Giant polar bear: description and habitat. White (polar) bear. Help Body structure of a polar bear

Today we still have a chance to see a polar bear in wildlife, be it a TV show on Discovery or an exotic trip to the places of his natural habitat. But it is likely that our children will be deprived of this opportunity. So that this would not happen in the lessons of the surrounding world, students primary classes study the animals of the Red Book of Russia.

Children will learn that many animal species are endangered, how fragile animal world, you need to take care of this beautiful world nature.

Message on the surrounding world on the topic "Animals of the Red Book of Russia - polar bear"

Polar bear - a short description for children

from the series "Animals of the Red Book of Russia"

Polar bear- one of the largest predators living on land. Its height at the withers (from the ground to the neck) is 1.5 m, length 2-2.5 m, foot size 30 cm in length and 25 in width; Male polar bears weigh 350-650 kg, some even more, females 175-300 kg. Maximum lifespan is 25-30 years, rarely more. Its size surpasses all predators in the world. But such dimensions do not prevent the animal from moving deftly in the snow, swimming and diving.

Polar bear fur color winter time snow white. With the arrival of warmth, the fur becomes yellowish. Also, thanks to its fat reserves, the bear stays afloat perfectly. A polar bear, like every predator of this size, must have dangerous weapon. These are powerful jaws and the strongest claws.

Polar bear habitat

White bears all year round associated with drifting and fast ice sea ​​ice, where they hunt seals - ringed seals and, in to a lesser extent, sea hare. If bears do come onto land, it’s usually not for long. The exception is pregnant females, who lie in dens for up to six months, and in some years, bears who, for one reason or another, remain on land for several weeks.

To be a polar bear you need to be near the sea. Therefore, he spends his life near the ice-covered Arctic seas. This predator is mainly distributed in the Northern Arctic Ocean, Hudson and Baffin Bays, in the northern Bering Sea and on the Arctic islands.
White bears lead a nomadic lifestyle. Sometimes they are carried over long distances by the current.

What do polar bears eat?

The main prey of bears are seals, which predators lie in wait near the holes. When the seal pokes its head out, the polar bear throws the animal out with a powerful blow. Eats only lard and seal skin. Only in times of famine can it eat the entire carcass.
In addition to seals, polar bears feed on fish, chicks, and carrion. Can hunt large animals such as walruses.

In summer it can eat cloudberries, seaweed, willow shoots and sedge leaves.

The main reasons for the decline in polar bear numbers:

For polar bears, the main natural limiting factor is the number and availability of seals.

IN natural conditions The polar bear is not threatened by anyone except humans. A big threat to polar bears are poachers, who can hunt bear cubs.

Climate change poses a major threat. Due to a sharp drop in temperature, the ice cover began to decrease. This has led to a decrease in the population of seals and walruses, which are the main source of food for polar bears. For these reasons, conservation of this animal is of great importance.

Although polar bear The largest predator on Earth, thanks to humans, its species is in danger of extinction. Therefore, the polar bear is listed in Red Book and is protected. It is also listed in the International Red Book. The hunting of polar bears in the Russian Arctic has been prohibited since 1956.

Conservation of polar bear populations in the Russian Arctic contributed to the organization of a special protection regime in places where ancestral dens were concentrated (Wrangel and Herald Islands and Franz Josef Land). In order to improve the protection of polar bears, the following measures are proposed:

Expand the area of ​​the Wrangel Island nature reserve;

Organize specially protected natural areas and water areas in the areas of Novaya Zemlya and Severnaya Zemlya;

Introduce stricter time limits on economic activity in areas where polar bears are concentrated in ice and in places where they are found in dens;

Implement preventive measures to reduce the likelihood of polar bears appearing in populated areas and attacking humans (remove or move to the greatest possible distance landfills with food waste, places where sea animals and fish are cut;

More reliably isolate food stores and warehouses from animals;

Equip regional environmental inspections with sets of immobilizing equipment, which can be used to catch and remove to a safe distance bears that enter the territory settlement, and etc.).

The polar bear regularly breeds in zoos in Kazan, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Perm, and Rostov-on-Don.

Polar bear, also known as polar or northern bear (lat. Ursus maritimus ) - This carnivorous mammal an animal that belongs to the suborder Canidae, the bear family, the genus bears. The name of the beast is translated from Latin as “sea bear”, and the predator is also called oshkuy, nanuk or umka.

International scientific name: Ursus maritimus(Phipps, 1774).

Security status: vulnerable species.

Polar bear - description, structure, characteristics

The polar bear is the largest land predator and one of the largest predators on the planet, second in size only to the elephant seal. The largest polar bear weighed just over 1 ton and was about 3 meters long. The height of this bear, standing on its hind legs, was 3.39 m. On average, the body length of males is about 2-2.5 m, the height at the withers ranges from 1.3 to 1.5 m, and the average weight of a polar bear varies in within 400-800 kg. Bears are 1.5-2 times smaller, usually their weight does not exceed 200-300 kg, although pregnant females can weigh 500 kg. Interestingly, in the Pleistocene era (about 100 thousand years ago), a giant polar bear lived on earth; its size was about 4 meters in length, and its body weight reached 1.2 tons.

