Friday, May 18, 2012

It's The Polar Bear

☘ They're world's largest land predator
☘ Polar bears number in the first five most popular animals with zoo visitors
☘ Polar bears are actually not white but rather have clear hollow hairs, the reflection of lights that makes them look white
☘ In captivity sometimes polar bears turn green when algae grows in the hollow shafts of the hairs
☘ They're obsessive about keeping clean
☘ Following mealtime, they will spend 15-20 minutes grooming themselves 
☘ They're obsessive about keeping clean
☘ They have a very keen sense of smell

☘ They're excellent swimmers
☘ They spend so much time in water that some scientists prefer to classify them as marine mammals
☘ Polar bear's fur is oily and water repellant, allowing them to shake dry after swimming
☘  Their front paws have webbed toes, they're able to paddle better through the water
☘ They're able to swim up to 70 miles at a stretch
☘ Polar bears can swim up to 100 miles at a time (161 km)
☘ With rough padded feet are also essential to prevent slipping on ice

☘ They don't hibernate
☘ Polar bears in general will keep hunting and eating throughout the whole winter
☘ Female polar bears would build their dens in "old snow" from previous years rather than the freshly falling snow
☘ They build dens with multiple rooms and even a ventilation system in the roof
☘ When polar bears sleep in winter, their body temperature never goes below 31C (88F)
☘ They're so well padded with fat (blubber) and thick fur that they can overheat quickly, even in subzero temperature
☘ They tend to walk slowly, avoid running, and spend lots of hours lying down and resting

☘ Males can reach up to 1500 pounds and 10 feet in length
☘ Females rarely exceed 600 pounds and average 6.5 feet in length
☘ Frustrated polar bears throwing chunks of ice, kicking piles of snow or growling in disappointment after losing prey they've been trying to catch
☘ They will slide down slopes or crawl on their stomachs if the ice is thin and at a risk of breaking
☘ They mainly hunt seals, but also eat fish and sometimes birds
☘ A polar bear is so strong, it can kill an animal with one blow from its paw

☘ Polar bears mate through July, however the fertilized egg will not start to develop until September
☘ Females do not start having cubs until they are about 4-5 years old
☘ Pregnant females will curl up in their dens and become less active
☘ Polar bear babies weigh a little more than a pound when they're born
☘ Polar bears will normally have between 1-3 cubs

☘ They have better color vision capabilities than most carnivores
☘ A polar bear would never eat a penguin because the two would never meet, they live at opposite ends of the planet
☘ Humans are polar bear's only predator
☘ A polar bear's liver is so rich in vitamin A that it would be poisonous to a human who ate it

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