Who doesn’t love polar bears? In honor of International Polar Bear Day, we’ve put together some fun facts and ways you can help out polar bears in your day-to-day life.
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A polar bear’s scientific name is Ursus maritimus, which means sea bear. It’s the only bear to be classified as a marine mammal, thanks in large part to their reliance on sea ice.
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Polar bears could be almost as smart as some ape species. Scientist Alison Ames has observed the bears playing complex games in the zoo, and figuring out how to grab fish from blocks of ice.
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The biggest threat to polar bears’ survival is global warming. They need sea ice to hunt from, and with the ice rapidly melting due to rising temperatures, many are facing starvation. In fact, polar bears are one of the few species to have global warming as a cause for species endangerment – they are classified as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN.
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A polar bear's fur is not actually white! The hair has no pigment and each individual strand has a hollow core that is capable of scattering and reflecting light, making it look white.
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Seal fat is the primary diet for polar bears- they have evolved specifically to eat it! A polar bear in good body condition will eat only the seal blubber, which in turn builds up their own fat layer to help them survive between meals.
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Polar bears are superbly insulated. Their two layers of fur can keep them warm in temperatures as low as -50F. They also have a thick fat layer that helps to keep them warm.
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A polar bear cub will stay with its mother for up to two and a half years. It takes a lot of time to learn how to navigate their challenging environment.
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Taking action to help polar bears is as easy as changing a light bulb! If every person in America switched to using just one CFL or LED bulb, there would be enough energy saved to power two million homes for a year. Saving energy reduces our use of fossil fuels, which in turn saves polar bears. You can also turn off lights in a room when you’re not using it.
To learn more about polar bears and how you can help them, please visit Polar Bears International.
Written by Elizabeth Rogers
Photo courtesy of Polar Bears International.