Polar bears look like a white mammoth-sized animal that navigates through the Arctic sea ice whilst camouflaging into the Arctic snowy background. Polar bears are remarkable species and quite many aspects of white bears justify a detailed description perhaps rightfully. Andrew Derocher, a leading polar bear researcher, says that if you’re searching a polar bear in the Arctic look for the yellowish white object, preferably one that is moving. In this article we are going to discuss what do polar bears look like in the wild habitat.
Polar bear fur isn’t actually white. It is pale yellow in color which is precisely due to lack of a pigment. If you take a fur snippet you’ll notice that it appears like glistening glass fibers. That means that the polar bear fur aren’t white at all, they just look like one.
Polar bear furs are transparent. They reflect light. Thus, if you observe a polar bear during sunset it’ll probably look orange-red in appearance rather than white.
Polar bear is a big bear by any standards. The weight of an adult male is estimated at 1760 lbs (800 kg). They grow up to a length of 8.3 feet (253 cm).
Female polar bear weighs over 990 lbs (450 kg) and it averages up to 7 feet (214 cm) in the overall length.
According to polar bear hunters, there are 10 to 12-foot bears inhabiting the wild but they are not really confirmed.
The largest polar bear has the shoulder height of about 133 cm (4 ft 4 in). The evidence suggests that the biggest polar bear weighs over 2,200 pounds.
Yes, polar bears have tail but it is probably not as noticeable as bear’s other parts. The bear tail measures around 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) in length.
Scientists do not know however what function does polar bear’s tail serve apart from keeping the bear’s rear warm.
Andrew Derocher claims that he has seen quite many polar bears that have long tails.
When the bear defecates, the tail opens up just like a trap door.
Polar bears have short sturdy legs which are all covered with dense fur.
They have unusually wide paws. Bear’s furs are also found underneath its paws to protect her from cold during long walks. The pads of the paws provide polar bears with traction and grip on the ice.
The 30-cm-wide feet distribute the polar bear weight over the sea ice.
Polar bears have got quite many adaptations to survive in the Arctic. They can swim great distances; they can run pretty fast, they can tolerate the frigid Arctic weather—but the question here is; can polar bears really climb trees just like black bears, giant panda, or even koalas. It’s a question that demands a little explanation. Well, first you must know that the Arctic is a treeless land. There are some plants that grow in summer, but the land is almost exclusively free of trees.
Can Polar Bears Climb Trees?
Polar bears cannot climb trees for they are probably too heavy to lift their weight up into the trees. Besides, unlike American black bears or giant pandas the polar bear’s claws are not really adapted to climbing. The black bear’s claws aren’t only relatively short, they are rounded too. It becomes generally comfortable for a bear to climb with rounded claws. Although the polar bear’s claws resemble American black bear’s, they are not really curved (like black bear’s claws) which would otherwise aid polar bears in climbing. No polar bear let alone adult bear has ever been noticed climbing trees.
And so, American black bears are expert climbers. It comes in handy for them because by doing so they can protect themselves from potential predators. Even polar bear’s closest cousins, grizzlies have evolved to get up into the trees—perhaps not as quickly as others do. Nonetheless, grizzles do not often climb trees.
Polar bears don’t have the climbing abilities—there’s no doubt about that. American black bears are specialist climbers. They will climb either to purse prey into the trees or avoid from becoming one. Black bears also climb in order to hibernate. Polar bears, on the other hand, do none of these. They neither rely on arboreal species, nor do they hibernate in trees—in fact they don’t hibernate at all. Furthermore, polar bears do not need to climb to escape predators. They are at the top of food chain in the Arctic. Therefore, it is logical to assume that polar bears’ inability to climb doesn’t in any way affect their lifestyle. Polar bears are way different from koalas, giant pandas, or even American black bears in their behavioral adaptations.
Polar bears inhabit one of the coldest places on earth where the average temperature for the warmest month (July) drops down to 10 °C (50 °F). Arctic occurs at the northernmost part of the planet. During winter, alongside high winds, the temperature drops down to −40 °C (−40 °F) with the maximum lowest temperature recorded at −68 °C (−90 °F). So, how can polar bears live in warm weather?
Can Polar Bears Survive in the Heat?
