The Polar Bear is undoubtedly a majestic mammal-like animal that is currently in danger of becoming extinct, they are bears that have a lot of history to tell, so here we will offer you all the characteristics of the polar bear and more information that is relevant to you. Join us to learn more about this animal.
Origins of the Polar Bear
According to polar bear information from the Center for Biodiversity and Climate Change Research in Germany, it was determined that the Polar Bear has been inhabiting the earth for approximately 600.000 years. Enough time that has served him to adapt to the freezing climate of the Arctic.
Its origins are believed to date back to a race of bears with brown fur that existed on earth 166.000 years ago. However, the polar bear has been able to adapt to the tropical climate of some zoos, so it has been believed that at some point they were isolated in the Arctic.
This has been verified through various nuclear DNA studies that were carried out on 19 Polar Bear individuals, 7 black bear individuals and about 18 brown bear individuals. After knowing the results of this study it was possible to know that the Polar Bear and the brown bear have similarities in their past, there is talk of at least 600.000 years ago.
After knowing these results, it was possible to know that the origins of polar bears were older than what was really expected. Even knowing that the antiquity of these bears dates back to 600.000 years ago, it is thought that they did not adapt to their current habitat as quickly as everyone thinks.
For this reason, polar bears are currently so affected by climate change that they produce global warming caused by human beings, which makes endangered polar bears be a topic to talk about today.
Part of this damage is the melting of the glaciers, which causes the loss of its habitat and the next migration to places that are already occupied by human beings, which constitutes a limitation of animal survival for the polar bear.
What is a biosimilar
When talking about the Polar Bear, you have to know that it is a Mammal-type animal, which is known for its white fur, its flat head and its pointed snout. Basically it is a species that is part of the family of bears or ursids, its main habitat is the polar areas such as the Arctic.
According to polar bear description, it is known that it can also be known as "White Bear" and is part of the Carnivorous animals largest in the world, and in turn, the largest predator; This bear is recognized at the top level of the well-known food chain, nor does it have close predators in its natural habitat.
One of the characteristics of the polar bear is that they are plantigrade, that does not mean anything more than the total support of the sole of their paws when they walk on the surface; It also has a huge size, sharp claws, small eyes and quite dense fur which protects it from the freezing Arctic climate.
Polar bears generally inhabit the Northern Maritime Territories found in Canada, other Alaskan territories, Siberia, and Greenland. Because they can swim easily, they can feed on seals and different types of fish to survive.
In addition to finding food in the water, they use another ability, they can go to the bell of a mountain to be able to see more precisely the place where possible prey is found, in this sense they can also eat mammals such as reindeer.
Today, humans are the last living beings that polar bears would like to see, as they hunt them for their fur to make different types of fashion or decorative accessories.
Likewise, due to the loss of its habitats, it has emigrated to other parts of the world, for which it is often killed by locals or sport hunters to prevent them from attacking pets, or also to prevent them from continuing their passage through towns inhabited by Humans.
But aside from these facts, it is known that the greatest risk these bears have is the loss of their habitat as a result of global warming, the constant emissions of carbon dioxide produce alterations in the ecosystem that seriously affects this species of bears, even about to be in danger of extinction.
Characteristics of the Polar Bear
Among the characteristics of the polar bear, it is known that it is a very wild carnivorous animal, thanks to its fur it has been able to adapt to the extreme temperatures of its natural habitat, here we leave you what are the main characteristics that polar bears possess.
For many years it has been considered the top predator in the Arctic, it is a fairly strong carnivore which is above most animals in the food chain, having humans as its main predator. Thanks to the white color of its fur, it easily adapts to the environment in which it lives.
The meaning of its scientific name translates into "maritime bear", since it has incredible abilities and strategies in the water, where they spend a lot of time submerged in those almost frozen waters of the Arctic, the place where it is believed that they have lived for at least 120.000 years according to fossil studies that have been carried out.
Another characteristic that separates it from other bear species is its legs, since theirs are more developed and allow them to have a better grip on slippery ice and snow. Also, these bears have an extra layer of fat, which other species of bears do not have.