The polar bear has a heavy, massive body and large, powerful paws. Unlike other representatives of the genus, the neck of polar bears is elongated, and the head with small ears has a flattened shape, but with an elongated facial region characteristic of all bears.

The beast's jaws are extremely powerful, with well-developed, sharp fangs and incisors. A polar bear has a total of 42 teeth. Facial vibrissae are absent in animals.

The tail of a polar bear is very short, ranging from 7 to 13 cm in length and is almost invisible under its dense fur. The polar bear's paws end in five fingers, armed with sharp, non-retractable claws of impressive size, which allows predators to hold the largest and strongest prey.

The soles of the paws are covered with coarse hair, which prevents slipping on ice floes and prevents the paws from freezing. In addition, polar bears are excellent swimmers and divers, and between their toes there is a swimming membrane that helps during long swims.

The polar bear's fur is quite coarse, dense and extremely thick, with a well-developed undercoat. Such a rich fur coat and an impressive layer of subcutaneous fat up to 10 cm thick make the animals practically invulnerable even in the most severe frosts and when in ice water. Only the paw pads and the tip of the muzzle are not protected by fur.

Polar bears are powerful and hardy predators, very agile and fast for their weight and impressive dimensions. On land, the speed of a polar bear averages 5.6 km/h, and when running it reaches 40 km/h. During the day, the animal can cover a distance of up to 20 km. A polar bear pursued in water is capable of accelerating up to 6.5-7 km/h, and if necessary, can swim without stopping for several days. It is a known fact that a female polar bear swam non-stop to a feeding place for 9 days, although during this time she lost up to 22% of the weight of her body and her cub.

Polar predators have well-developed hearing, vision and sense of smell. The animal senses prey at a distance of more than 1 kilometer, and standing above the shelter of potential prey, it is able to detect the slightest movement. Through a meter-thick layer of snow, a polar bear can smell a seal's vent site (a hole in the ice through which the seal breathes).

Life expectancy of a polar bear

In natural conditions, polar bears live about 20-30 years (males up to 20 years, females up to 25-30 years), and the recorded life expectancy record in captivity is 45 years.

Where do polar bears live?

Polar bears live in the polar regions of the northern hemisphere, and their range extends to 88 degrees north latitude in the north and to the island of Newfoundland in the south. The distribution area on the mainland passes through arctic deserts to the tundra zone in the territories of Russia, Greenland, the USA and Canada. The range of animals is closely connected with the Arctic belt, covered with drifting and multi-year ice, replete with large, high-density polynyas marine mammals, the main source of food for polar bears.

Today, the polar bear habitat includes several large populations:

• Laptev, distributed in the Laptev Sea, eastern regions of the Kara Sea, in the west of the East Siberian Sea, on the New Siberian Islands and the Novaya Zemlya archipelago;
• Kara-Barents Sea, whose representatives live in the Barents Sea, the western regions of the Kara Sea, in the eastern part of the Greenland Sea off the coast of Greenland, as well as on the islands of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and Spitsbergen;
• The Chukchi-Alaskan population is distributed in the Chukchi Sea, in the northern part of the Bering Sea, in the east of the East Siberian Sea, as well as on Wrangel and Herald Islands.

In the north, the population distribution area covers part of the Arctic basin, although polar bears are found here much less frequently than in more southern seas. Interestingly, the largest polar bears live in the Barents Sea, and the smallest live on the island of Spitsbergen.

The existence of predators is tied to seasonal changes in boundaries polar ice. With the onset of warmth, polar bears retreat to the pole along with the ice, and in winter they return further south, and although their usual environment is coastal zones covered with ice, at this time predators often visit the mainland.

Polar bear hibernation

Pregnant females hibernate first of all; other polar bears do not overwinter in a den every year and at the same time fall into suspended animation for no more than 50-80 days.

What does a polar bear eat?

The main source of food for the polar bear is various marine mammals and fish (seal, ringed seal, less commonly bearded seal (sea hare), walrus, beluga whale, narwhal).

First of all, the polar bear eats the skin and fat of the killed victim, and only when very hungry does it eat the meat of its prey. Thanks to this diet, a huge amount of vitamin A enters the animal’s body, which accumulates in the liver. At one time, an adult polar bear eats about 6-8 kg of food, and when very hungry - up to 20 kg. The remains of the meal are eaten by arctic foxes, the eternal guides and parasites of the polar bear. If the hunt is unsuccessful, the animals are content with dead fish, carrion, and ruin bird's nests, eating eggs and chicks. Polar bears are quite tolerant of their relatives when eating large prey, such as a dead whale, around which a large group of predators can gather. When wandering onto the mainland, polar bears willingly dig through garbage dumps in search of food waste and rob food warehouses of polar expeditions. The plant diet of predators consists of grasses and algae.

