Polar Bear Habitat

The original Polar Bear habitat has not changed much since ancient times, because human interaction has always been minimal in the arctic region. Polar Bears are historically found in the polar areas of Russia, Canada, Greenland, and the USA.

The Polar Bear habitat has changed the appearance of the bears. They had to develop a number of special adaptations to survive in harsh condition of the permafrost. It’s a general rule that northern species are larger than the southern ones. According to it, the Polar Bear is much larger than the Grizzly. The maximum recorded weight of the Polar Bear is 1,002 kg. While most other bear species prefer to feed at night, Polar Bears are primarily diurnal, which means active during the daytime. Polar Bears don’t hibernate, like some of their relatives do, but the females migrate to the land to give birth to their cubs in a warm den. Most bears are slow-moving because of their plantigrade feet. Polar Bears are poor runners too, but they are excellent swimmers and divers.

The Polar Bear habitat has almost no vegetation and consists of ice, snow, and water. To camouflage in the snow, these carnivores have a white coat. Their curved claws, large feet, and soft bumps on the soles help walk on ice and snow. The coat of the Polar Bear is water-insulating and very dense to protect it from severe frosts. These animals even have to cool down in water to prevent overheating.

Polar Bears have no natural predators, but their population diminishes because of several reasons. Global warming is a serious threat to the Polar Bear population, because these animals lose their hunting grounds on sea ice. Polar Bears cannot hunt on land and on the thin ice, so they have to migrate searching for suitable hunting areas. Human interaction has always been a threat to Polar Bears. The Inuit and other native Arctic tribes rely on hunting Polar Bears and other large game. Hides, meat, fat, and other body parts of the Polar Bear are used for food, clothing, bedding, handicrafts, and religions purposes. Every year, Polar Bear habitat is diminished because of pollution with oil, nuclear waste, and various toxic chemicals.