A curious fact about polar bears is that they have black fur, this helps them to better attract the sun's rays, which helps them keep heat in reserve when they are in the winter season.
As for the sizes of a polar bear, some of them can measure up to 2,5 meters when they stand on their two hind legs, reaching an approximate weight of up to 500 kg; on the other hand, females can measure up to 2 meters and weigh 250 kg.
Although females when they are pregnant can have a greater accumulation of fat on their bodies, this means that they can even reach the same weight as an average adult male.
Another of the special characteristics of the polar bear is the sole of its legs, which consist of thick black pads that have dermal protuberances, this element forms friction between the foot and the ice that prevents the animal from slipping when walking on it. the ice, on its legs there are also long hairs with the same function.
According to its physiognomy, the head of a polar bear is oblong, this translates into a long and less wide head, in addition to being proportionally small with its body. It has an elongated snout with an arched nose which is known as Roman, it is also black in color and noticeably wide.
Inside its powerful jaw it has a total of 42 teeth, which they use to tear the flesh of their prey and also to defend themselves. The teeth of polar bears make it easier for them to feed when their prey has tough skin.
A polar bear's teeth are known for having saw-shaped premolars and sharp molars that allow them to completely tear apart the meat they eat, then chew it with their powerful jaws. That is why these bears can swallow large pieces of meat without even finishing chewing them.
More of the characteristics of the polar bear is the color of the eyes, which is generally brown, these are located in the frontal region of its face. Motivated by the low temperatures they live in, they have smaller ears, which is favorable for maintaining their body heat. Unlike other bears, his tail is smaller.
His scientific name
On a scientific level, it was Constantine John Phipps who made a complete description for polar bears, taking them as if they were an individual species under the scientific name of "Ursus maritimus", motivated by the habitat in which this bear lives.
Skin
It is the impressive fur of a polar bear that helps it maintain its body temperature. Their hair can be completely white and also turn yellow on some occasions, reaching the point of looking light brown depending on what season they are in.
A bear's fur covers them completely, except for the lip and nose area. The thickness of a polar bear's fur is known to be between 3 and 5 cm. They also have a layer of wool that works as an insulator covered with strong shiny hairs. The upper layer of hair is up to 15 cm thick, in this way the bear protects itself.
The fur of the polar bear can be reflective, thanks to the oxidation caused by the sun's rays, resulting in a slightly more yellowish coat. The skin of a polar bear is known to have characteristics that make it drain off freezing water. These bears have a mechanism that protects them from ice in their fur, since when their fur is wet and exposed to the icy wind, ice ensues. Faced with this situation, polar bears do not compress when they are wet, this means that they can drain most of the water when they come out for a swim.
Not only do they have this mechanism to drain the water, but they also have oil in their thick fur, which helps them to make the water run better, the ice to break off and to dry quickly.
Each year, specifically in the month of May and/or June, polar bears have a period of shedding, in which all their fur completely regenerates. When they have this moment, it can last several weeks.
Habitat
Surely you have ever wondered Where does polar bears live?, and it is that they live in those regions of the planet where the temperature is below zero and practically impossible for human society to live. However, they can easily adapt thanks to their swimming experience and their thick layer of fat and fur.
According to the characteristics of the polar bear, it is known that it is capable of surviving practically anywhere that is totally isolated from human beings, as well as in places inhabited only by some tribes that make up colonies in unknown regions of the world.
Currently, polar bears have been observed in other parts of the world, they have usually appeared in Canada, in the town of St. James Bay due to its extreme weather. However, polar bears have many places to go when they decide to migrate, managing to see many species of polar bears in various parts of the world.
For this reason, it has been believed that the family of polar bears has grown in recent times, something that is totally appeased by the imminent danger caused by global warming and makes it part of the list of Species extinction.
Also, there are many species of polar bears that are located in environmental reserves and different types of zoos in various regions of the world. This implies that other characteristics of the polar bear is that it can adapt to captivity without much complication.
It is a topic that has been talked about with great modesty, since it is believed that these bears cannot be anywhere other than their natural habitat in sub-zero climates. The presence of this species in zoos with warm climates has shown that this can be possible without any problem.
