Polar bears

         

         A hungry polar bear comes out of its den into the cold wind and blowing snow. It runs on the thick ice until it reaches the water. Splash! The bear dives into the ice water for a long, cold swim. It swims with only its nose showing.

How do polar bears swim so comfortably in icy water?

How do they run so easily on frozen land?

Polar bears live in the Arctic. The Arctic is the area of the earth that surrounds the North Pole. Part of the Arctic is land. Part of it is water. For more than half of the year, much of the Arctic is frozen.

       Animals that live in this cold, harsh place need ways to keep warm and safe. Polar bears have thick fur that keeps them warm, even during the cold, Arctic winter. Polar bears get most of their food from the water. They have sharp claws and teeth for catching seals, walruses, seabirds and fish. They hunt seals at holes in the ice where the seals come up for air. Polar bears must go from place to place to follow their prey. Sometimes they travel many miles by swimming in the water or riding on a big chunk of ice.

         If polar bears cannot find food in the water, they hunt on land. Polar bears have thick pads and fur on their feet to help them walk or run on slippery ice and snow. The land animals they hunt include large animal, such as reindeer and musk oxen, and small animals such as lemmings. Polar bears can smell animals from up to ten miles away. They can even smell animal’s homes that are buried under snow and ice.

         Polar bears do not usually eat plants. But they will eat almost anything if they are hungry, even common Arctic plants such as grasses, mosses and shrubs. When a polar bear is swimming in the water it looks almost like a chunk of ice! It might hide on real piece of floating ice and sneak up on a walrus or seals. A polar bear’s long neck and narrow skull aid in streamlining the animals in water, and their flat and oar-like front feet make them strong swimmers. Their fur is thicker than any other bears even it covers their feet, for warmth.

         Today, 25,000 to 40,000 polar bears are found in the Arctic area. Canada, Russia, Denmark and Norway. In the wild polar bears live up to age 25 all polar bears are left handed.

      Polar bears are huge animal. Many polar bears grow to a length of nine feet. They can weigh up to 1600 ponds. They are so strong that they can kill a seal with one swipe of a paw.  It is very dangerous for a person to get close to a polar bear. So how do scientists get close enough to polar bears to study them? One way is by watching them through a powerful telescope or binoculars. From the top of high cliff, scientists will often watch a mother polar bear teach her cubs to hunt seals at an ice hole. When polar bears are walking on the ice, scientists can use an underwater microphone to bring the sound of the bear closer.