subject: The World Of Polar Bears [print this page] For those who are familiar with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the logo is one figure that is instantly recognizable. It is that of one of earth's most majestic animals -the polar bear. Like many of the other animals, the polar bear also has some many very interesting features and it will be worthwhile to mention some of these. Polar bears are found in some of the most inhospitably cold places in the world, such as the Arctic Ocean. These places are so cold that many animals find it quite difficult to survive in such a harsh environment. But for the polar bears, life is not as harsh and one of the reasons for this is the presence of insulating fat. This layer of blubber and skin protects the polar bear even from the coldest climates and allows them to be able to dive in ice-cold waters and hunt for food.
In addition to this protective insulation, there is also a very thick layer of hairs. A very interesting thing with this layer of hair is the color, which is usually white. In almost all instances, the white is so pure and upon a closer look, it is the most ideal color in such an environment. This is because a white coat blends with the surrounding of ice and snow, which affords an excellent camouflage which is an added advantage for a carnivorous animal when hunting.
However, it must also be noted that unlike many of the other animals found in the Arctic region, the polar bear does not undergo shedding of the skin shade under harsh climatic conditions. But, they undergo a kind of moulting around the middle of the year. Moving away from the skin and insulation, the following are some of the very interesting things about the life of the polar bears:
-Of all the land-based carnivores on earth, it is the largest in size with some weighing almost 700 kg. The polar bear is also the largest in the bear family. Other types of bears include the grizzly (brown bear) and the Kodiak bear.
-Polar bears feed on animals that are actually close to the top of the food chain, like seals (also known as sea lions). In hunting for the seals, polar bears hunt stealthily on floes (sea ice) which floats on the vast waters of body in the Arctic Ocean.
-In a situation where seals are absent or in short supply, the polar bear resorts to metabolizing some of its fat stores -that explains the thick fatty layer.
-Even though the coat is usually sparkling white, it slowly acquires a tinge of yellow with time.
-Unlike some of the other animals that live in aquatic environments, polar bears are fantastic swimmers using its very powerful front paws. The speed of swimming is also quite remarkable
-In hunting for animals such as seals for food, the polar bear depends greatly on its very highly-developed sense of smell. A polar bear's sense of smell is so powerful that it can actually detect the presence of a seal that is located up to almost two kilometers away -buried under thick ice!