An aspect that is also evident when they live in captivity is weight loss, this is because they do not require an alternative layer of fat to protect themselves from the cold, so that layer of fat that accumulates under their skin is gone. losing to being thinner than normal.
An important fact about polar bears is that they are practically immune to diseases and various types of viruses that affect the health of animal life; these have a life expectancy of at least 25 years, which differentiates it from other species that are also from the same family of the «Ursus», which die younger.
Another relevant aspect regarding the characteristics of the polar bear is that when the mating season arrives they fight to the death with other bears, many times the wounded bears end up dying in their natural habitat, since they become complicated and may not hunt to feed, as well as lose some of their teeth to eat. Their habitat is often seriously affected by oil spills caused by negligence or an accidental mishap, this causes the waters and ice to become impregnated with hydrocarbons, preventing them from getting adequate food to eat.
The females are very careful when it comes to finding a cave where they can give birth to their young and then take care of them, which is why their distribution is affected. They just want to find a place where their young are safe from any threat that threatens them. A female polar bear about to give birth strives to get an excellent habitat for her cubs, since this would be the place where she will stay for a few months once the little one is born.
If she has found a place where there is enough food for her and her offspring, but there is not enough security for them to live together peacefully, she will choose to continue on her way in search of a place that is more suitable for her coexistence.
The difficulty that the mother bear has to find a suitable place to live with her calf is a consequence of the actions of man at an environmental level, this causes a lot of stress to the animal in a state of gestation, since it needs to have a cave where it can rest and have your puppy quietly. A pregnant bear that is stressed is at a very bad time, since her calf can be born malnourished or in the worst case, die at birth.
Food
We know that one of the characteristics of the polar bear is its enormous size, so they need a diet that satisfies their hunger, it is not easy. Their general diet is based on some types of seals that live in the same habitat as the polar bear.
This has become their favorite food, motivated by the fact that seals and polar bears coexist both on land and in water, thus becoming an easy prey for these hungry bears. They feed on various types of seals, but the most favored species of polar bears are ringed seals and bearded seals.
Fortunately, the diversity of seals has always been constant in the Arctic and other areas where polar bears live, the only way to reduce their population is when they migrate to other places to find food during difficult times of the year. In that sense, polar bears will eat other types of food, such as fish.
The way polar bears hunt is based on patience, they prefer to wait for a seal to come out of the water for a moment and immediately jump after it, with their strong jaws they take them by the head and exert pressure to neutralize them, then use its powerful teeth to devour them. Considering their incredible ability to hunt on land, polar bears prefer to do so in the water, as they can more easily locate seals. And how more precisely do they attack the seals than with the element of surprise, the seals do not expect a polar bear to suddenly appear to hunt them down.
Bears very rarely come out of the water, as they are water lovers and love to be submerged in these frozen lakes of the Arctic and other regions with extreme weather
As they age and get older, polar bears vary their diet from eating seal meat to just the skin and blubber. The necessary nutrients from the meat are used by the youngest bears, which will help them to develop properly.
Not only the old bears do this, the mothers also have this consideration with the cubs when it's time to eat, she eats the skin of the seals while her young eat the meat of the same. The hygiene of the polar bear is great, since once it has finished eating it immediately goes to wash itself with water and snow. The reason for this is believed to be because of the seals' strong odor, bearing in mind that polar bears have a highly developed sense of smell and may be bothered by such a strong odor.
In addition to seals, polar bears also hunt walruses, these are larger, so they prefer to go for the younger walruses, as well as the older ones, since their mobility is more limited; Very rarely have they come to hunt whales, they usually eat the whale remains left by other predators.
One of the characteristics of the polar bear is that on some occasions it can be a scavenger, it has eaten decomposing meat without being affected thanks to the strength of its stomach. It is not so easy for them to hunt on land, so they go for weak, old or injured prey to make it easier to catch.
When the winter season arrives, food is scarce, for this reason polar bears have an internal mechanism that allows them to spend several months without eating. All this depends on how much fat they have accumulated in their body, since they cannot cross the ice cap to hunt seals. Some bears die in this situation.
