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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).
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.
For example, female black bears go into hibernation during the winter months in order to give birth to their offspring. [6] The pregnant mothers significantly increase their body mass prior to hibernation, and this increase is further reflected in the weight of the offspring.
Bears normally stock up on food then hibernate in their dens during the coldest winter months. Bear hibernation is “strongly tied” to weather patterns and food availability, according to a ...
Female polar bears dig their own maternity den. It is important the the female polar bears have fed enough in the spring and summer before fall, because of the scarcity of food on land when winter comes. While in the maternity den, the mother polar bear will not eat, drink or defecate. The female polar bear will stay in the maternity den and ...
An isolated group of polar bears living in southeast Greenland has surprised scientists with its ability to survive in a habitat with relatively little sea ice. Polar bears face existential threat ...
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Polar bears differ from black bears, grizzlies, and other bear species where both sexes hibernate in that only females use hibernacula. Like other female bears, polar bears use hibernacula as maternity dens. Also like other species, they tend to dig dens into the earth, although their Arctic hibernacula are usually covered with snow by the time ...