No, definitely not! Polar bears have quite many adaptations to survive in extreme cold weather. They cannot survive in warm weather—not even for one day. Polar bears will probably die in minutes if they are bred in warm habitats. Furthermore, polar bears can sometimes get overheated even in Arctic weather if they run for a few minutes continuously. That is why they give up in most chases as the heat inside their body gets entrapped. Now let us study why can’t polar bears live in heat?
Polar bears have Thick Fur
Polar bears are perfectly insulated with dense white fur. The bear’s fur has two layers. The guard hairs and the dense underfur both of which keep the bear safe even in Arctic chilling weather. If somehow polar bears are transported to warm countries, they might not be able to survive the heat precisely due to their thick coat.
Polar Bear Habitat Characteristics
The sea ice and water are the essential characteristics of a polar bear. They can barely live without it for they use sea ice as a hunting platform. Polar bears catch seals on ice floes. If the weather gets warm as it does in summer, polar bears might not be able to catch seals because the ice disappears rapidly in warm climate. Over time the global warming has also rendered much of the polar bear population redundant.
Polar Bear’s Prey Live in Cold Climate
Polar bears live in cold habitats so as their prey. Their primary preys are seals which are not known to survive in warm weather just like polar bears. Thus it is reasonable to assume that if the weather somehow gets warmer in the Arctic (which is highly unlikely) the polar bears and seals are going to die for they are not so adapted.
Polar bear is a pretty heavy animal—probably the heaviest of all carnivorous land mammals. Siberian tiger is just about the same weight as polar bear but the latter is slightly heavier. Therefore, polar bears do not have any natural predators in the Arctic. However, when they born they are only as heavy as an adult ground squirrel. Now let us see how heavy is a polar bear in the wild?
How Heavy is a Polar Bear?
Mature male bears average 350–700 kg (772–1,543 lb) in weight but most bears weigh 800 – 900 pounds. Adult males are two times heavier than adult females. However during dormancy the female polar bears put on too much weight—reaching the weight of adult males.
A Polar bear spreads its body weight to prevent herself from falling into the water. Photo by DailyMail.
In the Beaufort Sea, the adult males are reportedly as heavy as 450 kg (992 lb) whereas mature females average 150–250 kg (331–551 lb) in weight. During pregnancy, the female reaches the weight of 1,100 pounds. Many a times it happens that a polar bear spreads its legs while walking on the thin ice. It does so in order to distribute its body weight equally so the bear doesn’t fall into the water. When the Arctic ice is not thick enough to support the bear’s weight, the polar bear cannot hunt for seals because it uses dense ice as a hunting platform. Consequently, the polar bear spends weeks sometimes even months in starvation.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the maximum polar bear weight is recorded at 385 to 410 kg (849 to 904 lb) but conservationists have found polar bears weighing more than 1,000 pounds in the wild. There’s no mass comparison of polar bears with any other ground-dwelling Arctic species—the white bear is clearly the biggest and the heaviest of all Arctic mammals.
How Heavy is a Polar Bear? – Video showing a polar bear walking on a thin ice.
How Tall is a Polar Bear Standing Up? – The largest polar bear was shot in the northwestern Alaska in 1960. It measured 11 feet 1 inch tall when it stood on its hind legs…
What Does a Baby Polar Bear Look Like? – A baby polar bear which is about to leave the den is relatively more fluffy and is covered with short woolly fur than the one at birth…
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are unquestionably resilient to the arctic environment. Their adaptation to stay warm in an unbelievably cold temperature is something that makes them matchless in the mammalian world. Thanks to its insulating ability, white color, and dense fur that not only makes the bear warm but also camouflages her in the arctic ice. The thick and fuzzy jacket prevents the polar bear from catching cold in the icy water.
How Do Polar Bears Stay Warm?
The insulating phenomenon of polar bears is not as simple but scientists are putting their best to reason out how polar bears can stay warm in such a freezing temperature of the Arctic Circle. Latest findings suggest that polar bear’s hairs are likely to perform the functions of a heat pipeline. According to scientists as the sunlight touches the tiny hair it travels to the end and enters the polar bear’s skin. They believe that the bear’s hair seems like fiber-optic cable in function.
