The polar bear is the largst meat-eating animal found on land, and also equal largest bear with the kodiak bear. Females are typically about half the size of males.

The closest relative is the brown bear and if the two species mate they can produce live young. However neither species can live successfully in the other’s habitat.

There are probably less than 25,000 of them left alive today and they could become extinct within the next 90 years especially if the sea ice continues to reduce in their hunting areas. Their sense of smell is much better than a human’s . . . they can smell a seal (which is their main food) a mile away. However their hearing is no better than a persons.

A polar bear will get too hot if the temperature is more than ten degrees centigrade because of their thick layer of body fat which they need to survive in the arctic.

Most of the lifetime of a polar bear is spent on the sea-ice hunting seals. They can swim about twice as fast as their usual walking distance and will swim very long distances such as several hundred miles. While their main food is seals, they will also sometimes eat beluga whales or walrus (which are up to twice their size). They can go for several months without eating anything when they need to.

For more interesting facts on polar bears, and for some beautiful photos of them, see our other blog posts . . .

Interesting Facts On Polar Bears

Scientific Name For Polar Bear

This magnificant animal is found mostly within the arctic circle and the arctic sea, and is the largest land carnivore. It is classified as a vulnerable species and some of the populations are declining. The most significant difficulty for it is the melting of the sea ice it needs to hunt.

Here are a few great photos of polar bears . . .

A tiny baby polar bear shelters in the warmth and security of its mother’s embrace.

Polar bear cubs shelter in their mothers embrace, safe from the cold and the dangers of their frozen wilderness.

A lone polar bear is silhouetted against the glorious Arctic sunset, travelling tirelessly accross the vast distances if the desolate Arctic wilderness.

Battle!! Two polar bears prepare to fight. Two powerful adversaries ready to battle each other for dominance.

More great polar bear photos can be found at our Blog Post Polar bear pictures.

See 1486 great Polar Bear Posters!!

Polar bear family, secure and happy in the love and protection of a powerful and dedicated mother. Strong family life in the arctic wilderness.

Young baby in the warmth and security of its mothers protection, living wild and free in their frozen wilderness.

Young baby Polar Bear safe with its mother, looking out into the frozen wilderness of it’s home. Healthy and capable, beautiful and wild.

Playing happily on the back of the resting mother, safe and sound in the protection of the pinacle of the food chain.

Resting comfortably, secure in the knowledge of its supreme survival ability in one of the world’s most challenging environments.

Mother and triplets, playing happily in the beauty of the arctic wilderness.

1618 Polar Bear Posters!

Male polar bears are about twice the size of females. The brown bear is a close relative, but the polar bear has evolved, about two hundred thousand years ago, to fit a much more precise habitat. Brown bears and polar bears can produce offspring together, but neither can live long in the others habitat.

The decrease in sea ice due to global warming is causing big problems for polar bears. They are considered “vulnerable” now and might become extinct within a century. Polar bears are still hunted by local peoples. There are probably not more than twenty five thousand polar bears alive today.

Many people think that polar bears are left-handed, but there is no scientific evidence of this. A polar bear will overheat in temperatures above 10 degrees C (50 F) due to their layer of blubber about ten centimeters thick.

The outer hairs of a polar bear appear white but are actually transparent.

A polar bear can smell a seal a mile away, but its hearing is only as good as humans. Polar bears can swim very well, and have been seen two hundred miles from land. They swim almost twice as fast as they walk.

Polar bears eat mainly seals, which they hunt from sea ice, where they live most of their lives. Polar bears hunt seals either by waiting for them to come up to breathing holes, or by stalking them when they are resting on land. Mature bears will mostly eat only the skin and blubber of the seal which is rich in calories, but young bears eat mainly the meat which is rich in protein. They wash themselves after eating, in either water or snow.

Polar bears occasionally eat walrus (which can be up to twice its weight) or beluga whales. A polar bear can survive without eating for several months.

An arctic mothers love . . . the young cub secure and comfortable in the embrace of its powerful mother, the top of the food-chain in their frozen wilderness.

See our blog post Polar Bear Pictures