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[[Image:Polar_bears.jpg|thumb|250px|A mother polar bear and her two cubs]]

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'''Polar bears''' are large carnivorous [[animal]]s native to the [[Arctic]]. Their primary diet consists mostly of [[seal]]s, although they will eat any type of animal, including people. A large polar [[bear]] can stand 11 feet tall and weigh more than 700 pounds. The polar bear is on the [[Endangered Species List]] in the [[United States]]. There are very few of these bears left in the wild.

The '''Polar Bear''' (''Ursus Maritimus'') is a species of large carnivorous [[animal]]s native to the [[Arctic]] which are noted for their white fur. They have thick blubber to keep warm and are capable of surviving extreme cold, as well as sea ice, snow and frozen land.

 

Polar bears [[hibernate]] through much of the winter, usually in an excavated snow den. Their normal diet consists mainly of [[seal]]s, though in Canada they have been observed to take prey as small as [[lemming]]s. A large polar [[bear]] can stand 11 feet tall and weigh more than 700 pounds, and are one of the few natural predators of humans. For this reason they are greatly feared by arctic travelers.

 

The polar bear is on the [[Endangered Species List]] in the [[United States]]. There are very few of these bears left in the wild. The current world population is estimated at around 22-27,000.<ref>http://www.naturecanada.ca/climate_change_polar.asp</ref>

Polar bears have been known to [[interbreed]] with [[grizzly bear]]s in the wild, producing a polar-grizzly hybrid.<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12738644/GT1/8199/</ref>

Polar bears have been known to [[interbreed]] with [[grizzly bear]]s in the wild, producing a polar-grizzly hybrid.<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12738644/GT1/8199/</ref>

At the moment, there is a polar bear cub in the [[Berlin]] [[zoo]] named "Knut," who has been the target of a campaign of death by [[German]] animal activists, who claim Knut would be "better off dead." However, as of this time Knut is not yet dead.<ref>http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=255770</ref>

 

Polar bears also starred in a series of [[Coca-Cola]] advertisements that ran during the 1990s.  These were not actual polar bears, but were digital animations.

==References==

==References==  

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[[Category:Marine_mammals]]

[[Category:Bears]]

[[Category:Aquatic mammals]]