Thanks to its insulating ability, white color, and dense fur that not only makes the bear warm–it also camouflages her in the arctic ice
There is a scientific belief that the polar bear’s coat serves as a protector in that it attempts to bring warm particles of the air into tiny pores. However the modern studies suggest that the pelt also performs another insulating function. This function is performed within the polar bear’s coat. Polar bear’s skin emits the body heat as infrared light which in turn bounces around within the coat just like a table tennis ball. The infrared rays are thought to move back and forth between the hairs. According to the research the bear’s hair neither absorbs light nor does it scatter light absolutely. In fact they partially perform both.
Biologists maintain that the density of hairs is what actually defines the reflection of light. If the hair density is greater the light reflects many times with some of it returns back to the skin.
Polar bears appear to make themselves warm via three kinds of heat transfer: convection, conduction, and thermal radiation. Conduction is the process in which the heat waves travel through the medium but the materials do not move whereas in convection the movement is primarily caused within a fluid. However the most useful (of these) is thought to be the thermal radiation.
Scientists have long believed that the hot air traps inside the polar bear’s body in the same way as it does in some housing insulations. The coat performs the given function.
Thermal Radiation
Scientists seem to count on thermal radiation as compared to convection or conduction. According to them polar bears use thermal radiation to keep warm in the cold. In thermal radiation the energy is discharged in the form of electromagnetic waves. Human’s skin gets heated in the similar fashion. Similarly if someone wears a shiny jacket the heat waves radiate from the human body is likely to smack the jacket and scatter while keeping the heat inside.
All living organisms release heat which can be seen through night-vision goggles. The goggles are able to detect the infrared radiation but polar bears are so perfectly insulated that no such radiation or heat is observed even through goggles. The heat is trapped 100% inside the bear’s body. The polar bear’s pelt appears to possess the same temperature as its surroundings.
Scientists finally conclude that the polar bear fur partially absorbs heat radiation and partially scatters it. The heat waves are thought to travel in different directions after being scattered and re-emitted. The sunlight doesn’t believe to keep bears warm in fact it is the scattering of light off the fur that warms the animal. “The more animal reflects the [infrared] light, the more efficient the insulation”, American Institute of Physics.
The latissimus dorsi are the muscle sheets which lies at the mid-central back of the body. These sheets play a significant role in the heat regulation. During swimming the heat is discharged through conduction whereas on land the heat is primarily lost by convection. Above the surface polar bears often lie on the back and wave their legs in the air to cool her body. In order to stable body temperature bears will drink water in excess.
Polar bears may also change to sternal posture in which they move their feet backwards or sometimes curling paws around their body. By so doing bears can reduce their temperature from 36o C to 27o C.
On the icy surface, polar bears spread their legs so that their body releases heat. On land when polar bears are overheated they just dig small depressions and relax into it.
The heat loss during swimming is extremely important because the bear generates heat in the submerged water which in turn is probably neutralized by the heat loss.
While polar bear’s fur shows outstanding insulating property the pelt seems to have poor insulative ability. They will maintain stable body temperature by bringing change in subdermal vascularization and other adaptive mechanisms in order to compete with the cool environmental conditions. The subcutaneous fat also serves as insulating material. Bears lose additional heat via foot pads and shoulders.
The polar bear’s fur is 55 mm in thickness which is pretty fair insulation. However some of the hairs are rough and they do not insulate heat as effectively. During swimming polar bears lose heat 20 – 25 times faster than in the open air. But in disturbed water the bear is likely to lose heat nearly 50 times that in the air.
The heat loss during swimming is extremely important because the bear generates heat in the submerged water which in turn is probably neutralized by the heat loss. Soon after swimming the bear shakes her body to shed the water from her fur in order to make sure that the pelt insulates properly. Polar bear’s posture and respiration also affects the heat loss phenomena.
Polar bears are highly efficient in finding out numerous biological mechanisms to cope with the heat loss. One such adaptation is that they can cool their external tissues which create an insulating shell and their body goes warm. This is known as regional heterothermy. According to the researchers, white bears (by doing so) prevent the extreme heat loss during swimming in the icy water. The bear must adopt this mechanism on almost regular basis for the melting of arctic ice indeed makes swimming harder and longer.
