Polar Bear Trivia You Need To Know

The polar bear is one of the best known animals in the world and whose  habitat is seriously threatened by climate change. Furthermore, it is also the largest terrestrial predator living on planet Earth today. The fact that he is a urside living in this inhospitable habitat has helped him develop a series of adaptations to survive in a truly surprising way.

The polar bear is a great swimmer

The effects of climate change on polar bears and, in general, of all human activities, are very significant. Because of the warming global human-caused, the polar bear is more and more water and less ice and thus have increasing difficulties in getting food.

The particular diet of the polar bear

The polar bear needs large amounts of fat. For this, he has to hunt animals such as seals and whales, which allow him to store useful calories to protect him from the cold of the Pole.

No other animal would be able to endure this diet. On the contrary, the polar bear has a particular metabolism that allows it to avoid cholesterol. These accumulated fats are immediately converted into energy and used, without becoming a problem for blood circulation.

This particular metabolism has another consequence: the polar bear liver is very toxic due to its high concentration of retinol .

Another curiosity of the polar bear is that it does not eat penguins, especially since these species live in the polar opposite of our bear. This splendid animal with white fur is the leader of the northern pole, while penguins live only in the south of the globe.

The polar bear is not white

The truth is that polar bears possess black skin and transparent hair, so it’s not uncommon to see different shades due to variations in their diet.

This combination of transparent hair and black leather allows polar bear to blend in n ella snow and at the same time to retain heat thanks to the light that passes through the fur and warms his skin. This is a unique feature among the various bear species.

It is not the only one of the polar bear’s curiosities about its anatomy. Its paws function like snowshoes, thanks to some rough ridges and the hairs it has between its toes, which allow it not to slip when walking or running on icy surfaces.

The harsh motherhood of the polar bear

Polar bears are loners. Males and females only reunite during the heat, after which the mother will spend the winter alone, an evolutionary stratagem that will allow her to conserve energy useful for giving birth. Although it is true that many months can pass before two bears can meet, they mark the territory with signs and smells.

One of the curiosities of the polar bear that arouses the most interest is the gestation through the so-called delayed implantation. It means that it can take months from fertilization to the beginning of fetal development, which means that the offspring only leave the den in spring.

Also, as we have already advanced, the pregnant female will reserve her energy for the months before giving birth. So it won’t completely hibernate, as we explain below:

When born, bears weigh less than one kilogram. They spend more than four months in the den, during which time they will be fed by the mother’s milk, rich in proteins and which will allow them to increase their weight up to 15 kilos. A real feat on the part of mothers.

Thanks to all these amazing features, the polar bear managed to successfully survive in its difficult natural habitat . We hope that human activity and climate change do not cause the end of this species, unique in the world.