1) facts
about
Ursus maritimus aka the polar bear
2) Polar bears spend most of their time on the annual arctic sea ice. It provides a platform for them to hunt, live, breed, and in some cases create maternal dens.
Sea ice is more than a simple platform: it is an entire ecosysteminhabited by plankton and micro-organisms, which support a rich food chain that nourishes seals, that in turn become prey for polar bears.
It is the very foundation and defining characteristic of the arctic marine ecosystem. This information was found on http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/wildlife/polar_bear/habitat/
Sea ice is more than a simple platform: it is an entire ecosysteminhabited by plankton and micro-organisms, which support a rich food chain that nourishes seals, that in turn become prey for polar bears.
It is the very foundation and defining characteristic of the arctic marine ecosystem. This information was found on http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/wildlife/polar_bear/habitat/
3) The polar bear's main prey is the ringed seal. Polar bears usually hunt ringed seals by waiting for them to breathe at openings in the ice (leads) or at breathing holes. Polar bears will also stalk seals that are hauled out on top of the ice.In fall, a seal cuts ten to fifteen breathing holes (known as aglus by Canadian Inuit) in the ice using the sharp claws on its foreflippers. It keeps the breathing holes open all winter long, even in ice up to six feet (~two meters) thick. Seals surface about every five to fifteen minutes at one of these breathing holes. Seals also use air pockets trapped under the ice when available. The web this was found on
http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/about-polar-bears/essentials/hunting-and-eating
http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/about-polar-bears/essentials/hunting-and-eating