Polar Bear

While at the polar bear exhibit you can share the following information with those with you. The student worksheets have blanks for them to fill in. The answers are the BOLD words in the following statements:

1. The polar bears' scientific name is "ursus maritimus" which is latin for MARITIME bear.

2. Polar bears are the LARGEST land carnivore growing to 8 FEET TALL and...

3. They can weigh over 1,700 POUNDS!

4. Polar bears are EXCELLENT swimmers.

5. What is the longest recorded non-stop swim by a polar bear? 425 MILES OVER A 9-DAY PERIOD AVERAGING 2 MPH. SHE LOST 21% OF HER WEIGHT.

6. Polar bears have 2 TO 4 inches of FAT to help protect them from the environment.

7. Polar bears can smell prey up to 9 MILES away.

BONUS:
Here's some additional information for you to share with those that are with you:

A. Polar bear fur is made up of a dense, insulating underfur that’s topped by guard hairs that vary in length. The fur prevents almost all heat loss—in fact, adult males can quickly overheat when they run.

B. Polar bear fur isn’t actually white—it just looks that way. Each hair shaft is transparent with a hollow core that scatters and reflects visible light, similar to what happens with ice and snow.

C. To help keep polar bears warm they have black skin over their thick layer of fat. What keeps them warm in the water is that thick fat layer. Wet fur is a poor insulator. This is why mother bears are reluctant to swim with young cubs in the spring—the cubs just don't have enough fat to survive the cold.

GO TO THE HARBOR SEAL NEXT.