Arctic - the territory adjacent to the North Pole.It includes the Arctic Ocean and the islands off the coast of North America and Eurasia.This is a land where there are polar bears.Even its name comes from the Greek "Arktos" which means bear.And it is in these harsh conditions dwells awesome and a little mysterious stranger ice deserts.
Without changing the harsh environment
world where there are polar bears - is the ice fields of the Arctic Ocean islands and continents'll save.Truly wild land.Despite this, living here is easy to bear finds food and shelter among the vast ice cold.It often happens that the ice floes with polar bears come to Iceland, and even in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.But after such a journey always come back in a familiar environment, making huge transitions by land, moving due north.
Scientists noticed that the white bear very attached to certain places, especially he likes sources of water, ice-free.In winter, the animal prefers the southern outskirts of ice in the Arctic.But in the summer the bears wander more widely, reaching even to the North Pole.The places where they are found - is the whole Arctic.However, from 88 degrees north latitude and further north it is very rare beast.
How to survive in the icy world
How many polar bear weighs?Adult males, especially those that are found in the Bering Sea, can reach three meters tall and weigh up to a ton at the same time and even more.Here they are real giants.Such an animal can easily overcome the deep snow and quickly moves on the ice, walking per day to 30-40 km.The two-meter ice hummocks also no problem for the bears, which is a bit surprising, given their huge size.In addition, polar bears - great swimmers.They are able to overcome the 80 km swim in the icy waters of the Arctic.There was even a case when the bear swam 685 km, while losing weight by 48 kg (20% of its weight).
all have adapted to survive cold among the ice floes.White wool absorbs the sun's light, and he in these parts its weight in gold.The hollow hairs contain air, helping to warm up.A thick layer of fat under the skin in the winter reaches 10 cm in thickness.
This stern eats giant sea animals: walruses, seals, and others. When hunting, it is a blow to the head that stuns its prey, when she pops out of the water, and then pulls out on the ice.However, a walrus in a manner not win with him the white wolf can handle only on land.Bear regales skin and fat, if there is not much hunger, the rest of the carcass goes polar foxes.
harsh conditions of the Arctic region, where there are polar bears, do not allow these animals to multiply rapidly.Over a lifetime, a bear is able to give birth to no more than 15 cubs.At the same time calf mortality reaches 30%.If we take into account poaching of this animal, the conclusion about the existence of the threat of polar bears as a species.
polar bear became the hero of the set of fairy tales, legends, movies and cartoons.People like these furry arctic bears, sometimes so funny.And the region, where there are polar bears, is for most of us a mysterious and unexplored.
