Polar Bear

Vulnerable

Ursus maritimus

Size: 6.6 - 10 feet long, 5.3 feet to shoulder, Males: 660 - 1760 pounds, Females: 330 - 660 pounds

Lifespan: 25 - 30 years in the wild, 45 years in zoos

Range/Habitat: Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia in tundra, arctic, open sea, coastline, sometimes shrubland.

Polar bear hair is actually clear hollow tubes filled with air to act as insulation and protection for the thick undercoat of fur. They also have a layer of blubber under their fur and hair that can be two to four inches thick.

These bears also have a great sense of smell. They can smell a seal on the ice from twenty miles away and can smell an air hole in the ice from up to one mile away. Polar bears can also smell a seal’s den under the snow and ice as it roams the barren landscape.

Conservation Concerns:

Polar bears are threatened by hunting, pollution, tourism, and loss of prey. As humans are increasingly captivated by the bears, they try to encroach on their habitat and the increase in tourism can have serious effects on the arctic ecosystem. Countries with native polar bear populations have made efforts to protect habitat and restrict bear hunting.