The peripheral muscles and subcutaneous fat serve as important insulators especially during swimming. Polar bear’s fur doesn’t appear to insulate well in water in fact the bear finds shelter in a windy weather. They will also discharge heat through the thin muscle sheets which are present on the torso. Alongside torso bears also lose heat via snout and footpads. The significant player in the peripheral insulation is the peripheral tissue without which the insulation might never be possible.
During swimming the skin temperature is relatively higher. The heat dissipation often puts check on the polar bear’s ability to engage in physical activities for long periods. For instance bears can hardly perform exercise for more than 15 minutes.
At birth the polar bear cubs have only 5-mm-long coat and there are only 600 – 700 hairs per square centimeter. They don’t seem to cover with subcutaneous fat nor do the fats surround kidneys. They are not yet prepared to challenge the freezing environment of the Arctic.
Once they attain weight of about 8.5 – 9.5 kilograms they can stable their body temperature 30o C to 0o C with a slight increase in the metabolic rate in temperatures below 10 degree centigrade. However weak polar bear cubs may be as against adults the physiological insulation is good enough to sustain constant temperature while swimming.
During swimming the water temperature ranges from 0 – 2o C but the core body temperature of a cub is stabilized at 38.5o C. If cubs keep walking for as long as 29 minutes their temperature alleviates to 400 C.
Polar bear hibernation does not occur like black bear or grizzly bear hibernation. Black and grizzly bears, unlike polar bears, are true hibernators. Polar bears probably do not hibernate in a way other mammals do. They just enter into a specialized winter dormancy. This is little different from natural hibernation. During winter dormancy polar bears can also reduce their heart rate and possibly metabolism and temperature. Let’s see how do polar bears hibernate.
Do Polar Bears Hibernate? – Polar Bear Hibernation
Female bears dig dens in snow and they remain asleep for 4 to 8 months. They become absolutely inactive during this period. Polar bears neither eat nor do they drink in fact they do not even urinate whilst they are hibernating. In spite of all this inactivity females appear to have stable mineral levels with a constant body mass.
Many researchers estimate the level of blood metabolites which is almost fully maintained. This is quite remarkable in that the animal loses half of its weight inside the den while maintaining the metabolite level stable.
During hibernation or dormancy polar bears make up the deficiency of water from fat catabolism. By so doing they are able to maintain stable fluid level within the body.
Hibernation is an adaptation that allows some species of mammals to store fat when the feeding is good, and then burn it off slowly at a lower metabolic rate while in a deep resting state when food is unavailable, usually, but not always, during winter. True hibernators such as some rodents, bats, or insectivores experience a significant decline in heart rate, their body temperature may approach 0°C (32°F), and it may take some time to arouse them because they have to expend stored energy to restore the body to its normal temperature before it can function properly again. The largest mammals that are true hibernators are marmots. Bears are too large to lower their body temperature to very low levels because they would simply not have enough energy to be able to reheat such a large mass back to its normal operating temperature.
Bears also need to maintain a much higher body temperature than true hibernators because they also still need to be able to maintain the physiological demands of pregnancy, birth, and nursing the young. Although bears sleep soundly, they are easily aroused and can, if necessary, defend themselves.Although most species of bears go into dens during the winter, they have some important differences from the so-called true or deep hibernators. From research done on captive bears, we know that the heart rates of hibernating black and grizzly bears are capable of slowing to 10 to 12 beats per minute, or even lower sometimes, but their body temperature only declines to about 31-35°C (88-93°F). The heart rate of a polar bear held in an artificial den decreased to 27 beats per minute after about a month. The deep body temperature of two female polar bears hibernating in natural dens during the winter ranged between 35 and 37°C (95-98.6°F).
Hibernation in Black and Grizzly Bears
Hibernation and seasonal food scarcity for polar bears differ considerably from those of black and brown bears. Firstly, only gestating female polar bears enter dens during the winter, while the rest of the population remains active. Secondly, for many polar bear populations, the period of greatest food deprivation is the open water phase of late summer and early autumn, just when black and grizzly bears are consuming most extensively in order to accumulate fat reserves with which to endure the upcoming winter.
One of the most interesting chapters in our understanding of the “hibernation-like” state in polar bears, and hence how they have adapted their physiological needs to the vagaries of the arctic environment, originated with the late Ralph ag in Nelson. He wondered how black bears could hibernate through the winter at near-normal body temperatures without eating, drinking, or producing any urine or faeces. When hibernating, the black bear produces all the water it needs by chemical pathways from its stored fat; then it reduces the by-products without producing waste materials. Nelson thought if he could figure out how this was done, there might be enormous benefits to humans with kidney problems.
