Polar Bear Facts

Tag: Male Polar Bear

  • Largest Polar Bear on Record –Biggest Polar Bear Ever

    Largest Polar Bear on Record –Biggest Polar Bear Ever

    Polar bears are the one of the biggest bears—second only to Kodiak bears. Big male bears are twice the size of adult tigers. But where is the world’s biggest polar bear? Is it alive or dead? Did scientists find the world’s largest polar bear in captivity or in the natural habitat? We are going to address these vital questions in this article.

    Largest Polar Bear on Record – Biggest Polar Bear Ever

    According to the Guinness Book of World Records the adult male averages 385 to 410 kg (849 to 904 lb) in the overall body weight with the height of 133 cm (4 feet 4 inches). The Beaufort Sea population is thought to be slightly bigger with the weight estimated at 450 kg (992 lb).

    Nonetheless, the biggest polar bear ever found was the male in the northwestern Alaska. It was killed in 1960 in Kotzebue Sound—leaving scientists to wonder that there may be bigger polar bears out there. The largest polar bear weighed as much as 1,002 kilograms (2,209 pounds), twice the weight of male bears living today. The length of the world’s largest polar bear measured at 3.39 meters (11 feet 1 inches) with the shoulder height estimating at 122 to 160 cm (4 feet 0 inches to 5 feet 3 inches).

    Scientists claim that polar bears of today are probably slightly smaller than those found in the 19th century. Global climate change bears much of the blame. As global temperature rises, the Arctic sea ice melts forcing white bears to spend months in starvation. Polar bears find it extremely hard to hunt seals which are the primary prey. The climate change has also adversely affected the overall lifespan of a polar bear.

    References & Further Reading

    Polar bear Ursus maritimus – Appearance/Morphology: Measurement and Weight (Literature Reports). Wildlife1.wildlifeinformation.org. Retrieved 15 September 2011.

    Polar bear Ursus maritimus – Appearance/Morphology: Measurement and Weight (Literature Reports). Wildlife1.wildlifeinformation.org. Retrieved 15 September 2011.

  • Is a Polar Bear Bigger than a Grizzly Bear? – Polar Bear Grizzly Bear

    Is a Polar Bear Bigger than a Grizzly Bear? – Polar Bear Grizzly Bear

    Grizzlies are close cousins of polar bears. Although polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are believed to have evolved from grizzly bears (Ursus arctos ssp.) they do not appear to share many physical characteristics or features. However differences exist between the two species the size comparison is worth noting. Most people often wonder is a polar bear bigger than a grizzly bear. It’s an interesting question because grizzlies and white bears are nearly of the same size and weight. Let’s see which of the bear is bigger in size; polar bear or a grizzly bear.

    Is a Polar Bear Bigger than a Grizzly Bear?

    Which Bear is Heavier?

    Male Polar Bear vs Male Grizzly Bear

    • Adult male polar bears weigh somewhere in between 350 and 700 kg (772 and 1,543 lb) whereas adult male grizzlies average 180–360 kg (400–790 lb).
    • The above comparison between the males of two species clearly indicates that polar bears are heavier. More so, white bears seem to be twice the weight of adult grizzlies. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that male polar bears are bigger than male grizzly bears.

    Female Polar Bear vs Female Grizzly Bear

    • In grizzly bears, the adult females weigh around 130–180 kg (290–400 lb) while female polar bears average 150–250 kg (331–551 lb).
    • There seems to be no significant difference in the weight of grizzly female and polar bear female. However, still female polar bears are slightly bigger than grizzly females—only 100 pounds heavier approximately.
    • Thus in this case too, female polar bears are found bigger than female grizzly bears but the difference isn’t that big as in males.

    Read More: Polar Bear vs Grizzly Bear

    Which Bear is Greater in Size?

    Male Polar Bear vs Male Grizzly

    • In polar bears, males measure about 4–3 meters (7 feet 10 inches – 9 feet 10 inches) in an overall body length.
    • The average body length of a grizzly male is about 198 cm (6.50 feet) probably two to three feet shorter than the Arctic bear.
    • The shoulder height in male polar bears is estimated at 133 cm (4 feet 4 inches). Grizzly bears have a shoulder height of 102 cm (3.35 feet).

    Female Polar Bear vs Female Grizzly Bear

    • Adult female polar bears measure around 8–2.4 meters (5 feet 11 inches –7 feet 10 inches).
    • The body length of grizzly female is about 4 to 5 feet.

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  • How Heavy is a Polar Bear?

    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.

    how heavy is a polar bear
    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.

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  • How Big is a Male Polar Bear? – Male Polar Bear Size

    Polar bears are among the most sexually dimorphic mammals in that the male is twice the size of a female. If you ever visit the Arctic and you’re lucky enough to see a big yellow spot navigating through the Arctic—that would probably be a male polar bear. Adult male polar bear has a shoulder height of about 4 to 5 feet.

    How Tall is a Male Polar Bear?

    The shoulder height of a male polar bear averages 122 to 160 cm (4 feet 0 inch to 5 feet 3 inches). The average length of a male polar bear is 7 feet 10 inches to 9 feet 10 inches. Adult males are not only twice the height of a female bear—they are two times the weight of a female. Mature males will take the advantage of their big size and they likely become aggressive and sometimes eat polar bear cubs. Females, on the other hand are quite vulnerable as they can defend their cubs from any potential predators except for male polar bears. You can watch the National Geographic video below where a male polar bear attacks and eats the polar bear cub while the female bear could do nothing but to escape for her own life.

