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The key danger for polar bears posed by the effects of climate change is malnutrition or starvation due to habitat loss.Polar bears hunt seals from a platform of sea ice. Rising temperatures cause the sea ice to melt earlier in the year, driving the bears to shore before they have built sufficient fat reserves to survive the period of scarce food in the late summer and early fall.
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can interbreed.The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear and land carnivore, with adult males weighing 300–800 kg (660–1,760 lb).
Ursus is a genus in the family Ursidae that includes the widely distributed brown bear, [3] the polar bear, [4] the American black bear, and the Asian black bear. The name is derived from the Latin ursus, meaning bear. [5] [6]
Polar bear fur is not actually white, but rather clear and hollow, the better to insulate them in icy waters and help them stay afloat. When exposed to the sun, these tubular hairs yellow slightly.
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Bear habitats are generally forests, though some species can be found in grassland and savana regions, and the polar bear lives in arctic and aquatic habitats. Most bears are 1.2–2 m (4–7 ft) long, plus a 3–20 cm (1–8 in) tail, though the polar bear is 2.2–2.44 m (7–8 ft) long, and some subspecies of brown bear can be up to 2.8 m (9 ...
Brown bears and polar bears continued to remain isolated for a long period of time, theorized due to the presence of ice, before recent changes allowed polar bears and brown bears to interbreed again. [9] [10] It is estimated that polar bears and brown bears began to interbreed again about 160,000 years ago. The study shows that previous ...
At the north end is the 266,000-gallon polar bear pool and underwater window, one of the largest polar bear habitats in the world. The zoo received two polar bears, brother and sister Lee and Anana, in 2001, but currently only Anana remains, as Lee was sent to the Detroit Zoo to assist in a breeding program. [ 74 ]