By the way, polar bears do not eat penguins, since penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere (Antarctica, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America, on the islands), and polar bears live in the Northern Hemisphere (northern Russia, Canada, Alaska, Greenland and some islands).

In summer, the ice retreats from the shores and may completely melt, depriving animals of their feeding grounds. Therefore, in the summer, polar bears live off their fat reserves and starve for 4 months or more. Given the lack of competition for food during this period of the year, animals can gather in groups and lie peacefully on the shore.

A unique feature of the polar bear’s behavior is its attitude towards a person, whom it sometimes purposefully tracks and treats as prey. But most often, polar bears do not show aggression at all; they are quite trusting and curious. Usually only females with cubs or a wounded animal pose a danger to humans.

How does a polar bear hunt?

The polar bear lies in wait for potential prey near the ice hole, and as soon as the prey’s head appears above the water, it stuns the animal with a powerful blow of its paw, after which it drags the carcass onto the ice.

Other no less effective method hunting involves turning over an ice floe on which seals are resting. Polar bears often hunt walruses, especially young and weak ones, but they can only cope with an enemy armed with deadly tusks on ice. The bear creeps up to the prey at a distance of about 9-12 meters, and then with a sharp jump attacks the victim.

When a polar bear discovers seal vents (holes in the ice through which seals breathe), it tries to expand them by breaking the ice with its front paws. Then he plunges the front part of the body into the water, grabs the seal with sharp teeth and pulls it out onto the ice, after which the victim can no longer cope with the unequal opponent.

Polar bear breeding

Northern bears lead a solitary lifestyle and treat their relatives quite peacefully; fights between males occur only during the breeding season, but then aggressive males can attack cubs.

Polar bears reach reproductive age by 4-8 years, and females become ready to reproduce offspring earlier than males. The bear rut is extended over time and lasts from the end of March to the beginning of June, and the female is usually accompanied by 3-4, sometimes up to 7 males. The pregnancy of polar bears lasts from 230 to 250 days (about 8 months), and it begins with the latent stage, when implantation of the embryo is delayed.

In October, female polar bears begin to dig dens in the snow drifts, and choose certain places for this: for example, on the Wrangel Islands and Franz Josef Land, where up to 150-200 dens are established in the coastal zone at the same time. In mid-November, when the embryonic development of the fetus begins, female bears go into hibernation, which lasts until April. Thus, offspring are born in the middle or at the end of the Arctic winter.

Taken from: polarbearscience.files.wordpress.com

Usually 1 to 3 cubs are born (usually 2 bear cubs), completely helpless and tiny, weighing from 450 to 750 g. In very exceptional cases, 4 cubs can be born. The fur of bear cubs is so thin that they are often called naked. At first, the offspring intensively feeds on mother's milk. A month later, the cubs' eyes open, after another month, small polar bears begin short forays out of the den, and at the age of 3 months they already leave the den and, together with their mother, set off to wander through the icy expanses of the Arctic. Up to one and a half years, the cubs continue to be fed milk and are under the protection of their mother, and after that they begin an independent life. The mortality rate among polar bear cubs ranges from 10 to 30%.

A female bear gives birth once every 3 years and throughout life cycle produces no more than 15 cubs, which indicates that the potential for increasing the population of these animals is too low.

Security status

Polar bears are listed in the Red Book of Russia as a vulnerable species, and since 1956, hunting for predators in the country has been completely prohibited. As of 2013, approximately 5-6 thousand polar bears lived in Russian polar ice. Other countries have established restrictions on the fishing of these animals, regulated by an annual quota.

Enemies of the polar bear in nature

Due to their gigantic size, polar bears do not have many enemies in their natural habitat. In water, an animal can be attacked by a walrus or killer whale; on land, small bear cubs, left unattended by a not-too-vigilant or careless mother, sometimes become victims of wolves, arctic foxes and dogs. The main threat to the polar bear is a man with a gun: unfortunately, even protective status does not always save this giant of the Arctic from armed poachers.

Differences between polar and brown bears

According to paleontologists, the bear genus appeared on earth about 5-6 million years ago, and the polar bear is considered the youngest species, which separated from the common ancestor of all bears about 600 thousand years ago. Modern polar and brown bears are genetically similar, and by interbreeding they form viable offspring, called polar grizzlies, which are also capable of reproducing.

Taken from the website: www.spiegel.de

Polar and brown bears occupy completely different ecological niches, have distinctive phenotypic characteristics, feeding habits and social behavior, due to which they are classified as separate species. Below are the differences between polar and brown bears.

