12 Essential Facts You Need to Know About Polar Bears

Polar bears are quickly recognizable by their distinct white fur. However, their fur is not truly white but rather transparent and hollow, similar to human white hair. Under ultraviolet light, the fur appears black. To most animals and humans that see regular light, their fur blends seamlessly with the snowy environment. Reindeer, which can see ultraviolet light, are able to distinguish this unique feature of polar bears.

In addition to their camouflaging and waterproof fur, polar bears have a thick layer of fat, up to 10 cm deep, that keeps them warm even in temperatures as low as -40°C. They lack eyelashes, as they could freeze in sub-zero conditions. Instead, they have a third eyelid, similar to cats, to protect their eyes from snow and ice glare. Polar bears are also highly insulated from heat; when temperatures rise above 10°C (50°F), their insulation works so well that infrared cameras cannot detect them. Only their paws emit enough heat to be visible.

Polar bears inhabit the vast ice sheets that encircle the Arctic. They are commonly found along the edges of ice floes, near stretches of open water, and in areas rich with seals, their primary source of food.

These bears spend much of their time roaming across the ice. To shield themselves from severe snowstorms, they dig temporary dens. Typically, only pregnant females hibernate, but in regions where winters are harsher and food is scarcer, all polar bears may enter a state of dormancy.

While in hibernation, polar bears don’t fall into a deep sleep like ground squirrels or woodchucks. Their heart rate slows from 70 beats per minute to 8 beats per minute, but their body temperature remains stable. Even in this dormant state, they can awaken easily. Inside their dens, they do not eat and survive solely on their body fat, refraining from any waste elimination during this time.

The primary diet of polar bears consists of seals; without this essential prey, their survival would be difficult. In the spring, they hunt newborn ringed seals, and in the summer, they target bearded seals and hooded seals. Polar bears are very selective eaters. When they feed, they peel the skin off the seals and typically consume only the fat beneath the skin and the internal organs. They only eat the entire carcass when they are extremely hungry. Other prey includes white whales, walruses, and rodents. As strict carnivores, polar bears ingest large amounts of vitamin A, which is stored in their liver. In the past, humans have suffered from poisoning after consuming polar bear liver.

In the summer, when seals are harder to find, polar bears become more opportunistic. They will eat almost anything they can find. They search along rocky cliffs for eggs and fallen chicks, and even eat lemming rodents, blueberries, sour strawberries, and sometimes withered grass, seaweed, and marine algae.

Polar bears are the most specialized members of the bear family when it comes to hunting, especially considering their carnivorous nature. They are excellent swimmers and often travel miles out to sea, which suggests their adaptation to aquatic environments for hunting. They are also highly effective hunters on land, thanks to their speed, which allows them to run faster than humans.

When hunting, polar bears move quietly across the snow, keeping their heads low. Using their strong hind legs, they propel themselves forward and, when they are about a meter away from their prey, they strike swiftly and kill it.

While hunting seals, polar bears gently slide into the water with their hind legs first. As they approach their prey, they dive down and suddenly leap up, surprising the seal and preventing it from escaping. Sometimes, they patiently wait near breathing holes in the ice, ready to grab the seal as it surfaces to breathe.

If a polar bear goes without food for 7-10 days, it can slow down its metabolism to survive until it finds its next meal. Seals are the primary food source for polar bears, and researchers have found that climate change is making these food sources more scarce, which may lead polar bears to become more aggressive and potentially attack humans.

Although polar bears do not hibernate, female bears who are raising cubs in dens, typically from January to March, do not eat, drink, or even urinate during this period.

Unlike brown bears, polar bears are not territorial animals. Although they are often portrayed as aggressive, polar bears are actually quite cautious and tend to flee rather than confront threats. When they are well-fed, they rarely attack humans unless provoked. However, due to their limited interaction with humans, hungry polar bears may attack and eat people. Fortunately, as the human population in the Arctic is small, encounters with polar bears are relatively rare.

Female polar bears often dig deep dens in the snow to shelter from extreme cold and blizzards. They typically give birth to twins during the winter and their cubs stay with them for about 28 months to learn survival skills. Unlike male polar bears, which offer no help to their mates, females care for and protect their young. In fact, males have been known to kill their own cubs. Despite their cute appearance, these animals are powerful predators who are often unafraid of humans. This poses a significant threat to local populations. Polar bears are attracted to the scent of human garbage and may approach residential areas in search of food.

Polar bear females typically reach sexual maturity at 4 to 5 years old, while males must wait until they are at least 8 years old. Breeding season occurs in April, May, and June, with a relatively long gestation period lasting from 195 to 265 days.

