POLAR BEAR

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

• Kingdom- Animalia
• Phylum- Chordata
• Class- Mammalia
• Order- Carnivora
• Family- Ursidae
• Genus- Ursus
• Species- U. Maritimus

THE ARCTIC CIRCLE

HABITAT

MARINE MAMMAL

• They spend many months out of the year at sea
• Only living "marine mammal" w/powerful limbs & feet that allow them to cover more ground by running.

POPULATION

Biologists use a working estimate of about 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears world wide.

SUB POPULATION

• There have been 19 generally recognized sub populations
• Out of these 19; 8 are declining, 3 are stable, 1 is increasing, and 7 have insufficient data, as of 2009

NAMING

CONSTANTINE JOHN PHIPPS

• In 1774; the first to name the polar bear as a distinct species

BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR

SIZE

• Only bear similar to size; is the brown bear or the subspecies Kodiak bear
• The average adult male; weight:770-1,540 lb measures: 7ft 10in- 9ft 10in
• The adult females are roughly half the size of males
• Females; weigh: 330-550lb. And measure: 5ft 11in to 7ft 10in
• But during pregnancy, females can weigh up to 1,100lb

HUNTING AND DIET

• Most carnivorous member of bear family
• Diet primarily consistent of ringed seals & bearded seals
• Polar bears hunt at the interface between ice, water, and air
• Rarely they catch seals on land or in open water

STILL- HUNTING

• One of the more common hunting method used by the bears
• They use there sense of smell to locate there prey that is in its breathing hole
• Polar bears are hunted by stalking seals that are normally resting on ice

THE END..