The Endangered White Polar Bear
Polar bears are the world’s largest predator! It has extraordinary white fur and lives in the freezing cold. In Latin, its name means “sea bear.” Polar bears invest most of their energy in the water or on ice floes.
1. Polar Bear Species:
Polar bears are the largest land carnivores due to their massive bodies and long necks. In contrast to the dazzling whiteness of the Arctic ice floes on which they live, the adults’ white fur appears cream or yellow. Adult males have a length of 240 to 260 cm and a weight of 400 to 600 kg, though they can weigh as much as 800 kg, which is about the weight of a small car. When they are between the ages of 8 and 10, they reach their maximum size. They typically weigh between 150 and 250 kilograms. Before entering the farrowing room in the fall, females who are pregnant can weigh anywhere from 400 to 500 kilograms. The ears are small, and the skull and neck are both long. Instead of the “domed” or concave profile that brown bears have, polar bears have a muzzle that is more prominent, which is known as the “Roman profile.” Its adaptation to a carnivorous diet can be seen in its wide canines and irregular grinding surfaces on its molars. It has brown claws that are short, quite straight, very pointed, and do not retract.
2. Habitat for Polar Bears:
Polar bears live primarily on the ice pack, as well as on the polar ice covers (mainland icy masses) of the Cold and investigate its limitlessness. Greenland, Svalbard (Spitsbergen), the François Joseph Land, northern Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, and north central Siberia are all home to it. However, the availability of oceanic ice sheets restricts its territorial expansion.
3. Polar bear feeding and breeding:
Polar bears eat almost exclusively meat because seals are their primary food source. If they can, polar bears will only consume seals for food. Fats, which help polar bears stay healthy and maintain their body temperature, are required by this high-calorie diet. A polar bear requires approximately 2 kilograms of fat per day, which equals approximately 121 pounds of seal meat, which supplies the bear with energy for approximately 8 days. If polar bears can’t find an adequate number of seals, they might eat fish, rodents, and birds. After eight months of gestation, female polar bears typically give birth in November or December. In preparation for giving birth to their cubs, female polar bears dig snow caves.
The Cueva del Nacimiento is the name of this cave. Although most female polar bears give birth to twins, some give birth to cubs or triplets of twins. Although newborns only weigh about 0.5 kilograms when they are born, they grow quickly and provide their mothers with a lot of warm, creamy milk that is 36% fat. At the age of two, polar bears reach full maturity and begin to explore their surroundings after emerging from their birth dens in the spring. Polar bears live for between 15 and 20 years.
4. Polar Bears that are in danger:
The polar bear is on the Red List of Threatened Species because of the ice floes in the Arctic that are melting. Although polar bears could not survive for very long without ice, this animal has a metabolism that is perfectly suited to life on ice. According to studies, it is feared that this vulnerable species could completely disappear within 100 years. There are currently 22,000 polar bears on the list, but 14,000 could be extinct within 30 years. Additionally, a lot of the ice has vanished forever because of drift ice melting because of global warming. All these bear refuges are in danger of disappearing, and the number of them is decreasing. Therefore, the way you live your life has changed. Therefore, some polar bears approach indigenous peoples and local communities, while others eat their prey, swim in search of ice sheets, and eventually die of exhaustion.
5. How should be saved polar bears?
Another plan to save polar bears is included in the Polar Bear Report of the WWF. For arctic legislation to be created, polar bear nations must collaborate more. We must consider oil and gas extraction, trading, and hunting. The polar bear’s home country cannot halt climate change on its own. However, it is essential that their voices reach the entire globe! Global leaders must permanently reduce greenhouse gas emissions to save polar bears!