In the fall, pregnant females move inland, dig dens, and prepare for childbirth. Cubs are born in December or January, usually twins, although triplets are extremely rare. At birth, the cubs weigh only 600-700 grams and are blind. They grow rapidly, feeding on their mother's milk, which is rich in vitamin A. At 26 days old, they can hear, but their eyes won't open until about a week later.

By early March, the mother and her cubs leave the den, with the cubs now weighing between 9 and 11 kg. During their first year, the cubs are completely dependent on their mother and would not survive without her care. They nurse until they are 21 months old and stay with their mother until the end of their second winter. During this time, their milk teeth are replaced by permanent teeth, preparing them for hunting in the following spring. As they grow, the cubs learn essential hunting skills from their mother and eventually become independent.

For thousands of years, the Eskimo people and polar bears have shared the same environment. Historically, they believed that polar bears possessed mystical powers, and to harness these powers, many wore polar bear teeth as necklaces. Polar bear pelts have always been valuable, and even today, Eskimos use the fur for making gloves, boots, and clothing. They also use the hides as mats for sitting or sleeping, and the oil from the fur is used to lubricate the runners of sleds. Some people even feed their sled dogs with polar bear meat.

Early explorers and whale hunters hunted polar bears for their skins and meat. In Europe, polar bear pelts were used as rugs, and they were sold for high prices to be used as altar coverings or for the podiums where priests stood to keep warm.

The human presence has rapidly reduced the number of polar bears. In 1965, nations bordering the Arctic held a conference and agreed on the importance of protecting polar bears, banning the hunting of females with cubs.

Today, polar bears are considered endangered, not primarily due to hunting, but because of habitat loss caused by global warming. For example, in northern Canada, winter sea ice cover has shrunk, limiting the polar bears' ability to hunt seals. The impact of global temperature rise on polar bear survival rates was documented through data showing a population increase among bears born after the brief cooling following the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. However, from 1995 to 2005, the population surged by an unprecedented 15-25%. The decline in some areas is likely due more to hunting than climate change.

The development of offshore oil drilling has also affected polar bears. Oil spills have killed many seals, their primary food source, which directly impacts the polar bears. Additionally, polar bears rely on ice-covered seas for hunting and living, but global warming is melting the ice and threatening their habitat. Experts predict that by 2050, two-thirds of the polar bear population could disappear. In May 2008, the U.S. classified polar bears as a threatened species, and they are of particular concern in Canada and Russia.

Polar bears are large mammals belonging to the Carnivora order. They inhabit regions near the Arctic Circle, found around the Arctic Ocean, and are the largest land-dwelling carnivores.

In the Arctic, you may encounter polar bears roaming across thick ice sheets or swimming in the coastal waters. Their large front paws are webbed, making them exceptional swimmers capable of covering vast distances, sometimes hundreds of kilometers away from shore.

Polar bears are spread across the territories of five different countries: Alaska (USA), Canada, Greenland, Norway’s Svalbard, and Russia. The estimated population of polar bears ranges between 16,000 to 35,000, with around 60% of them residing in Canada.

Polar bears embody the harsh life of the Arctic, but in terms of evolution, they are a relatively recent species. Between 50,000 to 100,000 years ago, a race for survival took place among bears adapting to the extreme conditions of the Arctic. During this process, they underwent significant evolutionary changes.

An adult male polar bear weighs between 350 to 540 kg, with some individuals reaching over 800 kg. Females are about half the size of males, typically weighing 200 to 300 kg. Adult males typically grow to lengths of 2.4 to 2.6 meters, while females are slightly shorter at 1.9 to 2.1 meters. The largest recorded polar bear weighed 1,002 kg and stood at 3.39 meters tall.

Polar bears are a prime example of an animal perfectly adapted to its environment. They are easily recognized by their white fur, but unlike other mammals in the Arctic, they never shed their fur to darken in the summer months. Their fur is not actually white but colorless and hollow, similar to human white hair.

An interesting feature of polar bear fur is that it appears black when photographed under ultraviolet light. Some believe this is because the fur transmits light to the bear's black skin, helping it stay warm in the sunless, frigid winters. However, studies show that their fur strongly absorbs ultraviolet and violet rays, which explains why their skin typically appears yellow. Occasionally, polar bears may have different fur colors.

In February 2004, two polar bears at the Singapore Zoo developed green fur due to algae growing in the hollow hairs, a result of the humid, warm conditions. They were later treated with a peroxide solution to restore their original fur color. A similar occurrence took place in 1979 at the San Diego Zoo, where three polar bears also developed algae-covered fur and were treated with a saline solution.