• the largest polar bear reached a length of 3 meters, while the length of a brown bear does not exceed 2.5 meters;
• the weight of a polar bear can reach one ton, a brown relative weighs no more than 750 kg;
• Among brown bears, there are many subspecies that live in different territories. Unlike the brown bear, the white bear has no subspecies.
• the polar bear’s neck is long, while that of its brown counterpart is thick and short;
• the head of a polar bear is not very large and flattened, while that of a brown bear is more massive and rounded;
• Polar bears are inhabitants of the harsh and snowy expanses of the Arctic zone; their southern border of habitat is the tundra zone. Brown bears, unlike white bears, live in warmer climates in Russia, Canada, the USA, Europe, from Western Asia to northern China and Korea, as well as in Japan (see habitat maps below). The northern border of their range is the southern border of the tundra;

• The polar bear differs from the brown bear in the food it consumes. If polar bears are carnivores, then the brown bear’s menu consists not only of meat and fish: most of the diet includes berries, nuts, insects and their larvae;
• In polar bears, mostly only pregnant females hibernate, and their winter sleep lasts no more than 50-80 days. Winter dream brown bear, both in females and males, can last from 75 to 195 days - it all depends on the area where the animal lives;
• The polar bear's rut ​​lasts from March to early June, for the brown bear it lasts from May to July;
• polar bears usually give birth to 2, rarely 3 cubs. Browns can give birth to 2-3, and occasionally 4-5 cubs.

On the left is a polar bear, on the right is a brown bear. Photo credits: PeterW1950, CC0 Public Domain (left) and Rigelus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (right)

• Since ancient times, the indigenous population of the North has been hunting the polar bear for its skin and meat, and reveres this strong and ferocious animal as the embodiment of formidable natural forces. According to Eskimo legends, the confrontation between a man and a polar bear becomes a kind of initiation and formation of a man as a hunter.
• Polar bears are able to swim gigantic distances in search of food: the record for the duration of the swim belongs to a female bear who swam across the Beaufort Sea from Alaska to multi-year ice. During the 685 km swim, she lost a fifth of her body weight and her one-year-old cub.
• The largest male polar bear was shot in Alaska in 1960; the weight of the predator was 1002 kg.
• Living in extreme conditions low temperatures, the polar bear is an extremely warm-blooded animal: its body temperature is about 31 degrees, so in order to avoid overheating, predators run extremely rarely.
• The image of a polar bear is actively used in cinema, for example, as characters in the popular cartoons “Elka”, “Bernard” and “Umka”.
• These animals are depicted on the logo of the Sever confectionery production and on the wrappers of the Bear in the North sweets created by the Krupskaya confectionery factory.
• February 27 is the officially recognized Polar Bear Day, which is celebrated by fans of these animals all over the world.

- a predator belonging to the suborder Canidae, the bear family and the genus bear. This unique mammal is an endangered species. Its most famous names are umka, oshkuy, nanuk and polar bear. It lives in the north, feeds on fish and smaller animals, and sometimes attacks humans. Just a few centuries ago, its population exceeded hundreds of thousands of individuals, but their systematic destruction forced conservationists to sound the alarm.

Where does the polar bear live?

The polar bear lives exclusively in the subpolar regions of the northern hemisphere, but this does not mean that the animal lives everywhere where there is non-melting Arctic snow. Most bears do not go further than 88 degrees north latitude, but the extreme point of their distribution in the south is the island of Newfoundland, the few inhabitants of which risk their lives every day trying to get along with a dangerous predator.

Residents of the Arctic and tundra zones of Russia, Greenland, the USA and Canada are also familiar with the polar bear. Most animals live in areas with drifting, multi-year ice, where many seals and walruses also live. Most often, the bear can be seen near a large hole, on the edge of which it freezes in anticipation of a seal or fur seal rising from the depths.

It is impossible to accurately determine the continent where the polar bear lives. The most extensive populations of these animals were named after the location of their main concentration. So, most predators prefer:

• the eastern shores of the Kara and East Siberian seas, the cold waters of the Laptev Sea, the New Siberian Islands and the Novaya Zemlya archipelago (Laptev population);
• shores Barents Sea, the western part of the Kara Sea, the islands of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Franz Josef Land and Spitsbergen (Kara-Barents Sea population);
• Chukchi Sea, northern Bering Sea, eastern East Siberian Sea, Wrangel and Herald Islands (Chukchi-Alaskan population).

Directly in the Arctic, polar bears are rarely found, preferring more southern and warm seas where they have a better chance of survival. The habitat is variable and is associated with the boundaries of polar ice. If the Arctic summer drags on and the ice begins to melt, then animals move closer to the pole. With the onset of winter, they return to the south, preferring ice-covered coastal areas and the mainland.

Description of a polar bear

Polar bears, described below, are the largest mammalian predators on the planet. They owe their significant dimensions to their distant ancestor, who became extinct thousands of years ago. The giant polar bear was at least 4 meters long and weighed about 1.2 tons.

The modern polar bear is somewhat inferior in both weight and height. So, the maximum length white bear does not exceed 3 meters with a body weight of up to 1 ton. Average weight males do not exceed 500 kilograms, females weigh 200-350 kilograms. The height of an adult animal at the withers is only 1.2-1.5 meters, while the giant polar bear reached a height of 2-2.5 meters.

