12/31/2023 0 Comments Polar bear![]() The good news is that five populations are stable while two have been experiencing an upward trend.ĭue to climate change the Arctic is heating up twice as fast as anywhere else on the planet, shrinking the Arctic sea ice cover by 14% per decade. In October 2019, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Polar Bear Specialist Group released a new assessment of polar bear populations showing that the number of polar bear subpopulations experience recent declines has increased to four, with eight populations still being data-deficient. The survival and the protection of the polar bear habitat are urgent issues for WWF. As their sea ice habitat recedes earlier in the spring and forms later in the fall, polar bears are increasingly spending longer periods on land, where they are often attracted to areas where humans live. But because of ongoing and potential loss of their sea ice habitat resulting from climate change–the primary threat to polar bears Arctic-wide–polar bears were listed as a threatened species in the US under the Endangered Species Act in May 2008. Polar bears rely heavily on sea ice for traveling, hunting, resting, mating and, in some areas, maternal dens. ![]() Their diet mainly consists of ringed and bearded seals because they need large amounts of fat to survive. A polar bear might catch only one or two out of 10 seals it hunts, depending on the time of year and other variables. Polar bears spend over 50% of their time hunting for food. They have a thick layer of body fat and a water-repellent coat that insulates them from the cold air and water. In the United States, Alaska is home to two polar bear subpopulations.Ĭonsidered talented swimmers, polar bears can sustain a pace of six miles per hour by paddling with their front paws and holding their hind legs flat like a rudder. ![]() The polar bear's Latin name, Ursus maritimus, means "sea bear." It's an apt name for this majestic species, which spends much of its life in, around, or on the ocean–predominantly on the sea ice. The largest bear in the world and the Arctic's top predator, polar bears are a powerful symbol of the strength and endurance of the Arctic.
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