A curious fact about this species is that when food is scarce and they are very hungry, they can eat their own species in order to survive, it is a cannibalistic action, however, nature is like that.
polar bear reproduction
Today there is too much information about the polar bear, although many important data are unknown that would offer a better perspective of how these animals can reproduce, taking into account that they are solitary animals and that they are only interested in having someone by their side when they arrive. the mating season.
In principle, what you should know is that the male bears begin a courtship towards the female, it is usually a fact that occurs when the month of April arrives until May. This means that they only mate once a year. But when there is another male near the female with the same intentions as the courting male, a conflict immediately ensues, both bears going to war using their huge jaws.
As a general rule, the winner will be able to mate with the female, since these polar bears have walked enormous distances to be able to reproduce. They are attracted to the females thanks to the scents that she gives off to let the male bears know that it is time to reproduce.
A confrontation between male bears can last for hours, sometimes they have a fatal outcome for both one and the other, some end up dying from their injuries and difficulties in hunting and/or feeding.
An adult male has better skills and abilities to fight another polar bear, many times Older males are usually more skilled in fighting and stronger, this makes younger males move away and let them be the ones mate with the female.
According to the physiognomy of polar bears, it has been seen that males have a greater proportion of hair in the area of the legs, something that a female does not have. Thanks to various studies, it has been shown that these hairs are quite attractive for a female bear.
On the other hand, it is also a way of knowing who to mate with, since the females notice this part of the bears leg, and depending on whether they like it or not, they can choose if that bear will be the lucky one to be the father. of their offspring.
According to various studies at the genetic level, it has been shown that the offspring can have different types of DNA, this implies that females can mate with one or more males if they wish. Basically the duration of the mating process with each of the male bears lasts one week.
In recent years it has been confirmed that polar bears have had occasions in which they mate with a brown bear, the mating process being successful. It is something that is clear from various studies carried out on some cubs that have characteristics similar to those of a brown bear, in addition to genetic tests.
A pregnant female bear is capable of increasing her weight from 180 to 220 kg above normal. Likewise, they begin to look for tunnels to make their temporary home while taking care of their young; she has her baby on the ground and then they go to the cave together. When it comes to hibernation, only the females do it, the rest don't.
The body temperature of a polar bear does not usually drop, which, unlike other bears, does happen. One of the characteristics of the polar bear is that their heart rate drops on some occasions when they are in hibernation. The birth of the puppies takes place between November and February, they arrive in the world with only 2 kg of weight, at the same time that they are strictly dependent on their mother to be able to live in the extreme conditions of their habitats. Between 1 or 2 puppies may be born and the mother must have a reserve of fat inside her to be able to take care of her puppies.
Likewise, this fat binds with the milk that the puppies drink, this makes them quickly reach a weight of up to 15 kg, this being the moment in which they leave the cave to begin learning to live with their mother outside.
A mother bear will give all the necessary love to her cubs, she will protect them from any threat until they are approximately 2 years old, however, many cubs usually die before they are even a year old, this is motivated by various threats such as bears males, wolves and other predators.
Gestation period
A calf lasts about 8 months gestating inside its mother, taking into account the late implantation process, which in other words means that it is when the fertilized egg proceeds to divide and becomes a ball of cells with a blastocyst thick, it floats in the uterus for at least 4 months.
Subsequently, this blastocyst continues to the next stage where it attaches to the walls of the uterus and from there continues its development as an embryo.
Thanks to the late implantation process, there is a guarantee that the puppy will be born in the corresponding months, only in this way can it be born healthy and without so many risks of dying, it also helps its mother to store the necessary fat to be able to feed them. their cubs, it is known that the embryonic development of this bear lasts 4 months.
polar bear danger
The polar bear is spoken of as one of the key pieces that derive directly from the national identity of Canada, but they are also considered a threat to various regions and places located in the north of this nation, this as a consequence of the climatic alteration that affects their habitat and have to migrate to other places.
Through various studies carried out by specialists in wildlife, specifically of polar bears; It is confirmed that these bears are generally dangerous when they come across human beings, basically their territoriality makes them aggressive, it is one of the characteristics of the polar bear.