    How Big is a Male Polar Bear? – Video a dominant and hungry male polar bear kills the cub in front of its mother and eats it. (watch with a heavy heart)

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  • How Much Does a Polar Bear Weigh? – Polar Bear Weight

    Polar bear weight varies with the season because of the availability of food sources. The adult males are generally heavier than adult females. Ursus maritimus are sexually dimorphic in fact one of the most dimorphic mammals in the marine world. Polar bear cubs weigh less than a kilogram but male cubs are greater than female cubs even at birth. Now let us study how much do polar bears weigh? 

    How Much Does a Polar Bear Weigh? – Polar Bear Weight

    A full grown polar bear weighs as much as 350–700 kg (772–1,543 lb) but the average weight measure around 385 to 410 kg (849 to 904 lb). Males attain this much weight when they are 10 years of age. Kodiak bears are slightly heavier than adult white bears.

    In the Beaufort Sea, males average 450 kg (992 lb) on maturity. They are nearly twice the weight of females. The heaviest male polar bear ever recorded was 1,002 kg (2,209 lb). The bear was shot in northern Alaska (Kotzebue Sound) in 1960.

    Read More: How Big is a Male Polar Bear?

    how much does a polar bear weigh?
    A mother bear is followed by her cubs. How much do polar bears weigh? Photo by: GUDKOV ANDREY/Shutterstock

    How Much Does a Female Polar Bear Weigh?

    The weight of an adult female is one half of the male’s body mass. Females weigh around 150– 250 kg (331–551 lb).The maximum reported weight in females is 260 kg (573 lb) but it is extremely rare. During pregnancy adult females put on too much weight almost equal to adult males’ mass. Females gain as much as 500 kg (1,102 lb) weight when they are pregnant.

    During pregnancy adult females put on too much weight almost equal to adult males’ mass. Females gain as much as 500 kg (1,102 lb) weight when they are pregnant.

    Females attain sexual maturity at 6 years of age. Soon after age they will put on much weight because of pregnancy. Extra weight is not because of cubs but due to the extra fats which she stored. She must store excess fats in order to spend days in the without eating. The female will come out of den in the spring season.

    How Much Does a Polar Bear Cub Weigh?

    Main Article: How Much Does a Baby Polar Bear Weigh?

    The polar bear cubs weigh 1 – 1.5 pounds (0.8 kilograms) at birth. Females are smaller and less heavy than males at birth. When the cubs reach 90 – 100 days age they leave the den. At this time they weigh up to 33 pounds (115 kg). A cub born in the Alaskan zoo averages 18 pounds (8 kg) and the bear was 90 days old.

    How Many Pounds Does a Polar Bear Weigh?

    Polar bears weigh around 772 to 1,543 pounds but most bears weigh less than 1,000 pounds. The heaviest polar bear ever recorded at the Guinness Book of World Records measured at 849 to 904 pounds. The average weight of a female polar bear in pounds is about 573 pounds.

    How Much Does a Polar Bear Weigh? – Video

  • Male Polar Bear | Weight, Size, Behavior of a Male Polar Bear

    Polar bears are sexually dimorphic mammals in that males are significantly larger and heavier than females. They are nearly twice larger and heavier in comparison to the females. The typical weight of a male polar bear measures around 350–700 kg (772–1,543 lb). Males are highly aggressive but they usually avoid each other. However during breeding season male bears fight over the females. Male polar bears eat cubs especially when the food is scarce. The cannibalism behavior is more likely to be observed in male polar bears than female polar bears.

    Male Polar Bear

    Male polar bear is called a boar.

    Adult male bears have shoulder height of about 122 to 160 cm (4 ft 0 in to 5 ft 3 in). Like females male bears also possess short tail measuring up to 7 to 13 cm (2.8 to 5.1 in).

    How Big is a Male Polar Bear?

    Main Article: How Big is a Male Polar Bear?

    The total length of a boar is 2.4–3 meters (7 ft 10 in–9 ft 10 in). The male polar bears are only slightly smaller than the male Kodiak bears.

    How Much does a Male Polar Bear Weigh? | Male Polar Bear Weight

    The male polar bear’s weight ranges from 350 to 700 kg (772 to 1,543 lb). According to the Guinness Book of World Records adult male polar bears weigh up to 385 to 410 kg (849 to 904 lb) and a shoulder height measuring at 133 cm (4 ft 4 in).

    Largest Male Polar Bear

    The largest male polar bear ever recorded was shot in the northwestern Alaska in 1960. The bear reached the height of about 3.39 m (11 ft 1 in) on her hind legs.

    Male Polar Bear – Video

  • Difference Between Male and Female Polar Bears

    Difference Between Male and Female Polar Bears

    Male and female polar bears not only differ in their sizes but also somewhat in behavioral traits. Polar bears are the most sexually dimorphic mammals that is to say there is a significant and obvious difference in their sizes as well as in weight.

    Male polar bears are nearly twice the size of female bears. The typical weight of an adult male is about 450 kg (992 lb) in contrast to female’s weight of 150 – 250 kg (331–551 lb). Clearly there is a substantial difference in weights. Similarly the female is also smaller in body length as compared to males.

    Difference Between Male and Female Polar Bears

    Mature males are far more aggressive than adult females. Cannibalism is quite common in male bears as they often engage in killing and sometimes eating cubs that belong to the other social unit.

    Females are extremely devoted mothers whereas males take no part in raising cubs. The female bears take the responsibility not only for rearing cubs but also to protect them against predators. Many a times it is seen that a female in a desperate attempt to relocate to a new dens, carrying cubs in her mouth. The devotion of a female bear is so much so that she can even rear a cub that doesn’t originally belong to her family.

    Males neither defend their social unit nor do possess any unusual skills as a father. They just remain with female for as long as two weeks after which they leave once for all.

    Difference Between Male and Female Polar Bears – Video