Polar (or white) bear - predatory mammal belonging to the family Bear.Ursus maritimus - its Latin name.Where does that eating polar bear?How it reproduces and interacts with other animals?What is its population?Where is home to an animal?It was later in the article.
Origin
originally anticipated that the separation of brown and white bear happened about 45-150 thousand. Years ago, probably in the territory occupied by the modern Ireland.But recent studies it was found that the separation occurred around 338-934 thousand. Years ago.About a hundred, two hundred years ago there was interbreeding species representatives, which resulted in the hybridization.As a result, all the polar bears that inhabit the planet today are descendants of the resulting hybrids.
Looks
Polar Bear is considered one of the most important representatives of terrestrial mammals of the order predators.Growth of individuals can reach 3 m, weight - up to a ton.The most common male, weighing from 400 to 450 kg, and the length of their body - to 250 cm. The height of the shoulder from 130 to 150 centimeters.Females weigh much less - from 200 to 300 kg.The smallest representatives live on Svalbard, and large - in the waters of the Bering Sea.From the other bears white different flat head and long neck.Skin color - black.Fur can have color from yellow to white (summer "fur coat" may turn yellow due to constant exposure to direct sunlight).Hairs are hollow and devoid of hair pigment itself.Translucent hairs capable of transmitting ultraviolet rays, whereby the cover acquires insulating properties.In the implementation of UV-shooting polar bears may seem dark and sometimes may "go green" even.This usually occurs if there is a white bear in the zoo, in a hot climate.Due to the special structure of the hairs they infest microscopic algae - hence the green skins.In order not to freeze and do not slip on the ice, the soles of limbs lined coat.Between fingers palama located on the front paws present stiff bristles.The article went on more than eat polar bears.
Life
Polar bears live in fast and drifting ice floes.There, they hunt and extract their basic food.The polar bears eat?Their main food is the hare (sea), ringed seal, walrus, and other marine animals.It catches its prey, sneaking up from behind cover or near the wells.It is necessary to remove the victim from the water head like an animal paw stun her and pulls ashore.Polar bear may also overturn the ice floe on which sit seals.Hunting walrus is conducted only on land.As a rule, he eats the fat and skin.In the case of severe hunger and devoured the whole carcass of a walrus.But usually the remains of the animal eats and then caught foxes.But it's not all that feed on polar bears.If they can pick up and carrion, dead chicks, fish, eggs.Also, their diet consists of algae and grass.If polar bears appear in person inhabited areas, then you can see them in the trash, close to the landfill of household and food waste.There are even cases of robbery of food warehouses polar expeditions.All what feed the polar bears, promotes their accumulation in liver vitamin A. This compound is contained in their body in a sufficiently large quantity.There is even information on several cases of poisoning by the liver.Does eating polar bear penguin?This issue may occur in those who are familiar with the habitat of these animals.It is known that penguins inhabit the South, and polar bears - the North Pole.Under natural conditions, to meet they can not.Above it was told that eating polar bears.And representatives of the South Pole not included in their diet.
migrations
in accordance with the annual change in the boundaries of polar ice, polar bears make the seasonal transitions.In the summer, they fall back closer to the pole in winter - roam the southern territory, coming to the mainland.Despite the fact that polar bears are mostly kept on ice and coasts, they can lie down in the den on the islands or on the continent, in some cases, about fifty kilometers from the sea.Hibernation, the duration of which varies from 50 to 80 days, are characterized, as a rule, pregnant females.Unmarried male and female woodcocks occur each year, and not at a sufficiently short period.
Behavior
Despite the apparent slowness at first glance, bears quick and nimble, even on land.In the water, they dive and swim quite easily.From wet and cold in the water body of the bear is protected by a dense and very thick hair.A special task performs adaptive subcutaneous fat layer up to ten centimeters.Masking a beast rather contributes to its light color.Polar bears are very well developed hearing, sight and smell.Their prey, they can see already a few kilometers, and, for example, to sense the seal for 800 meters.
Reproduction
Gon begins at polar bears from March and ends in June.In the female estrus usually followed by three or four males.By October, a female deposits begin to pull in the den.Have bears favored area where they gather (of. Wrangel, for example).Every year in such places, there are about 150-200 holes.In-bear dens settled until the middle of November to the end of the latent stage of gestation babies.All pregnancy lasts 230-250 days.At the end or in the middle of the Arctic winter bear cubs are born.The very same female, however, remains in hibernation until the April.It should be noted that the female bears have a low reproductive potential.The first offspring appears in 4-8 years.Deliveries take place once every two or three years, in one litter of one to three cubs.As a result of a lifetime female bears no more than ten or fifteen young.Newborns have a weight of from 450 to 750 grams.After three months with them, the female leaves the den and starts wandering life.Up to one and a half years young stay with the mother.During this period, it feeds the cubs with milk.
social structure
should be noted that the mortality rate among young reaches 10-30%.Life expectancy bears no more than 25-30 years, a record of longevity in captivity - forty-five years.Usually, animals relatively peaceful members of their species.But in the mating season can occur clashes between males.Sometimes adult males attack the young, predominantly male.Polar bears can breed with brown.The result is fertile (reproductive) offspring - polar grizzly.
status of the population and economic value
polar bear is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation as a rare species.Due to the high mortality of young animals and the slow reproduction of the animal it becomes easy enough vulnerable.But despite this, the population is now considered relatively stable, even rising in some way.The Inuit hunt polar bears for meat and hides.In Russia banned the hunting of animals since 1956.In other countries (Greenland, Canada and the US) production of a polar bear is limited.In Russia today, there are about 5-7 thousand.Thus poachers shooting is about 150-200 bears in the year.