Likewise, it has been proven that today more than 50 dangerous polar bears are slaughtered per year in the Arctic region of Canada, this because they are considered a threat to the human community that lives there, in addition to putting state assets at risk. and of people.
Polar bears are forced to go to other places, since global warming causes the iron in glaciers to melt, being the ice necessary for polar bears, since they use it as a means of hunting seals. For this reason, campaigns have been created Environmental awareness worldwide.
With the heat the ice breaks, in this way the bears do not get places to access to look for food, this makes them immediately move to other places, since, if a polar bear is not able to get food, it will end passing away.
Recent studies have confirmed another of the characteristics of the polar bear, this time bloodier; When polar bears cannot get food, they choose to slaughter younger bears in order to satisfy their hunger. This has been going on for 10 years and it results in cannibalism.
That said, Canada's polar bears, which make up 2/3 of the world's polar bear population, are known to be in danger from global warming, and even those species found on the shores of Hudson Bay are at risk. brink of extinction in subsequent years.
Today there is a situation active in the region of Manitoba and Ontario that is really worrying. Since the sea ice is progressively breaking up, this results in bears having a lower birth rate.
Curiosities
In addition to the characteristics of the polar bear, there are some data that are of great importance to know about these species, here we leave you some of the most relevant and that you surely did not know.
- Polar bears have an incredible sense of smell that allows them to sniff out their prey from more than 15 km away, thus hunting the precious seals they love so much.
- As was previously said, polar bears are magnificent swimmers, they can even swim more than 100 km from the shore they are on, towards the sea. The swimming speed they possess is close to 10 km/h, before which they make use of their legs similar to an oar and at least 30 cm wide.
- Taking into consideration that they are very agile for swimming, they do not have the same level of speed as a seal, so it is practically impossible for them to hunt them in full swim. For this reason they use the ice, it serves as a hunting platform, they wait near the holes in the ice where the seals come out to breathe; when one of them comes out, they are immediately taken by the bears to later eat them.
- Pregnant bears give birth specifically between the months of November or December, since they are the strongest winter months and they are protected by their environment. They give birth in caves previously adapted for temporary living. Their young are about 30 cm long and weigh about 2 kg.
- The most common habitat of polar bears is the icy mountains of the Arctic, which are located mainly in Norway, northern Canada and the highest areas of Alaska and Greenland.
- The characteristics of the polar bear in terms of measurements are: approximately 3 meters long, with a weight ranging from 500 to approximately 700 kg. Thanks to all this, they are considered the largest carnivorous animals in the world.
- Over the years, this species has managed to adapt perfectly to most of the environments to which it has had to migrate, part of this facility is due to its thick fur accompanied by the layer of fat that protects it from any extremely frozen environment. The black color of their skin under their fur helps them to better absorb the sun's rays to maintain an adequate body temperature.
- The mother with her calf leaves her cave when at least 5 months have passed since she gave birth. Later the cubs turn to her mother to teach them to hunt and adapt to the environment in which they find themselves.
- Polar bears, despite being considered aggressive, are vulnerable to the climate change they are going through. Motivated by the increase in temperature worldwide, the ice melts, in addition to slowing down the process of glacier formation with each passing year; this leaves polar bears without food until they die or decide to go elsewhere for food.
endangered polar bear
Polar bears are subdivided into 19 different species, of which at least 5 are in danger of disappearing, all this is due to the disappearance of their population that has emerged over the years, which if not resolved in time will cause the extinction of these polar bear species.
Also part of the problem is the indiscriminate hunting of this species, which has been plagued for decades. Previously, there was no law prohibiting the hunting of polar bears, so many hunters killed them to use their fur as coats or trade them in exotic markets.
The other species of polar bears, at least 5 still have a margin of life, there are even a couple of species that have managed to increase their population over time. However, there is no specific data on the other species of polar bears that are endangered or not.
Many believe that in a span of 45 years polar bears could reduce their population by 30% if the warnings made to avoid global warming are ignored, there is still time to save this species.
Due to the above, it is known that various government entities of Arctic countries have taken measures to minimize the hunting of polar bears that are in danger of extinction. Similarly, there are many hunters who are dedicated to the illegal killing of these species.
