Polar bear is also called arctic bear or white bear. Polar bear viewing in arctic national wildlife refuge u. The guide provides fun polar bear facts, why they matter, what threats they face, what wwf is doing to help polar bears and the arctic, and what kids can do. In 2008, the polar bear became the first vertebrate species to be listed under the u. Polar bears are native to the icy cold water of the arctic ocean and its surrounding areas.
Bear facts for kids facts about black bears black bears can smell and hear very well. The sea ice provides a platform from which polar bears can hunt. However, due to their wide distribution and the fact that they are often in. Staple the pages together, then read and color the pages and answer the questions. Polar bears have enormous paws which help them to swim paddle and walk on snow and ice like snowshoes. Here at national geographic kids were heading north far north. Polar bears are similar in size to a normal bear but have a slimmer neck, longer legs. Feeding habits because the polar bear rarely eats vegetation, it is considered a carnivore, or meateater. Polar bear activities, crafts, lessons, and printables. Underneath the fur, a polar bear s skin is actually black the black skin soaks up the suns heat and helps them stay warm. Polar bears have black skin and although their fur appears white, it is actually transparent. One of the surprising facts about polar bear is that the polar bear is related to the brown bear. Polar bear and arctic preschool and kindergarten activities, crafts, games, and printables. The polar bear is the largest predator that lives on land.
The fat on a polar bears body can become two to three inches thick. Size black bears are the largest land mammal in new jersey. Endangered species act as threatened due to predicted climate change. Polar bear endangered polar bear facts and information. Polar bears are some of the most majestic, beautiful, and dangerous creatures on earth. Its long body, neck and skull distinguish it from other types of bears. It has no natural predators and knows no fear of humans, making it an extremely dangerous animal. Polar bear, great white northern bear found throughout the arctic region. Each of these countries either banned hunting or established rules for how many polar bears could be hunted within its own boundaries. This means their bodies have changed to help them stay warm.
The polar bear rivals the kodiak bear as the largest fourfooted carnivore on earth and can live up to 25 years. Polar bear facts churchill wildlife guide one of the most remarkable places to view polar bears in the wild is along hudson bays western shore. These adaptations help the polar bear from slipping on ice. Today, over 40 percent of polar bears living on pack ice and along shores of the various island of northern canada. Facts about black bears black bears can smell and hear very well. Polar bear facts for kids is a collection of some of the most amazing and interesting facts about polar bears. It is estimated that there arent more than 25,000 polar bears remaining in the world. The polar bear is often regarded as a marine mammal because it spends many months of the year at sea. Polar bear facts for kids learn all about polar bears.
The hairs dont mat when wet, allowing the polar bears to easily shake free of water and any ice that may form after swimming. Underlying it all is a call for immediate action, which can still save this magnificent creature of the arctic. Polar bear quiz answer questions about polar bears. All about polar bears the polar bear is one of eight bear species. Polar bears ursus maritimus are one of 4 marine mammal species managed by the u. Brown bears hibernate during the winter for 58 months, depending on the location, and usually dig their dens on northfacing slopes to ensure good snow cover. Polar bears live along shores and on sea ice in the icy cold arctic. The polar bear is the worlds largest terrestrial carnivore, but its latin name ursus maritimusreflects the fact that it spends most of its life at sea.
However, polar bears have evolved a set of special traits for hunting and surviving in the cold northernmost regions of earth. The secretary of interior listed the polar bear as threatened but restricted the endangered species acts protections, and thus the polar. Tingly facts about polar bear that kids will love to read about. Polar bear fur is made up of a layer of dense underfur and an outer layer of guard hairs, which appear white to tan but are actually translucent. Nov 20, 2019 polar bear facts activity for kids free printable. Perfectly at home in one of the worlds most forbidding environments, most polar bears drift along the arctic on large chunks of. Summer declines in activity and body temperature offer polar bears limited energy savings. The bears stark white coat provides camouflage in surrounding snow and ice. Polar bears are large animals that need to eat a lot of food to survive.
The polar bear ursus maritimus is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the arctic circle, encompassing the arctic ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. But a momtobe really needs to chow down and fatten up before winter. Maps, tables, graphs, and the most diverse collection of polar bear photographs ever assembled in a single blog provide greater insight into this unique mammal. Polar bear additional resources, alaska department of fish. All polar bears have fat under their fur and fur on the bottom of their paws, so they wont slip on the ice. Diet seals are the mainstay of the polar bear diet. Fur and skin polar bears have thick insulating fur and blubber. But under their fur, polar bears have black skinthe better to soak in the suns warming rays. The scientific name for the polar bear is ursus maritimus, which means sea bear in latin.