Coat, structural features of the body and head

The entire body of the polar bear is covered with fur, which protects against severe frosts and allows you to feel comfortable even in icy water. Only the nose and paw pads are devoid of fur. The color of the fur coat can be crystal white, yellowish and even green.

In reality, the animal’s fur is devoid of pigmentation, it is colorless, the hairs are hollow, dense, hard, located at a minimum distance from each other. There is a well-developed undercoat, under which black skin with a 10-centimeter layer of fat is found.

The white coat color serves as an ideal camouflage for the animal. It is not easy for even an experienced hunter to spot a hidden bear, but seals and walruses often become victims of this cunning and cruel predator.

Structure of the torso, head and legs

Unlike a grizzly bear, a polar bear's neck is elongated, its head is flat, its front part is elongated, and its ears are small and rounded.

These animals are skilled swimmers, which is achieved due to the presence of membranes between their toes and is determined by where the polar bear lives most of the year. At the moment of swimming, it does not matter how much a polar bear weighs; thanks to its membranes, it can easily overtake even the fastest prey.

The legs of the predator are columnar, ending in powerful paws. The soles of the feet are covered with wool, which serves as ideal protection against freezing and slipping. The front parts of the paws are covered with hard bristles, under which sharp claws are hidden, allowing them to hold prey for a long time. Having captured the prey with its claws, the predator then uses its teeth. Its jaws are powerful, its incisors and fangs are well developed. A healthy animal has up to 42 teeth and no facial vibrissae.

All representatives of this species have a tail, the polar bear is no exception in this regard. Its tail is small, from 7 to 13 centimeters long, lost against the background of the elongated fur of the back.

Endurance

The polar bear is an extremely resilient animal; despite its apparent clumsiness, it is capable of traveling up to 5.6 kilometers per hour on land and up to 7 kilometers per hour in water. The average speed of a predator is 40 kilometers per hour.

Polar bears hear and see well, and their excellent sense of smell allows them to smell prey located at a distance of 1 kilometer from them. The animal is able to detect a seal hiding under several meters of snow, or hiding at the bottom of a hole, even if it is at a depth of over 1 meter.

How long does a polar bear live?

Oddly enough, polar bears live longer in captivity than in natural environment a habitat. The average life expectancy in this case does not exceed 20-30 years, while a zoo inhabitant is quite capable of living over 45-50 years. This is due to the shrinking food supply, the annual melting of glaciers and the ongoing extermination of predators by humans.

In Russia, polar bear hunting is prohibited, but in other countries there are only some restrictions on this matter, allowing the extermination of no more than several hundred predators per year. In most cases, such hunting has nothing to do with the real needs for meat and skins, and therefore is a real barbarism in relation to this beautiful and powerful animal.

Features of character and lifestyle

The polar bear is considered cruel predator, attacking even people. The animal prefers a solitary lifestyle; males and females gather together only during the rutting period. The rest of the time, bears move exclusively through their own territory, conquered from their other brothers, and this applies not only to males, but also to females with newborn offspring.

Hibernation

Unlike its brown counterparts, the polar bear does not have to hibernate for the winter. Most often, only pregnant females sleep on the eve of giving birth. Adult males do not sleep every season; the duration of hibernation is no more than 80 days (a brown bear sleeps from 75 to 195 days a year).

Reproduction of polar bears, care of offspring

Polar bears behave quite peacefully towards each other; most fights occur between males during the rutting period. At this time, not only adult animals can suffer, but also cubs, which prevent the female from re-participating in mating games.

Animals become sexually mature when they reach 4 or 8 years of age, while females are ready to bear offspring 1-2 years earlier than males.

The mating season lasts from late March to early June. One female can be pursued by up to 7 males. Gestation of offspring takes at least 250 days, which corresponds to 8 months. Pregnancy begins with a latent stage, which is characterized by a delay in embryo implantation. This feature associated not only with the physiology of the animal, but also with its living conditions. The female must prepare for fetal development and long hibernation. Around the end of October, she begins to equip her own den, and for this purpose sometimes travels hundreds of kilometers. Many females dig dens near existing buildings. Thus, on the Wrangel and Franz Josef islands there are at least 150 nearby dens.

Embryo development begins in mid-November, when the female is already sleeping. Its hibernation ends in April and at about the same time 1-3 cubs, weighing from 450 to 700 grams each, appear in the den. The exception is the birth of 4 cubs. The babies are covered with thin fur, which practically does not protect them from the cold, therefore in the first weeks of their life the female does not leave the den, maintaining her existence at the expense of accumulated fat.

Newborn cubs feed exclusively on mother's milk. They do not open their eyes immediately, but a month after birth. Two-month-old babies begin to crawl out of the den, only to leave it completely when they reach 3 months. At the same time, they continue to feed on milk and stay close to the female until they reach 1.5 years. Small cubs are practically helpless, so they often become prey for larger predators. The mortality rate among polar bears under 1 year of age is at least 10-30%.