Nelson found that he could define a bear’s physiological state by the ratio of the concentrations of two chemicals in the blood, urea and creatine. Creatine is produced by normal muscle activity and its level in the blood remains pretty H much the same all the time. However, the amount of urea in the blood goes up when an animal is eating and becomes very low when it stops eating and lives only on its fat.
Walking Hibernation in Polar Bears
After some experimentation, Nelson defined the urea-to-creatine (U/C) ratio (that is, the number of units of urea in a sample of blood divided by the number of units of creatine) of a hibernating black bear as any anything less than 10. He then examined blood samples taken from non-feeding polar bears on the western coast of Hudson Bay during the ice-free period in the late summer and fall. He found that the U/C ratio was at a a similarly very low level in them as well. Thus, even though the bears were not in dens and were still active, they were (in the physiological sense) hibernating. This gave rise to the rather intriguing term “walking hibernation”.
A curious aside to this finding is the observation of an old Inuk hunter on the Labrador coast, passed on to a visiting anthropologist, sometime prior to 1916. He said that old male polar bears hibernate in caves along the coast in the summer when there was no ice. As in Hudson Bay, open water prevails along the coast of Labrador for many months in the summer, so we now know that similar hibernation-like responses must occur in the bears there. It has always intrigued me that an observant Inuk hunter noted the parallel between the summer behaviour of polar bears in caves and the winter behaviour of bears in dens.
Nelson and some of his colleagues then came to Churchill to work with our group so he could learn more about how polar bears evolved to live in the arctic environment. We selected polar bears of various sizes for non-harmful experiments, sometimes while other bears wandered by and gazed curiously at the goings on. By looking at the U/C ratios over the next couple of years, we found that female polar bears coming out of the denning area in the spring were in a similar physiological state to that of hibernating black bears. More interesting though, were the results from polar bears spending the late summer and fall along the Hudson Bay coast. At the same time that non-feeding bears were in “walking hibernation”, polar bears feeding in the dump had the be- same U/C values as non-hibernating (feeding)| black bears. The astonishing conclusion was that members of the same polar bear population could be in completely opposite physiological conditions at the same time and place, depending on whether they were feeding or not feeding. That is something a black bear cannot do.
Andy Derocher, Nelson, and Ian Stirling then conducted some preliminary feeding experiments on several polar bears being held in captivity. They had not been fed for some time and had the low U/C ratios characteristic of the hibernation-like physiological state. When they were fed for a few days. the ratios went up, as we expected. However, once food was no longer available, the U/C ratios dropped again after about a week. Remarkably, these results indicated that polar bears could move the physiological state of a fasting bear, to one of a feeding bear, and back to that of a fasting bear, all within a period of a couple of weeks. The contrast with terrestrial bears is dramatic. If you stop feeding a black bear or a grizzly in summer, it will starve to death. Thus, it appears that one of the most remarkable physiological adaptations of the polar bear to life in the arctic environment, where the availability of food is both variable and unpredictable for much of the year, is its ability to change its metabolic state as needed. This allows the bear to maximise the efficiency of its use of stored energy, and not be limited to changes controlled by photoperiod or other seasonal signals.
No subsequent research on this topic has yet been done, though it could be very informative to repeat and extend those experiments one day. Recently, however, another study on wild polar bears gave some results similar to those obtained from the captive bears. From direct observation, we know that when searching for a breeding female, or when courting one, male polar bears may not actively hunt for extended periods of time, although if one of them catches a seal, or they encounter a carcass, both the male and female may feed on it.
In an analysis of the U/C ratios of polar bears from the Beaufort Sea in spring, Seth Cherry found, again, that bears in the same area at the same time could be in either a hibernation-like or non-hibernation physiological state. In particular, a larger proportion of adult males were not feeding, apparently maximising their time for searching for breeding females and then courting them. They could afford to do this because the major feeding period of the year overlaps, but largely follows, the most active part of the breeding season. Thus, a temporary shortfall in energy intake can be compensated for fairly soon afterward. Most important though, since active hunting may absorb up to a third of a bear’s time under normal conditions, it allows the male to slow its metabolic rate slightly and make maximum use of its stored energy to increase its searching and courting time which in turn will improve it chances of finding a mate and passing on its genes.
