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Description
 Polar bears are one of the world's largest carnivores. Males can weigh up to 800 kilograms (almost 2,000 pounds) and measure three metres in length (nearly ten feet long). Male bears can be twice the size of females. Their coat is thick, made up of hairs which conserve heat, and varies in colour from white to creamy yellow, even light brown in summer. Under this dense coat is black skin, good for absorbing the rays of the Arctic sun.
Their claws are shorter, and more solid than that of their grizzly bear cousins, better suited for walking on ice or climbing steep banks. Polar bears have sharp, jagged back (or molar) teeth, and canines that are larger and sharper than grizzly teeth. Their tails and ears are stubby and compactly fitted to their body-less surface area means less heat loss.
 But that doesn't apply to their feet! Polar bears have huge feet. When swimming, their feet act like oars, and when crossing thin ice, the huge paws function like snowshoes. Such feet spread out the bear's weight and keep this massive animal from breaking through ice cover that would crack under a human's feet. The pads of these remarkably well-adapted appendages are covered with soft, tiny growths called papillae, which increase friction between paw and ice, reducing the chance of a slip.
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A polar bear can be longer than a small car. |
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When standing on its hind legs, a polar bear can be as tall as a small elephant. |
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Polar bears have a special clear second eyelid, called a nictitating membrane, that covers the bear's eyes when swimming like built-in goggles. |
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