The laws for the protection of these species are often violated, since it has not been created with the force of punishing hunters with a considerable penalty, causing many to ignore it. There are those who kill polar bears because they consider them a latent threat that could attack sooner or later.
Although the encounters between a polar bear and a person end with the death of one of the 2, in general, the bears are the ones who persecute human beings, they come to their communities in search of food, but really the bears are the ones who flee of humans as they consider them a threat. They only go to human territory when they are in dire need motivated by the hunger that plagues them, that is when the locals see them as threats and kill them.
Environmental pollution is a factor that involves various Types of environmental impact produced by various insecticides. Another important fact is that the fat of the seals is toxic, affecting their health in great proportion. Also, heavy metals in the bear's habitat is a threat.
As a consequence of the above, according to the characteristics of the polar bear, many bears can have spontaneous abortions of their young, or they can be born with a lower weight than normal, which would be lethal to be able to adapt to the cold of the Arctic. . That is why at present the reproduction of polar bears has not increased.
As we have commented throughout this article, the main threat of polar bears is global warming, in order to reduce this, it is necessary to change considerably the habits of human beings, in this way the levels of carbon dioxide emission would be reduced. carbon that cause climate change.
According to the variable distribution of polar bears worldwide, it could be confirmed that in some places they are becoming extinct faster than in other places, and on the other hand there are also population increases, however, it is not a remarkable increase with which the species can be saved from extinction.
Although various characteristics of the polar bear are known, there are no precise data on various species of polar bears that are not yet fully known, a way has been sought to learn a little more about the reasons for their deaths, since that is how could deal with the problem with better results.
More than 10 years ago, placing us in the year 2008, various species of polar bears have become part of the American list of Endangered Species, since there are data that confirm the presence of no more than 25.000 polar bears in the entire planet. . However, exact figures are not known, due to the variation in their habitats.
What are the differences between a brown bear and a polar bear?
There were times when people began to believe that polar bears were direct relatives of brown bears, with the difference that they had white fur and palm-shaped feet, it was a type of evolution that would have resulted from at least 150.000 years.
But, on the other hand, scientific research has produced an impressive result; It has been confirmed that polar and brown bears have a direct ancestor, which existed from around 600.000 years ago. This was learned through a DNA study carried out on brown bears, polar bears and black bears.
According to previous estimates on the ancestry of the Polar Bear, through mitochondrial DNA analysis, which gives an incomplete version of the evolution since it only occurs in females. While this new study analyzed 14 stretches of nuclear DNA, which were extracted from both parents, offering a more precise result.
The scientific studies were carried out by the Biodiversity and Climate Research Center in Frankfurt, a study center located in Germany, which were able to show that polar bears are older than is believed; They were also able to determine that brown bears and polar bears maintain a different lineage.
Despite being bears known worldwide, it has not been possible to establish fossil studies of them, motivated by the fact that they live in waters that are frozen, and it is not very easy to obtain the remains of any of them in order to advance studies. scientists. It is for this reason that little is known about the characteristics of the polar bear.
What is true is that polar bears and brown bears are very similar to each other, although they have different fur, that of brown bears is brown, similar to the color of a tree, and the polar bear has a color that camouflages itself with arctic white. Likewise, brown bears are known to have their habitat in forests and in regions where there are mountains.
One of the essential differences of these bears is their legs, since the Polar Bear has legs that resemble a palm, developed especially for swimming, while a brown bear, living in mountainous regions where there are only rivers, did not have the need to develop webbed feet.
The fur of a brown bear is quite long, as it allows it to stop the release of heat that its body secretes, since, although it is true that the brown bear does not live in the Arctic under freezing temperatures, the climate in the mountains it's cold, so you need to have a proper body temperature.
Other similarities that exist between a Polar bear and a brown bear is the area of the shape of their ears, which are similar because they are quite short, their snout is usually very similar due to their size. As for their body, they also have equalities, since they basically have the same shape and texture.
Even knowing that these bears are very similar, it must be recognized that their lineages are very distant and do not have equality, in addition to the fact that each one is adapted to their particular habitats, neither could survive in the other's habitat, since one is very cold for the brown bear, and the other very hot for the polar bear.
