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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).
As an example of related species with differing diets, even though they diverged only 150,000 years ago, [7] the polar bear is the most highly carnivorous bear (more than 90% of its diet is meat) while the grizzly bear is one of the least carnivorous in many locales, with less than 10% of its diet being meat. [8] [9] [10]
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]
Overall, it shows that it's unlikely polar bears can adapt to living on land, Derocher said. When polar bears have sea ice, they feast on seals. Not just the seals, but their fat. About 70% of the polar bear diet while on ice is fat, said study co-author Karyn Rode, a USGS wildlife biologist.
[69] [83] The polar bear mainly preys on seals, stalking them from the ice or breaking into their dens. They primarily eat the highly digestible blubber. [84] [81] Large mammalian prey is typically killed with raw strength, including bites and paw swipes, and bears do not display the specialized killing methods of felids and canids. [85]
Brown bears will also commonly consume animal matter, which in summer and autumn may regularly be in the form of insects, larvae such as grubs and including beehives.Most insects eaten are of the highly social variety found in colonial nests, which provide a likely greater quantity of food, although they will also tear apart rotten logs on the forest floor, turn over rocks or simply dig in ...
Polar bears hunt primarily at the interface between ice, water, and air; they only rarely catch seals on land or in open water. [69] The polar bear's most common hunting method is still-hunting: [70] The bear locates a seal breathing hole using its sense of smell, and crouches nearby for a seal to appear. When the seal exhales, the bear smells ...
The livers of polar bears, walruses, bearded seals, and huskies can contain very high levels of preformed vitamin A, [11] and their consumption has led to vitamin A poisoning (hypervitaminosis A) according to several anecdotal reports. It has been estimated that consumption of 500 grams of polar bear liver would result in a toxic dose for a ...