Difference between revisions of "Polar bear"
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[[Image:Polar_bears.jpg|left|thumb|200px|A mother polar bear and her two cubs]] | [[Image:Polar_bears.jpg|left|thumb|200px|A mother polar bear and her two cubs]] | ||
| − | The polar bear is on the [[Endangered Species List]] in the [[United States]]. The current world population is estimated at around 22-27,000.<ref>http://www.naturecanada.ca/climate_change_polar.asp</ref> | + | The polar bear is on the [[Endangered Species List]] in the [[United States]]. The current world population is estimated at around 22-27,000, around twice what it was in the 1960s.<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> | ||
Revision as of 16:07, March 6, 2008
| Polar bear | |
|---|---|
| 200px | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class Information | |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order Information | |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family Information | |
| Family | Ursidae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Ursus |
| Species Information | |
| Species | U. maritimus |
| Binomial name | Ursus maritimus |
| Synonyms | U. eogroenlandicus U.groenlandicus U. jenaensis U. labradorensis U. marinus U. polaris U. spitzbergensis U. ungavensis Thalarctos maritimus |
| Population statistics | |
The polar bear (Ursus Maritimus) is a species of large carnivorous animals 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 seals, though in Canada they have been observed to take prey as small as lemmings. 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. The current world population is estimated at around 22-27,000, around twice what it was in the 1960s.[1]
Polar bears have been known to interbreed with grizzly bears in the wild, producing a polar-grizzly hybrid.[2]
In popular culture
Digitally animated polar bears starred in a series of Coca-Cola advertisements that ran during the 1990s.