a carnivore, which feeds largely upon fish-eating carnivores, the polar bear ingests large amounts of vitamin A that is stored in their livers. Along with a voracious appetite it has a reputation for unmatched ferocity and apparently fears nothing. Because of their dependence on the sea ice, polar bears are classified as marine mammals. At up to 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) and a typical adult mass range of 600 to 1,500 kg (1,300 to 3,300 lb), a walrus can be more than twice the bear's weight,[100] has extremely thick skin and has up to 1-metre (3 ft)-long ivory tusks that can be used as formidable weapons. Longevity in the wild is 25 to 30 years, but in captivity several polar bears have lived to more than 35 years old. In 2007, the Russian government made subsistence hunting legal for indigenous Chukotkan peoples only, a move supported by Russia's most prominent bear researchers and the World Wide Fund for Nature as a means to curb poaching. The bears are hunted especially by Inuit people for their hides, tendons, fat, and flesh. [78] Polar bears sometimes swim underwater to catch fish like the Arctic charr or the fourhorn sculpin. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses.It is the largest extant bear species, as well as the largest extant land carnivore. [64] Polar bears gradually moult from May to August,[65] but, unlike other Arctic mammals, they do not shed their coat for a darker shade to provide camouflage in summer conditions. [54] Adult females are roughly half the size of males and normally weigh 150–250 kg (330–550 lb), measuring 1.8–2.4 metres (5 ft 11 in–7 ft 10 in) in length. [200] However, most polar bear biologists think that polar bears will be unable to completely offset the loss of calorie-rich seal blubber with terrestrial foods, and that they will be outcompeted by brown bears in this terrestrial niche, ultimately leading to a population decline. 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