Polar Bear Threats
Since the first Eskimos began to emerge on earth, they chose to hunt polar bears that were found in various places in the arctic, since they consumed their meat and used their skins to protect themselves from the cold. One of the things that they avoided eating was the liver, since it has high levels of retinol, a dangerous substance for consumption.
Later, when the colonizers from Europe arrived in those lands, they also proceeded to murder them as a sport, in this way they would keep them away from the places where they had conquered. Very few bears attacked humans, when they did it was because they were already injured by humans.
The polar bear population has had a considerable reduction through all these years, they are usually hunted from boats, planes and helicopters. As a consequence of this, today they are in danger of extinction; the Russian and Norwegian government chose to enact laws to protect them.
In Canada the activity was regulated, although it is legal to hunt a certain amount of them.
Likewise, for the year in 2010 the American and Russian governments authorized the indigenous people to hunt no more than 29 polar bears per year, which Russia would later revoke and completely prohibit the hunting of polar bears in that nation. one of the things that they also punish is the use of poison to intoxicate the bears and then take them.
There is no predator that feeds on polar bears, the only ones that can hurt them are human beings using their weapons, and walruses that can hurt a polar bear with their fangs.
Another of the threats that are currently added to polar bears is the contamination of the ice and the atmosphere, since the sun's rays melt the ice in their ecosystem, seriously affecting it.
The constant melting of the ice in the areas inhabited by polar bears forces them to migrate to other places without having properly loaded with the necessary fat to spend the winter. In female bears this is a fatal fact, since by not having the necessary fat in their body they lose the ability to procreate.
The reason for this is that the fat of the mothers is combined with the milk that they give to their puppies, in this way they have a rapid growth and are better protected from the frozen climate they inhabit, but in the absence of it, the rate of polar bear births has progressively dropped over the years.
Polar bear encounter with humans
Motivated by climate change that has been plaguing them for many years, polar bears have had to expand their horizons to other places, but when they reach other communities that are already inhabited by humans, the conflict begins. Human beings generally attack polar bears as a threat, drastically reducing the global population of polar bears.
industry impact
The industrial equipment in the Arctic is developed in the small expanses of space that arise between the ice when the summer arrives, since the sea ice clears the place a little and becomes a great opportunity for the maritime industry; This results in serious impacts that affect the ecosystem, and consequently, the polar bears.
It has been shown that the development of the industry in the Arctic will emerge over the years, which in a nutshell means that the habitat of this species will be even more degraded than it is, among the effects that this causes are:
Hydrocarbon poisoning; polar bears could come into contact with the spilled oil, causing illnesses that lead to death.
In addition to this, the oil spills would turn the food of the polar bears into poison, so they could not eat them.
The oil that has been spilled in the waters of the Arctic is not only prevalent in these areas, since it spreads and contaminates large areas of the ocean.
Regarding the transport of various cargoes by means of the sea, it is a great risk for the ecosystem of polar bears, since it is a latent fact that there is an oil spill in these waters, likewise, the sound and vibrations of large ships stress polar bears and prevent them from reproducing normally.
protection of polar bears
Currently there are various means of protection for polar bears, this through exhaustive monitoring in the Arctic. But despite this, there are unprotected places that are used by hunters to kill polar bears indiscriminately.
Sociable polar bears
One of the characteristics of the polar bear is that it is a fairly solitary species, it is not interested in being close to any other bear, both male and female, except when they are in mating season, but apart from that particular moment, these bears usually be friendly under these conditions:
- When there is food involved and two bears meet, first the weaker bear will carefully surround the stronger bear and they proceed to touch noses, this is a kind of "permission" to be able to approach the other's food. Usually the dominant bear is kind and allows you to eat his food.
- In addition to when they are in mating season, when two bears cross paths and meet face to face, they are not usually aggressive, on the contrary, they begin to play and have fun in the snow, even sleeping together one night.
- Among the characteristics of the polar bear, the protection of its young stands out, because in the presence of an unknown bear in the territory of a mother with her cub, she lowers her head and gives warnings to the bear so that it is clear that You are invited to come closer.