Download Learning Team #4 - yms

Polar Bears
Cecilia Mak
Jacqueline Wong
Raymond Yang
Helen Li
Period 3, Life Science
MS. KWON
Classification
 KINGDOM:
Animalia
 PHYLUM: Chordata
 CLASS: Mammalia
 ORDER: Carnivora
 FAMILY: Ursidae
 GENUS SPECIES: Ursus (bear) Maritimus
(sea)
Physical Characteristics
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Male polar bears weigh about 350 to more than
650 kg while females weigh about 150 to 250 kg
Have more slender bodies
and longer necks/heads
than other bears
Hind limbs are longer than
forelimbs
Have long claws for tearing
apart prey
Have large, furry feet for walking on snow and ice
Skin is black which enables bear to absorb
sunlight energy to warm its body.
Behavioral Characteristics
Most active the first third of the day and least
active the rest of the day
 Sleeps and rests when
not hunting
 Mothers frequently touch
and groom cubs
 Mates several times
 Aggression occurs during breeding season and
when food is stolen
 Play fighting can leave scars and broken teeth
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Food Source
 Eat
mainly seals
 Also eat reindeer, fish,
small rodents, ducks,
eggs, and birds
 Hunt for food
 Need 2 kg of food per day to survive
 Uses their claws and teeth
 Skin and fat are eaten first, then meat
Habitat
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Live in the entire circumpolar Arctic region
Adapted to live in water
and on land.
Are excellent swimmers
and can withstand its
cold environment
Over 40% of all polar
bears living today live in
Northern Canada
Stay in ice packs of their environment because it
allows them to stay near food source
When summer comes, they swim many miles to
remain on ice
Adaptations
 Have
tiny ears and tails which help cut
down on heat loss
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White fur camouflages them
Blubber is 11 cm.
thick to keep them worm
 Massive paws help them
swim, walk on thin ice,
have better traction
 Sense of smell can allow them to smell a seal at
20 miles away
 Eyesight is adapted for underwater
Interesting Facts
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They sometimes go into
towns and villages
Break into buildings to find
food
Advertises coke and ice
cream
Are not shot, but caught
and taken back to the wild
Are endangered
Countries have laws to
protect polar bears, but
hunters still kill them
Citations
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http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animalbytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/
chordata/craniata/mammalia/carnivora/polar-bear.htm
http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/PolarBears/home.h
tml
http://endangeredpolarbear.com/polar_bear_habitat.ht
m
http://www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/arctic/pbear.html
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/polarbear/behavior.htm
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/polarbear/physical-characteristics.htm