site

  1. myWWF Sign in
  2. Sign up
  3. Help
  1. Home
  2. Who We Are
  3. What We Do
  4. About Our Earth
  5. How You Can Help
  6. News
  7. Climate
  1. Home
    1. What We Do
      1. Priority Places
        1. Arctic
          1. About the Arctic
            1. Species
              1. Polar Bear

Facts about polar bears

Close up of polar bear's claws (possibly taken in a zoo)
  • Weight  352-680 kg (780 - 1,500 lb)
  • Length  2 - 3 m (6.5 - 9.8 ft)
    Females are usually half the size of males, unless pregnant
     
  • Largest Polar Bear recorded  1,002 kg (2,210 lb)
  • Largest  Kodiak bear recorded 1,134 kg  (2,500 lb)
    Source
     
  • Average swimming speed  9.7 kph (6 mph)
  • Average walking speed  5.5 kph (3.5 mph)
  • Maximum running speed  40 kph (25 mph)
     
  • Teeth  42
  • Paw size up to 30 cm across (12 in)
  • Tongue  dark blue/black
  • Skin  black
  • Claws  curved, non-retractable
  • Eyes  dark brown
  • Tail  7 - 12 cm (2.8 - 4.7 in)
  • Hair  2.5 - 5 cm (1 -2 in) with a second insulating underlayer (called the guard layer)
A Polar Bear's tongue
A close up of a Polar bear's dark skin and fair hair. Svalbard, Norway.

More facts on polar bears...

  • Polar bears are the top predator in the arctic marine ecosystem
  • They evolved from brown bears during the Pleistocene, the time period that spanned from 1.8 million to 11,000 years ago.
  • Polar bears have adapted to life in the north where temperatures do not exceed 10°C (50°F) in summer and typically fall to -30°C (-22°F) during winter.
  • A layer of fat up to 11 cm (4.3 in) thick keeps the bears warm, especially while swimming.
  • Polar bears are so well insulated that they have to move slowly to avoid overheating.
  • Their thick coat is made up of a double layer of water repellent hairs that conserve heat.
  • Under their dense fur is black skin, good for absorbing the rays of the arctic sun.
  • Polar bears have enormous paws that function like snowshoes, distributing their weight to keep them from breaking through ice and snow.
  • The pads of their feet are covered with soft, tiny growths called papillae, which increase friction between paw and ice and reduce the chance of slipping.
  • Polar bear claws are shorter, and more solid than their grizzly bear cousins, better suited for walking on ice or climbing steep banks.
  • They have sharp, jagged back teeth, and canines that are larger and sharper than grizzly teeth,
  • However they swallow their food in large chunks rather than chewing.

Photos and graphics © WWF or used with permission. Text available under a Creative Commons licence. RSS/Web Feeds

@import url('http://s3.amazonaws.com/getsatisfaction.com/feedback/feedback.css');