A new pregnancy in a female occurs only after the death of the offspring, or its introduction into adult life, that is, no more than once every 2-3 years. On average, no more than 15 cubs are born from one female during her entire life, half of which die.

What does a polar bear eat?

The polar bear feeds exclusively on meat and fish. Its victims include seals, ringed seals, bearded seals, walruses, beluga whales and narwhals. Having caught and killed the prey, the predator begins to eat its skin and fat. This part of the carcass is what polar bears eat in most cases. They prefer not to eat fresh meat, making an exception only during periods of prolonged hunger strikes. Such a nutritious diet is necessary for the accumulation of vitamin A in the liver, which helps to survive a long winter without consequences. What the polar bear does not eat is picked up by the following scavengers - arctic foxes and wolves.

To satiate, a predator needs at least 7 kilograms of food. A hungry bear can eat 19 kilograms or more. If the prey is gone and there is no strength left to pursue it, then the animal feeds on fish, carrion, bird eggs and chicks. At such times, the bear becomes dangerous to humans. He wanders to the outskirts of villages, feeding on garbage and tracking down lonely travelers. In hungry years, bears also do not disdain algae and grass. Periods of prolonged fasting generally occur during summer time when the ice melts and retreats from the shore. At this time, the bears are forced to spend their own fat reserves, sometimes starving for over 4 months in a row. The question of what a polar bear eats becomes irrelevant during such periods, since the animal is ready to feed on literally everything that moves.

Hunting

The bear tracks its prey for a long time; sometimes it stands for hours near the hole, waiting for the seal to come up for air. As soon as the prey's head is above the water, the predator strikes it with a powerful paw. He grabs the stunned carcass with his claws and drags him to land. To increase its chances of being caught, the bear expands the boundaries of the hole and practically immerses its head in the water in order to have time to notice the appearance of prey.

Seals cannot spend all their time in the water; they need to rest sometimes, which is what polar bears take advantage of. Having noticed a suitable seal, the bear quietly swims up and turns over the ice floe on which it is resting. The seal's fate is sealed. If a walrus became the bear's prey, then everything is not so simple. Walruses have powerful defenses in the form of their front tusks, with which they can easily pierce an unlucky attacker. An adult walrus can be much bigger stronger than a bear, especially if he is young and does not yet have sufficient experience in such battles.

With this in mind, bears attack only weak or young walruses, doing this exclusively on land. The prey is tracked for a long time, the bear creeps up to the closest possible distance, after which it makes a jump and leans on the victim with all its weight.

In its natural habitat, a bear has a minimal number of enemies. If an animal is wounded or sick, it can be attacked by walruses, killer whales, wolves, arctic foxes and even dogs. A healthy bear is larger than any of the named predators and can easily cope with even several attacking opponents total mass. A sick animal takes a significant risk and often prefers to avoid battle by lying down in a den.

Sometimes small bear cubs, whose mother has gone hunting or is inattentively watching them, become prey for wolves and dogs. The life of the bear is also threatened by poachers who are interested in killing the animal for the sake of obtaining its luxurious skin and large quantity meat.

Family ties

First appeared on the planet approximately 5 million years ago. The polar bear separated from its brown ancestors no more than 600 thousand years ago, and yet its closest relative continues to be the common brown bear.

Both the polar bear and the brown bear are genetically similar, therefore, as a result of crossing, completely viable offspring are obtained, which can subsequently also be used to produce young animals. Black and white bears will not be born naturally, but the young will inherit everything best qualities both individuals.

At the same time, polar and brown bears live in different ecological systems, which affected the formation of a number of phenotypic characteristics in them, as well as differences in nutrition, behavior and lifestyle. The presence of significant differences in all of the above allowed us to classify the brown bear, or grizzly, as a separate species.

Polar bear and brown bear: comparative characteristics

Both polar and brown bears have a number of distinctive features, the essence of which boils down to the following:

Both the polar and the brown bear are dangerous predators, which leads to natural questions about who is stronger in a fight, a polar bear or a grizzly bear? It is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question posed about who is stronger, or who will win, a polar bear or a brown one. These animals almost never intersect. In a zoo, they behave quite peacefully.

