Polar Bear Fishing

4. ADAPTATIONS

Polar bears are able to swim in the icy Arctic Ocean without freezing. They have thick oily fur coats and a layer of fat (blubber) under their skin. When bears come out of the water they shake the water off their coats.
The bear's large feet are like snowshoes. The hair on the soles of its feet help the bear walk on the slippery ice and snow. The bear walks with toes pointing inward to avoid slipping.
Polar bears are good swimmers. They have large front paws with partially webbed toes. They paddle with their front legs and use their hind legs as rudders.
The polar bear has a very good sense of smell and can sniff dead animals from far away and can find seals in dens beneath the snow. Their claws help them to catch seals. The polar bear's huge teeth are for tearing the prey apart.

Sleeping Time

5. PROTECTION

The polar bear is so strong it can kill an animal with one blow to the head.

Mommy & Her 2 Cubs

6. THE YOUNG

The female usually has two cubs. Sometimes she may have three. When the cubs are born they are very tiny. They weigh less than less than a kilogram (less than two pounds). The cubs have very fine fuzz and are blind and deaf.Females aggressively protect their young, but receive no help from their solitary male mates. In fact, male polar bears may even kill young of their species. In November or December the cubs are born in dens in the snow. They stay in the den for about three months. The cubs are safe and protected from the cold and the wind. The mother feeds them milk but she has nothing to eat.
The mother and her cubs leave the den in March or April. The cubs stay with their mother for about two years. In one year the cubs are as big as a person.
A female polar bear gives birth every third year.

Mommy & Her Young