Wildlife Art Blog » polar bear

Polar Bear Facts.

admin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 11:30:41 +0000

Polar bear facts are fascinating. The polar bear has a scientific name of “Ursus maritimus”, which means bear of the ocean. They live usually within the arctic circle and the arctic sea. Due to reducing amounts of ice in the arctic, which it needs to hunt, they are having challenging times currently and some populations are reducing. However compared to other carnivores, it is still found throughout a greater amount of its original habitat than any other.

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

Scientific Name Polar Bear

admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:27:42 +0000

The scientific name for a polar bear is “Ursus maritimus”. “Ursus” means “bear” and “maritime” means of the ocean.

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 pictures.

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:33:51 +0000

Some of the world’s best pictures of polar bears (which you can buy as posters if you wish, or just enjoy looking) . . .

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!

Interesting facts on polar bears

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:52:27 +0000

Polar bears live mostly within the artic circle. It is the largest carnivore found on land, and equal largest bear with the kodiak bear (which is an omnivore). It is also the carnivore which has retained its survival throughout more of its original habitat than any other.

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

Photo of arctic animal

admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:05:33 +0000

Here are 8 of the very best photos of arctic animals, plus links to more than 1500 more.

The arctic (from the Greek word for “bear” because the “great bear” constellation is prominantly visible from this region) is the region north of the arctic circle, which is the limit of where the sun can sometimes be seen at midnight, and also where trees don’t grow. The arctic can also be defined as the area where the average temperature of the warmest month is not above 10 degrees C. The north of Canada and Alaska, Russia, Norway and Greenland are within the arctic area.

Animals that live in the Arctic include organisms living in the ice, fish and marine mammals, birds, some land animals, plants particularly lichens and mosses, and people.

Animals within the arctic area include the Arctic fox, polar bear, Arctic hare, lemming, Arctic wolf, muskox, and caribou.

Birds of the Arctic include the Arctic tern, which migrates to the Antarctic every year.

Here are some photos of arctic animals . . .

The arctic fox shelters in the frozen, hoar-frost-covered grasses of the tundra.

The spectacular flight of the arctic tern, which flys 25,000 miles a year, light and agile, beautiful and capable.

The delicately beautiful Arctic fox against the gold of the setting sun on the crisp white snow.

Warm in its thick winter coat, the Arctic hare shelters in the deep snow of its frozen wilderness.

The thundering run of the musk ox high in the cloud-covered mountains is its remote wilderness home . . . strange, powerful, aloof.

The tender yet powerful motherly love of the polar bear, the curious but unsure cub protected securely in its mothers capable embrace.

The small polar bear cub shelters within the powerful stance of the alert and able mother.

The power and grace of the Arctic wolf running through the deep snow of its remote frozen wilderness, the bright spark of powerful life in the empty land.

For more info on the arctic, see Wikipedia “Arctic”

For more arctic animal photos, see 110 Arctic Animal posters.

For more photos of polar bears, see Polar Bear photos.