Interesting facts about the polar bear

There are many legends and myths about the polar bear. At the same time, some features of his behavior are so interesting that they deserve the attention of not only lovers of legends, but also young admirers of wildlife. Today the following is known about the polar bear:

• The most large predators found in the Barents Sea, smaller animals prefer the island of Spitsbergen and the area near it.
• In photographs taken under ultraviolet light, the polar bear's fur appears black.
• Starving bears can cover enormous distances, moving not only on land, but also by swimming. In this, both the polar and the brown bear are similar. A bear swim lasting over 9 days was recorded. During this time, the female traveled over 660 kilometers across the Beaufort Sea, lost 22% of her body weight and her one-year-old cub, but remained alive and was able to get ashore.
• The polar bear is not afraid of humans; a hungry predator is capable of making him its prey, tirelessly chasing him for many days. In the city of Churchill, which belongs to Canadian province Manitoba, there is a special place where bears that wander into the settlement are temporarily imprisoned. The existence of a temporary zoo is a necessary measure. Unfrightened by human presence, a hungry predator can enter a house and attack a person. After an overexposure and a hearty meal, the bear leaves the city less aggressive, which allows us to hope that it will not return soon.
• According to the Eskimos, the polar bear embodies the forces of nature. A man cannot call himself such until he enters into an equal confrontation with him.
• The giant polar bear is the ancestor of the modern bear.
• In 1962, a bear weighing 1,002 kilograms was shot and killed in Alaska.
• The bear is a warm-blooded animal. Its body temperature reaches 31 degrees Celsius, which makes it quite difficult for the predator to move quickly. Running for a long time can cause your body to overheat.
• Children are introduced to the image of the polar bear through such cartoons as “Umka”, “Elka” and “Bernard”.
• The beloved “Bear in the North” candy also features an image of a polar bear.
• The official polar bear day is February 27th.
• The polar bear is one of the symbols of the state of Alaska.

Polar bears are considered to be insufficiently fertile, which is why their population is recovering extremely slowly. According to a check carried out in 2013, the number of bears in Russia did not exceed 7 thousand individuals (20-25 thousand individuals worldwide).

The first ban on the extraction of meat and skins of these animals was introduced in 1957, due to their almost complete extermination local residents and poachers. Polar bears, whose habitat has been disturbed, are encroaching on human property.

Security status: Vulnerable.
Included in the Red Book of Russia and the Red Book
International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The polar bear is also called the "Sea Bear", in connection with the constant presence near the coast, as well as the strength and ability to swim perfectly. They have a thick layer of fat and a water-repellent layer that keeps out the icy air and cold water. These bears are considered talented and hardy swimmers, as they can withstand a pace of about 10 km / h for a long time. However, this species of bear is in a vulnerable position, and this is due to global warming, which affects the habitat in a detrimental way - simply destroying it.

Description

Adult polar bears usually reach about 2 meters in length and half a ton in weight. Females are much lighter than males, which are almost twice their size. Polar bears are one of the few large mammals living in such adverse conditions, while well adapted to life on ice. They have thick and dense fur, consisting of warm undercoat. The skin of a polar bear is black, and the hairs are in the form of transparent hollow tubes, the main purpose of which is to absorb sunlight and retain heat. Due to the black color of the skin, there is a maximum absorption of the sun's rays. The color can be white, yellow or green. Green color can form in hot climates, when algae start growing inside the coat. The body of the polar bear is strong and muscular, with wide front legs that help with swimming. There is fur on the soles of the paws, which not only keeps the feet warm, but also reduces the sliding force while moving on the ice. Compared to other types of bears, the white has a very long neck, allowing it to keep its head on the surface of the water while swimming. Also distinctive features Compared to other bears, they have more elongated muzzles and small ears.

Area

Polar bears live on the icy shores surrounding North Pole all the way to the south of Hudson Bay. About 60% of representatives of this species can be found in the northern part of Canada, and the rest - in Greenland, Alaska, Spitsbergen and Russia, where, as a rule, there are relatively short distances to the ocean. The polar bear population has declined rapidly due to the biggest threat to this huge predator - global warming, which has disrupted its natural habitat. Although polar bears are accustomed to seasonal changes, it is very difficult for them to survive global warming, because in the summer the ice begins to melt earlier than usual, and every year this process begins earlier, so the bears have less time to hunt on the ice. The total polar bear population is divided into 19 units or subpopulations. Of these, 8 are in decline and the risk of even greater decline in the future due to habitat changes is highly assessed.

Hunting

The polar bear is a solitary animal that can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h on land and about 10 km/h in water. required ability makes it one of the best predators. It hunts on ice and in water, and is known to swim long distances in the open ocean for food. To catch its prey, a polar bear dives underwater, leaving its eyes open and can hold its breath for about two minutes. On land, they hunt using two main methods: either sneaking up and then attacking, or waiting for prey to appear near the breathing ring in the ice for many hours. Polar bears spend more than 50% of their time hunting, but about two percent of these hunts can be considered successful.

Nutrition

Polar bears are considered the largest carnivorous mammal and must hunt regularly to ensure they are well fed and maintain an insulating layer of body fat that keeps their body warm. Skin and subcutaneous fat ringed seals forms the bulk of the diet, but they often leave behind the remaining meat, which is important source food for other animals such as . The diet largely consists of ringed seals (seals) and bearded seals (sea hares). Although body fat is very important for a bear, polar bears can also feed on birds, berries, fish, deer (especially in the summer months), as well as walruses and even whales. Carcasses from large marine mammals are a regular source of food for polar bears. As is known, bears of this species can tear open underground burrows of seals and hunt their cubs. Eating seals is considered vital to the polar bear's survival as it can provide the predator with a high amount of energy. They have a layer of fat up to 10 centimeters. During the short Arctic summer, polar bears are forced to travel further north as the ice recedes and adequate nutrition disappears.

