Cochrane, Ontario

FACTS

Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae Genus: Ursus
Species: Ursus maritimus
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) lists the
polar bear under “Special Concern”, while the International Union for the Conservation
of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) lists the polar bear under “Vulnerable”

GEOGRAPHY

• The five polar bear nations are Canada; United States; Norway; Russia and Greenland
• Canada has 60% of the world’s population of polar bears.
• Ontario has the largest and most southern population of polar bears.
• Polar bears live in the circumpolar arctic.
• There are only approximately 20,000-22,000 polar bears left in the wild.

GLOBAL WARMING

• Global warming is currently the greatest threat to polar bears.
• Because of rising temperature, the sea ice on which polar bears depend for hunting seal, is melting 2 weeks sooner and freezing two weeks later than a decade ago.
• As a result, polar bears are not able to put on sufficient fat stores to survive the lean summer months.
• Reports of polar bear drowning are numerous, due to larger expanses of open water and less sea ice.

PHYSIOLOGY

• Largest of the world’s eight bear species.
• Polar bears have an acute sense of smell, they can detect a seal’s breathing hold from 1km away under a layer of snow and ice 90 cm thick.
• They have 2 layers of translucent fur, thin black skin and about 4 inches of blubber for insulation against the arctic cold.
• Translucent fur helps to reflect sunlight and blend into the snow and ice of their arctic environment.
• Their skin secretes oils that make the fur waterproof.
• They have 5 toes on each foot with 1 curve robust non-retractable claw on each toe, used for hunting and traction on ice.
• Polar bears are very powerful swimmers, they have semi-webbed toes and can reach speeds of 10 km/h.
• Submerged, a polar bear keeps it’s eyes open and can hold it’s breath for approximately 2 minutes.
• When running, they can reach speeds of 40 km/h.
• A polar bear’s lifespan is approximately 20-25 years old in the wild. In captivity, their life span can increase up to ten years.
• A polar bears teeth are highly adaptable for their carnivorous diet. Their molars are sharper than their omnivorous relatives such as the black bear. They are useful while chewing and tearing meat.

DIET

• They need a minimum of 4.4 pounds of blubber a day to survive.
• Most carnivorous of the world’s 8 species of bear.
• Their favorite thing to eat is ringed seal (Phoca hispida) which they hunt out on the sea ice from November to July in Ontario.
• Polar bears especially love eating seal pups, due to the large percentage of fat found on the pups. They can hunt the seal pups in April and May.
• In the summer, they may eat kelp, grasses and berries. If food is sparse, polar bears will slow down their metabolism and survive on their fat stores. They remain 80% inactive during this time to save energy.

CUBS

• Mating occurs in April and May
• Female polar bears delay the implantation of the fetus until she has gained sufficient weight, and enters a maternity den in mid-October.
• Cubs are born after approximately 2 months of pregnancy. Polar bears usually have twins.
• At birth a cub is only about 25 cm and weighs approximately 1 pound. Their eyes are closed at birth and they have a fine layer of hair on their bodies
• Cubs feed primarily on their mother’s milk. The mother weans the cubs at approximately 1 year of age.
• The family leaves the den in late February and cubs stay with their mother until they are 2 years of age, and learned the necessary skills to survive in the harsh arctic environment.