Do Polar Bears Hibernate? – Polar Bear Hibernation – Video
It is quite amazing that polar bears have adapted to the harsh arctic environment where most land mammals could hardly survive one day. Thanks to the physiological, structural, and behavioral adaptations of a polar bear that allow her not only to survive but also to live like many Arctic mammals. These adaptations are likely to arise when animals are forced to live in different habitats. This occurs gradually during which the bear learns to adapt herself with the environment. This is called adaptation.
In order to know these adaptations in detail one must understand how polar bears have evolved to live on the sea ice. While the powerful paddle-like feet provides absolute support to the body weight dense fur, specialized teeth, and sharp nose facilitates the bear in swimming, eating, and smelling respectively. Let us discuss then how do polar bears adapt to the tundra.
How Do Polar Bears Adapt to their Environment?
Scientists believe that polar bears might have evolved from grizzly bears some 70,000 to 100,000 years ago. The white bears have probably adapted their ecological behavior from grizzly bears and both the species appear to have separated in the glacial periods. This explains why Ursus maritmusseem to share quite similar characteristics with Ursus arctos.
The formidable polar bear’s feet are strong enough to support and balance the entire weight of the body on the sea ice. Besides support feet also facilitates the bear in swimming. Adult bears have their feet measuring 30 cm across. The polar bear’s paws are very handy in walking on the snow ice. The dermal pumps on the paws assist the bear to grip.
Unlike brown bears’ polar bears have claws which provide the animal firm grip not only on the ice but also on the prey. The short but powerful claw allows the white bear to hold the prey and the latter finds it impossible to escape. The brown bear’s paw is not that stocky.
Polar bears are one of few animals that can detect smell from kilometers away. It is often said about white bears that they smell you before you see them. They are thought to discover seals from a mile away even when the prey is moving underneath the snow.
While know only little about polar bear’s hearing sense they can probably hear up to 25 kHz. They are known to possess hearing sense as powerful as that of a human. White bears have less sharp hearing as compared to dogs even though the former is able to communicate in low frequencies.
While polar bears have acute sense of smell they do possess pretty good sight. They are able to visualize things and can probably recognize colors.
Sense of touch
Polar bears are often seen touching things with their nose, tongue, and claw. However the statement lacks any scientific explanation whatsoever.
Polar bears are insulated by their dense furry coat. How do polar bears adapt to the Arctic. Photo by childrensmuseumofphoenix.org
Polar Bear Structural Adaptations
Structural adaptations of a polar help her to adapt with different environmental stressors such as the bear white fur which camouflages her in the snow. Structural adaptations also include adaptations as to how a white bear will protect her from the predators.
Fur and Coat
Polar bears possess white coat which goes pale yellow as the bear grows older. In captivity the yellowish coat is rather common and prominent because of the humid conditions. Sometimes the captive bear gives a shade of green color which is probably due to the algae that grows inside polar bear hair. Adult males seem to have longer hairs on their legs. These hairs continue to grow till the age of 14 years. Scientists say that adult males show long hairs to attract females.
The dense layer of the coat not only serves as an insulator but it virtually makes the bear to disappear in the white background. The primary prey seal finds it hard to detect the polar bear and when it does so it’s almost too late.
Polar Bear Behavioral Adaptations
Dormancy
Brown bears hibernate but polar bears do not! White bears become inactive in season as they go into dormancy state. Adult females which are expecting babies usually become dormant. Adult males, though not active, do move around in search of prey. The dormancy state is not a true hibernation. During dormancy the bear lowers her metabolism and rely exclusively on the available fats.
Feeding Behavior
Polar bears predominantly prey on ringed and bearded seals which qualifies them as the most carnivorous bear of all Ursids. They hunt seals mostly underwater and rarely on land.
How Do Polar Bears Adapt to their Environment? – Video
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are generally known for their excellent swimming abilities. They are highly powerful swimmers for they can swim hundreds of miles across the bays. Ice bears are thought to swim for hours or even days without stopping. They will swim at a speed of about 10 km/h (6 mph). The unique adaptations of swimming and numerous hunting techniques make polar bear the deadliest predator in the Arctic Ocean. However what makes it the all-round predator is that the bear is equally good on land. Over the past recent years they have adapted to hunting on land by devising creative ways during warmer months. Let us learn more about how fast can a polar bear swim?
