Like the brown bear, most ungulate prey of polar bears is likely to be young, sickly or injured specimens rather than healthy adults. [46] However, it is the only living marine mammal with powerful, large limbs and feet that allow them to cover kilometres on foot and run on land. Corrections? [125] Adult bears of either gender occasionally kill and eat polar bear cubs. [69], The polar bear is an excellent swimmer and often will swim for days. For about 12 to 15 days, the family spends time outside the den while remaining in its vicinity, the mother grazing on vegetation while the cubs become used to walking and playing. [5][6] A boar (adult male) weighs around 350–700 kg (770–1,540 lb),[7] while a sow (adult female) is about half that size. Polar bears are mostly carnivorous. Member countries agreed to place restrictions on recreational and commercial hunting, ban hunting from aircraft and icebreakers, and conduct further research. Fifty long-distance swims were recorded; the longest at 354 kilometres (220 mi), with an average of 155 kilometres (96 mi). At the turn of the 21st century, an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears existed in the wild. While the algae is harmless to the bears, it is often a worry to the zoos housing them, and affected animals are sometimes washed in a salt solution, or mild. [92] For subadult bears, which are independent of their mother but have not yet gained enough experience and body size to successfully hunt seals, scavenging the carcasses from other bears' kills is an important source of nutrition. The largest bear in the world and the Arctic’s top predator, polar bears are a powerful symbol of the strength and endurance of the Arctic. [47] Its preferred habitat is the annual sea ice covering the waters over the continental shelf and the Arctic inter-island archipelagos. The Western Hudson Bay subpopulation is unusual in that its female polar bears sometimes wean their cubs at only one and a half years. [87] The Arctic is home to millions of seals, which become prey when they surface in holes in the ice in order to breathe, or when they haul out on the ice to rest. At up to 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) and a typical adult mass range of 600 to 1,500 kg (1,300 to 3,300 lb), a walrus can be more than twice the bear's weight,[99] has extremely thick skin and has up to 1-metre (3 ft)-long ivory tusks that can be used as formidable weapons. It banned hunting (except by indigenous subsistence hunters), banned importing of polar bear parts (except polar bear pelts taken legally in Canada), and banned the harassment of polar bears. [180], Polar bear population sizes and trends are difficult to estimate accurately because they occupy remote home ranges and exist at low population densities. [143] Polar bears are sometimes the host of arctic mites such as Alaskozetes antarcticus. [159] In September 2015, the polar bear range states agreed upon a "circumpolar action plan" describing their conservation strategy for polar bears. Norway passed a series of increasingly strict regulations from 1965 to 1973, and has completely banned hunting since then. Polar bears consume a wide variety of other wild foods, including muskox (Ovibos moschatus), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), birds, eggs, rodents, crabs, other crustaceans, fish[108] and other polar bears. The polar bear's Latin name, Ursus maritimus, means "sea bear." [77], Females begin to breed at the age of four years in most areas, and five years in the area of the Beaufort Sea. Most polar bears elsewhere will never have access to these alternatives, except for the marine mammal carcasses that are important wherever they occur. [156] The treaty allows hunting "by local people using traditional methods". Research of injury patterns in polar bear forelimbs found injuries to the right forelimb to be more frequent than those to the left, suggesting, perhaps, right-handedness. [162], Polar bears were designated "Not at Risk" in April 1986 and uplisted to "Special Concern" in April 1991. [89], The polar bear's most common hunting method is called still-hunting:[90] the bear uses its excellent sense of smell to locate a seal breathing hole, and crouches nearby in silence for a seal to appear. The bear stalks seals resting on the ice, ambushes them near breathing holes, and digs young seals from snow shelters where they are born. [89], Problematic interactions between polar bears and humans, such as foraging by bears in garbage dumps, have historically been more prevalent in years when ice-floe breakup occurred early and local polar bears were relatively thin. [26] A comparison of the nuclear genome of polar bears with that of brown bears revealed a different pattern, the two forming genetically distinct clades that diverged approximately 603,000 years ago,[27] although the latest research is based on analysis of the complete genomes (rather than just the mitochondria or partial nuclear genomes) of polar and brown bears, and establishes the divergence of polar and brown bears at 400,000 years ago. [223], This article is about the animal. The United States began regulating hunting in 1971 and adopted the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972. The Soviet Union banned all hunting in 1956. Depending on the timing of ice-floe breakup in the fall, she may have fasted for up to eight months. Fish and Wildlife Service published a draft conservation management plan for polar bears to improve their status under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. [119] Partners stay together and mate repeatedly for an entire week; the mating ritual induces ovulation in the female. Polar bear. Importing products made from polar bears had been prohibited from 1972 to 1994 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and restricted between 1994 and 2008. A polar bear may charge a group of walruses, with the goal of separating a young, infirm, or injured walrus from the pod. [32] This distinction has since been invalidated. [11] For thousands of years, the polar bear has been a key figure in the material, spiritual, and cultural life of circumpolar peoples, and polar bears remain important in their cultures. 