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POLAR BEAR
Ursus maritimus
(Phipps, 1774)
The popular image of polar bears -- massive,
lumbering beasts with yellowish white coats, endlessly prowling the
Arctic tundra -- overlooks the fact that they are accomplished swimmers.
Habitants of icy environs in Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland, Denmark
and Norway, polar bears have been known to swim distances of over 40
miles to travel between ice flows during fall and winter months.
Some exist in these all-white climates year-round, while other polar
bears roam on southern dry land during spring and summer. Their aquatic
aptitude plays an integral role in hunting seals -- ringed and bearded
seals are the most frequent prey -- and, occasionally, walrus pups.
Some believe that native people of the Arctic learned to hunt seals
by watching the bear's techniques. The bears have an incredible sense
of smell, which assists in hunting. Seal is their primary food and a
bear can kill an 800 pound seal with one swipe of its paw.
The polar bear itself is hunted by natives, who kill roughly 130 or
so each year under terms granted by the Marine Mammal Protection Act
of 1972. Some 25,000 to 30,000 polar bears exist world-wide; approximately
3,500 can be found in Alaska. These Arctic survivors are further protected
by a 1976 conservation agreement between Canada, Norway, Russia, the
U.S. and Denmark. Polar bear longevity is approximately 20-25 years.
While polar bears generally mate in May, males have been known to father
several offspring in a single season. Cubs born in December and January,
weigh barely a pound, and are blind, deaf, poorly insulated, and unable
to walk or smell. They remain in the den for 3 months and with their
mother for well over 2 years, until they can hunt on their own. Most
litters consist of 2 cubs with some single and triple births; 4 cubs
are rare. Once mature, polar bears tend to be loners, although they have been
known to tolerate each other's company on occasion. The bears are drawn
together by food: when a bear finds a good seal hunting area, others
bears are likely to arrive at the same place within a day or so. In
1980, scientists noted 56 of them at a bowhead whale carcass. How the
bears find their way to these places is unknown. Odor probably plays
a role; however the bears come from all directions.
Physical Features
• Males weigh up to 1,750 pounds at maturity; 10 feet tall.
• Females weigh a maximum of 650 pounds; roughly 8 feet tall.
• Polar bears are similar in size to brown bears but have an elongated
neck and head. The prevailing theory is that a population of brown bears
became isolated in Siberia and quickly evolved into polar bears.
• Their yellowish coat is a result of natural staining and oxidation
of seal oil.
According to scientists, polar bears are under no threat of becoming
extinct in their territorial realm, largely due to conservation agreements.
There is concern that some countries, which formerly belonged to the
Soviet Union, are allowing excessive hunting. Industrial expansion and
chemical pollutants are threats, as well as the proposed resumption
of sport hunting by U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Preliminary data suggests
that thinning of the ozone layer is having a deleterious effect on polar
bears.
By: Maris Sidenstecker
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