How Fast Can a Polar Bear Swim?
Polar bears never hesitate to swim as a matter of fact they love spending hours in water. There is a reason why they are also called marine mammals. They will cover 100 kilometers (62 miles) in a single journey with ease. One of bears holds the highest record in which it covered as much as 400 mi (687 km) in a single venture. She swam in the icy cold water of the Bering Sea. After taking rest for few hours she resumed her journey and covered another 1,100 miles (1,800 km). This shows that polar bears are no less than other marine mammals in their swimming traits.
Polar bears possess the amazing ability to swim in the right direction even in darkness. This is quite handy because the darkness prevails as long as six months in the Arctic Circle.
Scientists also observed swimming records of several female polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea. Researchers couldn’t estimate the timing of male bears because their necks were too thick to be fit in GPS-equipped collars. They recorded the maximum duration of 354 kilometers (220 mi) but most bears could swim for about 155 kilometers (96 mi) in one voyage.
Polar bears are almost marine mammals for they enjoy swimming as much as dolphins or whales do. How fast can a polar bear swim? Photo by Daily Express.
How Long Do Polar Bears Swim without Stopping?
Polar bears spend half of its life in swimming and one cannot cast doubts on how much time it takes in swimming. They are unarguably strong swimmers. White bears will swim for 7 – 10 hours a day. Scientists recorded the maximum time ever taken by a polar bear were 9 days. A female bear swam for about 9 days (or 216 hours) in the Bering Sea without resting.
How Deep Do Polar Bears Dive? | How Long can a Polar Bear Hold its Breadth?
Polar bears typically dive 3 – 4.5 m (9.8 – 14.8 ft.) deep into the water and they can remain submerged for as long as three minutes. Normally they swim near the surface so that their nose remains exposed out of water. They don’t really swim underwater except in rare situations when they must follow seals or ice floes.
How Deep Can a Polar Bear Dive?
Researchers still need to study how deep polar bears actually dive into the sea. One of the researchers claimed that an individual bear dived as deep as 6 m (20 ft.) which might be the deepest dive for an arctic predator.
The longest dive duration in polar bear’s dive is estimated at 3 minutes and 10 seconds and it covered a distance of about 45 to 50 m (148–164 ft.)
Yes, polar bears do have tails. However the size is so small that one can barely notice it. It is almost as if the bear lacks one. Arctic bears have tiny tails as is typical of all bears. Unlike other bear’s characteristics, tail appears to be quite irrelevant in polar bear’s behavioral adaptations. It doesn’t seem to be a defining feature of a large, potentially dangerous polar bear. Let’s find out why do polar bears have tails.
Do Polar Bears have Tails?
But…the question is why don’t polar bears have long tails? Studies suggest that millions of years ago polar bears had possessed possess long tails. As the bear evolves it eventually loses the length of its tail so much so that one can easily classify polar bear as a tail-less predator.
Currently, polar bears have only 5-inches-long stubby tails which are in absolute contrast to the massive body size.
Polar bear’s tail not only has an extra blood vessel—it possesses an additional layer of fat which prevents the tail from freezing in extreme temperature. The tail is all covered with furs and its only possible function is to protect the polar bear’s anus.
The bear’s tail is quite visible but it’s probably not the defining feature in polar bears. Polar bears have got the shortest tails of all bear species. Do polar bears have tails? Photo by Polarbearsinternational.org
Researchers believe that bears let alone polar bears lose their tail-length in the process of evolution because they probably didn’t need one. This is quite rare in other land carnivores such as dogs. Dog’s tail serves as an important tool in communication.
Dogs wag tails when they are happy. Similarly macaques use their long tails to balance their bodies while moving between the trees. Cheetah’s tail helps her to steer as well as to stabilize while sprinting at 70 miles per hour.
Polar bears on the other hand prefer to communicate head on. They will stand on hind legs to send specific signals to their counterparts. But polar bears will never use tails in the same way as other mammals do. In fact, ironically perhaps they don’t know if they ever had one on their back.