It is the only bear that is considered a marine mammal because it depends upon the marine environment for survival. Hudson bay is an expansive body of water, nearly double the size of texas, spanning 850 miles from north to south and 650 miles east to west. It is a large bear, approximately the same size as the omnivorous kodiak bear ursus arctos middendorffi. A breakdown of everything you need to know about polar bear living. Safety in polar bear country parks canada pdf 1,057 kb traveling safely along the northeast. The polar bear is adapted to life in the extremes of the arctic. The polar bear or the seaice bear are the worlds largest land predators. Adult female bears, called sows, weigh about 175 pounds. A boar adult male weighs around 350700 kg 7721,543 lb, while a.
Male bears are larger than females and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds. Reproduction polar bear cubs are usually born as twins. In the spring, bears usually range at lower elevations and go to higher altitudes for winter hibernation. Tingly facts about polar bear that kids will love to read. If using the html files, to get back to this page from a printout, just click on the picture. The parts of the world where a polar climate exists include canada, siberia, and antarctica. Polar bears are similar in size to a normal bear but have a slimmer neck, longer legs and fur. When a seal pops up to breathe, a waiting bear may grab it and drag it onto the ice for a meal. Print out the following to make a short book about polar bears. Phipps 1774 first described the polar bear as a species distinct. Polar bears are in serious danger of going extinct due to climate change.
Polar bear facts for kids interesting facts about polar. Fur covers most of the paw helping to increase grip on snow and ice. It also includes a fun polar bear word puzzle to do with your students. Black and grizzly bears, unlike polar bears, are true hibernators. Polar bears live between 20 to 35 years in the wild and up to 40 years in captivity. Polar bears have a layer of blubber beneath their skin that is 26 inches thick.
Except for one subspecies of grizzly bear, the polar bear is the largest and most powerful carnivore on land. It is the largest carnivore meat eater that lives on land. Polar bear cubs remain with their mother for 214 years. Its latin name is ursus maritimus, which means sea bear.
The bear spends more than half of its life in water which is why it is also called marine mammal. The polar bear ursus maritimus is the largest terrestrial carnivore in the world. For more facts on these formidable animals, keep reading below or download the comprehensive worksheet collection to use within the homeschooling or classroom environment the polar bear is a large white bear found in the arctic. Polar bear hibernation does not occur like black bear or grizzly bear hibernation. Although the polar bears coat appears white, each individual hair is actually a clear hollow tube that channels the suns energy directly to the bears skin and helps it stay warm. The polar bear ursus maritimus introduction polar bears. Today, there are an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears living worldwide. Female polar bears prepare large dens on the mainland or on sea ice where. Cover polar bear kwl fun polar bear facts page to use a a resource eat, can, have can, have, are can, live, eat 2 different printable options for the facts option 1. The polar bear is the youngest of the eight bear species. Scientists believe that the polar bear evolved about 200,000 years ago from brown bear ancestors. So polar bears prowl the edges of the ice that forms on the arctic sea each fall. On the other hand, female polar bears usually only weigh about half as much as males.
The weather is extremely cold for most of the year. The polar bears latin name, ursus maritimus, means sea bear. Pdf the polar bear is, on average, the largest of the eight species of bears found worldwide and. They just enter into a specialized winter dormancy. When sea ice forms over the ocean in cold weather, many polar bears, except pregnant females, head out onto the ice to hunt seals. Polar bears often rest silently at a seals breathing hole in the ice, waiting for a seal in the water to surface. Polar bears probably do not hibernate in a way they do.
Come learn about what polar bears like to eat, why they eat so much and some other interesting facts about their diet. Black bears can run 35 miles per hour and can live for more than 25 years. Common animals that live here are polar bears, arctic foxes and arctic wolves, seals, and small rodents. Sadly the polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species. The polar bears main habitat is on along costs, shore side pack ice, and island of the arctic region. Grizzly bears need a very large home range 50 to 300 square miles for females. Sea ice acts as a hunting, breeding and movement platform for polar bears, and is central to the entire arctic marine. The usgs alaska science center leads longterm research on polar bears to inform local, state, national and international policy makers regarding conservation of the species and its habitat. In late 2008 the polar bear was officially added to the united states list of endangered species. Alaska, canada, russia, denmark greenland, and norway.
413 1301 1674 1657 985 83 370 650 1486 359 1120 1655 1401 1288 1242 1559 1211 1615 460 1096 536 315 132 1188 585 881 1270 1062 751 507 980