Polar Bear (ursus maritimus)



 

Polar bear...or ursus maritimus!!!

Polar bears are the biggest bears in the world. The males can weigh up to 1500 pounds, and the females weigh about half of that. A polar bear's diet mainly consists of ringed and bearded seals, which are popular in the Arctic Circle, where large populations of polar bears live. The temprature  in the Arctic Circle can get to be -0 in the winter.

Polar bear mating season starts in April and ends in May, with the female giving birth in February. When a polar bear is pregnant, she will eat more than usual, and more than double her body weight. Polar bear cubs weigh about 2.0 pounds at birth, and will suck their mother's milk until they are 2 and 1/2 years old, when their mother either deserts them or chases them away. Today, polar bears can still be found in the Arctic Circle.

Polar bears are extremely good swimmers, and have been spotted over 60 miles from land. Polar bears use their excellent sense of smell to find seal holes, which seals use to breathe through. When a seal exhales, the polar bear can smell its breath, and waits by the breathing hole for the seal to appear.