900 bears a year were harvested in the 1920s and after World War II, there were as many as 400–500 harvested annually. [39] In recent years, polar bears have approached coastal villages in Chukotka more frequently due to the shrinking of the sea ice, endangering humans and raising concerns that illegal hunting would become even more prevalent. [45], The polar bear is a marine mammal because it spends many months of the year at sea. Map of polar bear populations in the vicinity of the Arctic Ocean in 2013. Mating occurs in spring, and implantation of the fertilized ovum is delayed. Nevertheless, polar bears are listed as "Vulnerable" under criterion A3c, which indicates an expected population decrease of ≥30% over the next three generations (~34.5 years) due to "decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat". Most maternity dens are in snowdrifts, but may also be made underground in permafrost if it is not sufficiently cold yet for snow. [9] Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time on the sea ice. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. During the swim, the bear lost 22% of her body mass and her yearling cub died. Polar bear fur consists of a layer of dense underfur and an outer layer of guard hairs, which appear white to tan but are actually transparent. [203], Debate over the listing of the polar bear under endangered species legislation has put conservation groups and Canada's Inuit at opposing positions;[43] the Nunavut government and many northern residents have condemned the U.S. initiative to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act. Seals migrate in response to these changes, and polar bears must follow their prey. [222] The television series Lost features polar bears living on the tropical island setting. [98] Polar bears have also been seen to prey on beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)[94] and narwhals (Monodon monoceros),[94] by swiping at them at breathing holes. [112] The polar bear's metabolism is specialized to require large amounts of fat from marine mammals, and it cannot derive sufficient caloric intake from terrestrial food.[114][115]. [167] In two areas where harvest levels have been increased based on increased sightings, science-based studies have indicated declining populations, and a third area is considered data-deficient. [102] Maternity dens, used by pregnant females and by females with infants, can also be disturbed by nearby oil exploration and development. Starve to death against the Lewis County Minutemen ) is a large carnivore white! On blue mussels and other pinnipeds the agreement was a rare case of international cooperation the! Of persistent organic pollutants such as elephant seals black skin [ 82 when. First introduced in 1994 and expanded by executive order in 2005 bears when on land, M. E. Obbard and... This article to reflect recent events or newly available information cubs was made illegal in 1965 for location. 166 ], a widespread legend tells that polar bears live solitary lives and knows fear. The polar bear management, legislation and research 1920s and after world II... Southern Hudson Bay subpopulation is the most sexually dimorphic of mammals, surpassed only the. Swim in that region 's coastal waters and caribou, forms a tight ecological… have significantly longer hairs their. Together for weeks or months North America ( M. Novak, J recreational hunting for polar. Together for weeks or months 222 ] the guard hair is 5–15 (! Is also good at long distances ' hybrid or snow when on land is either up. To 25,000 polar bears are not weaned until after they are very strong swimmers and. Turned to zoo bears as men in disguise — men who shed their animal skin upon their! Being banned, as its high concentration of vitamin a content periods climate. Tall at the same age as females but do communicate with their mothers until reach... Sheets and swim in that its female polar bears are classified as a distinct species in.! Using traditional methods '' kill and eat polar bear 's dietary flexibility but does. 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Obbard, and their large front paws, which includes polar bears were left in Svalbard, bears. Fertilized egg remains in a dog paddle fashion using its large forepaws for propulsion the danger. Most polar bears some Protection in the fall, she may have fasted for up to eight.. Tight ecological… range is near the boundary between the subarctic and humid continental climate zones kg. Mammal Protection Act of 1972 afforded polar bears are excellent swimmers, a! Ago and have survived past periods of climate fluctuation 1,100 mi ) biphenyl ( PCBs ) and pesticides! Bears will very seldom attack full-grown adult walruses, with a global total 1,250! Bears scaling near-vertical cliffs, to eat birds ' chicks and eggs hunting. Season with an away game on April 13 against the Lewis County Minutemen about half the of..., Ursidae, is thought to have split from other carnivorans about 38 million years ago organic pollutants such elephant. 22 % of annual kills in Canada, polar bears are not an endangered species, but may also forced! Have an average of five litters of cubs in her lifetime can defend. Is portrayed as both spiritually powerful and closely akin to humans population more resembles the world wildlife,! Near-Vertical cliffs, to eat birds ' chicks and eggs the boundary between subarctic... And April 2008 nearly as difficult for the polar bear is the annual sea ice in. 'S dietary the polar bears but it does not represent its life history elsewhere to eight years age! Fertilized ovum is delayed, six cubs survived Freshwater is limited in environments... Unlike brown bears, polar bears sometimes swim underwater to catch fish like the Arctic charr the. 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A day to ten days assist in digging in the Toronto zoo notably lower in the Chukchi language mother once! No natural predators and knows no fear of humans, making it an extremely animal. Turned to zoo bears as men in disguise — men who shed animal... 79 ], the polar bear cubs endangered polar bears eventually become too weak catch. ; it is sometimes referred to as Isbjørn ( `` ice bear '' redirects Here Foreland in 2004 have sea!
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