Reproduction

Mating usually occurs in the spring months (April, May). The gestation period lasts about 9 months, at the end of which the female gives birth to 1 to 4 cubs. The offspring are born in dens dug by the female in the snow or soil, the temperature in which is 40 degrees higher than outside. The cubs are born without fur, blind and weighing just over half a kilogram. Females stay with the babies until the severe winter frosts stop in the spring. Although babies begin to eat from 5 months of age, the period breastfeeding lasts until they reach 2-3 years of age. As is known, cubs can engage in playful fights among themselves, which include wrestling and hunting, along with baring their teeth and even biting each other, while causing absolutely no harm. These games are essential for little cubs as they learn to fight and defend themselves, which will come in handy once they leave their mother and become fully independent.

Threats

Surviving and protecting the polar bear's habitat is topical issues to date. Due to the fact that the polar bear is a strong and ferocious predator, there are no animals that hunt them in. As a rule, conflicts arise between representatives of the stronger sex, fiercely protecting their females and cubs. Today, humans are the greatest threat to the bear population.

Polar bear numbers suffered significant declines due to constant hunting from the 1600s until the mid-1970s. Thanks to international hunting bans, the population gradually began to increase. Along with receding ice, which is critical to the polar bear's survival, caused by climate change, gas and oil drilling, increased shipping traffic and industrial emissions are also causing detrimental impacts. chemical substances that pollute water. The polar bear has relatively low speed reproduction, which means not only a rapid decline in the population, but also an insufficiently rapid growth to maintain the population at required level. Some experts say the polar bear could become extinct in the wild within the next 30 years.

Polar bears are one of the most majestic animals in the world. Close relatives of brown bears, they, however, have been studied much less and are therefore more interesting.

What do polar bears look like?

The polar bear is the second largest land animal in terms of size and mass. The only thing bigger than him is the elephant seal. The most large bears reach three meters in length and weigh one ton.

The standard body length of an adult male is from two to two and a half meters, weight is 400-450 kilograms.

Females are smaller and weigh up to 300 kg.

Compared to its brown relative, the polar bear has a flatter head and long neck. Its fur is not always white - in summer it gives off a yellowish tint.

Thanks to special structure hairs (they are hollow inside), the polar bear has good thermal insulation.

Bears have good grip on ice thanks to their fur-lined paws. And in the water they are helped by swimming membranes between their toes.

In nature, polar grizzlies are sometimes found - half-breeds resulting from the union of polar and brown bears. But this phenomenon is rare: representatives different types do not like and avoid each other. To date, there are three recorded cases of crossing.

Hybrids have a mixed color, closer to brown, but lighter than usual.

These animals can live from 25 to 30 years. In captivity, this period increases; today the maximum life expectancy of a polar bear is 45 years.

Where do polar bears live?

Polar bears are not called polar bears for nothing. Their habitat is the northern hemisphere, subpolar regions. They also live on the mainland, in the tundra zone.

Bears inhabit the north up to the southern border of their habitat - the island of Newfoundland.

In Russia they can be found from Franz Josef Land to Chukotka. Synod, bears go deep into the continent or on floating ice end up in Kamchatka.

What do polar bears eat?

Polar bears are predators. Moreover, they hunt in water: these animals swim well and can spend a lot of time in the sea or ocean. Thick skin and subcutaneous fat (its thickness can reach 10 centimeters) are excellent insurance against the cold.

In water, bears are much more dexterous and mobile, therefore they pose a serious danger to marine animals. These majestic animals can move over vast distances. A record of 685 kilometers was recorded: the bear that set it was looking for a hunting place.

In hunting, bears also contribute a lot to natural coloring and excellent hearing.

Along with fish, they also feed on the inhabitants of the waters: walruses, sea hares, seals.

The polar bear is a cunning hunter. He attacks most often because of an ambush, often arranging it at the hole and stunning the leaning prey.

Sometimes bears turn over ice floes on which seals make rookeries.

Walruses are hunted only on land: in the water it is more difficult for bears to cope with these animals.

How polar bears raise babies

During her life, one mother bear gives birth to no more than 15 cubs. Females rarely give birth, once every two to three years.

The mating season is from March to June, and in October, expectant mothers begin to prepare the lair. Moreover, they have favorite places for this. Most of the bear dens made by females were recorded on Franz Josef Land and on Wrangel Island.

Bears are loners by nature, so the mother gives birth and raises the babies alone. They are born in the middle of winter or towards its end, but the mother remains in hibernation all this time.

Mother bears and their cubs are born in April.

Up to a year and a half, the cubs remain in the care of their mother and all this time they feed on her milk. Together with her cubs, the mother bear leads a nomadic lifestyle.