![]() ![]() Male polar bears generally weigh between 770 to 1500 pounds (Stirling and Guravich 1990, p 23) but can exceed more than 1500 lbs. Weight: Polar bears are the largest land predators alive in the world today (Lynch 1993, p 58). Mature males turn yellow as they age (Lynch 1993, p 5). Polar bears range in color from silvery-white to light yellow to straw yellow. They have a long thin but well developed neck, highly developed hindquarters and a straight profile (Brown 1993, p 51). A polar bear learns the seasonal pattern of movements as a cub during the 2 years it remains with its mother (Stirling and Guravich 1990, p 68).ĭescription: A polar bear has an elongated body, with low, well-developed shoulders. In areas such as Greenland, the Bering Seas or Chukchi, the bears may have to relocate many hundreds of kilometers each year to remain on the ice where they can still hunt seals. A polar bear’s territory may be small if the bear has constant access to ice and seals. ![]() Home Range: The size of a polar bear’s home range depends upon the annual pattern of freezing and break-up of the sea ice. While there has never been a conclusive study to determine the exact population of polar bears, there have been studies conducted on sub-populations: They also believe the polar bear population is divided into 6 core populations, with members of each core never mingling with the other core populations (Lynch 1993, p 6). Scientists estimate there are between 25,000 to 40,000 polar bears in the world. Polar bears are usually found in the northern marine areas of Alaska, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Norway’s Svalbard Archepelago, Greenland and Canada (Lynch 1993, p 5). As the ice retreats north during the summer months, polar bears travel with the ice floes and continue to hunt seals (Stirling and Guravich 1990, p 61). The sea ice provides a platform from which polar bears can hunt. Taxonomy: The scientific name for the polar bear is Ursus maritimus, which means ‘Sea Bear’ in Latin.ĭistribution and Population: Polar bears are found throughout the ice-covered waters of the Arctic region and prefer to remain out on the sea ice all year if possible. ![]()
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