The Polar Bear

by Christina

Description Size

The male Polar Bear is 500 kilograms. The female Polar Bear is usually smaller. The Polar Bear has has four big paws, and four sharp claws. The male is 3 meters tall.

Body Covering

The Polar Bear has two layers of fur.The Polar Bear has an undercoat to trap body heat. The Polar Bear has furry ears. The Polar Bear has furry ears. The Polar Bear has a thick covering of fur on its paws. Polar Bears shed fur in the summer. The Polar Bears have long guard hairs to protect them against ice, water and snow.

Distinguishing Features

A female bear is called a 'sow' and the male Polar Bear is called a 'boar'. Polar bears have a thick layer of fat up to 9cm thick to keep them warm. Polar Bears have a thick covering of fur on their paws. The laws are not covered with fur.

Family Life and Reproduction

The female bear makes a hole for her family's den. When a female Polar Bear is 4 or 5 years old she has a family. From late March to early June, many males approaches each female, but she only mates with the largest and the strongest. They stay together for days or even weeks. This the only time males and females are seen together. The newborn cubs are about the size of a guinea pigs. By March the cubs have a white wooly coat and weigh about 10 kilograms. The Polar Bear will stay with his or her mother till they are about one and a half or older.

Interesting Facts

Polar Bears have good eyesight to help them with hunting. Polar Bears can smell from a long distance away. The Polar Bear lives on the lands surrounding the Artic Ocean in the Far North. Polar Bears live in dens in the snow covered hills. They live in icy mountains. Some bears move to inland to eat plants, berries and small animals. In the winter they move more south. In the winter they eat seal, fish and berries.

Bibliography

Greenland, Caroline. Nature's Children Polar Bear. Ontario Grolier Limited,1986.