About This Animal

1. Big Bears: Polar bears are the largest land carnivores. Male polar bears can weigh up to 1,500 pounds!
2. White Fur: Polar bears have white fur that helps them blend into their snowy and icy surroundings, but their skin underneath is actually black.
3. Good Swimmers: They are excellent swimmers and can swim for long distances at a time. Some have been known to swim over 60 miles without stopping!
4. Cold Homes: Polar bears live in the Arctic, near the North Pole. They are specially adapted to survive in frigid temperatures.
5. Seal Diet: They primarily eat seals. Polar bears wait by holes in the ice to catch seals when they come up for air.
6. Thick Fur and Fat: They have thick fur and a layer of fat called blubber that keeps them warm in the freezing Arctic weather.
7. Strong Sense of Smell: Polar bears have an incredible sense of smell and can detect a seal nearly a mile away and under several feet of compacted snow.
8. Paws for Snow and Swimming: Their large, powerful paws are great for swimming and walking on ice. The paws are covered with fur to keep them warm and provide traction on the ice.
9. Cub Care: Mother polar bears give birth to cubs in dens made of snow. The cubs stay with their mother for about two and a half years, learning how to hunt and survive.
10. Solitary Animals: Polar bears are generally solitary and prefer to live alone, except during mating season or when a mother raises her cubs.

These fascinating creatures are important to their Arctic ecosystem and symbolize climate change's effects on wildlife.