A number of the bears had a mixture of these ailments. In late 2008 the polar bear was officially added to the united states list of endangered species. Polar bears in danger polar bears in danger our oceans, seas, rivers and lakes are home to a large percentage of the animal species of earth. Lets read to find out why the polar bears are in danger. Polar bears are starving because of global warming, melting sea. They must have pack ice to survive and can travel thousands of miles over the course of a year, following the advance and retreat of sea ice. Bears have a large brain and are one of the more intelligent mammals. She came up with a surprisingly balanced argument but some predictable responses from iucn polar bear specialist group pbsg biologists.
Grizzly bear, facts and photos national geographic. Kids will love learning about these arctic animals and finding out more about global warming. This classic berenstain bears story is a perfect way to teach children about strangers and good decisionmaking. American black bear, asiatic black bear, brown bear, giant panda bear, polar bear, spectacled bear, sloth bear and sun bear they are found in a wide range of habitats in both the northern and southern hemispheres, mainly the americas, europe and asia. Debate over the listing of the polar bear under endangered species legislation has put. The best viewing hours for the northern lights cam are during the darkest part of the night, generally 10pm4am et. But climate change is making it harder for polar bears to hunt. Canada considers polar bears a species of special concern under the national species at risk act. This is due to the drop in their numbers and concerns that if that continues they will become extinct.
Learn how wwf is fighting the biggest threat to polar bears survival. Some bears are caught as cubs and might be held in these conditions for as many as 30 decades. Read to find out what is behind the crisis facing the polar bear population. The north american bear center is the only black bear and wildlife educational facility of its kind. They are very strong swimmers, and their large front paws, which they use to paddle, are slightly webbed. In russia, polar bears are classified as a red data book species, a listing that includes animals considered rare or endangered.
Polar bears look white because each hollow hair reflects the light. The berenstain bears learn about strangers by stan. By tracking these bears, scientists can map a polar bear s range and examine how habitat use may change in response to shifting sea ice. In danger penguin young readers, level 3 9780448449241. Male polar bears may grow 10 feet tall and weigh over 1400 pounds. In addition to working to protect land and to stop hunting, they are trying to get the general public out there to realize the facts about bears. Polar bear populations are distributed in artic regions throughout alaska, canada, russia, greenland and norway. Mar 23, 2019 an eightyyearlong decimation of polar bear numbers worldwide almost certainly reduced the genetic diversity of polar bears living today, important information for polar bear geneticists trying to unravel polar bear population dynamics and evolutionary history. Why are polar bears endangered, and how can you help. The incident shows that it is important to take the risk of meeting polar bears seriously. Like most black bears, the spirit bear only weighs about half a pound at birth, growing to 150300 pounds when fully grown. Welcome to the worlds foremost resource for information on polar bears and their arctic habitat. A book about a giraffe who tells his zookeeper how to keep the polar bears from misbehaving.
The berenstain bears learn about strangers youtube. As a consequence, she overlooked some critical facts that make a big difference to the answer. Here is a simplified and very concrete way of showing what happens when the polar ice melts and why polar bears are. The polar bear is the largest and most carnivorous of all bears. Dedicated to replacing old myths with facts, it lets people learn from the bears themselves about bear behavior, ecology, and their relations with humans. Meeting a polar bear on your turf, not its turf, is a bad encounter. By the 1920s and 1930s, these bears had been reduced to less than 2 percent of their historical range. It was also greatly respected for its strength and spirit. Polar bear charges nat geo photographers im willfully jumping onto the beach, with a very hungry bear, who has lost the opportunity to escape with the ice pack. A breakdown of everything you need to know about polar bear living. There are too many stories about bear attacks and them being aggressive in nature that make it hard for people to take an interest in protecting them. Where the doomed, beloved polar bear is still a dangerous.
Polar bear simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This book provides fact after fact for information hungry children to tell family and friends, and even has an accompanying webpage with video clips of the bear species in the book. Nov 25, 2014 for bears, height is usually measured at the shoulder when the animal is on all fours, according to polar bear international. Despite what we think, a polar bears fur is not white. The earths climate is warming and the ice is melting. Did you know that a fullgrown polar bear standing on his hind legs is a. Polar bear, great white northern bear found throughout the arctic region. Seal populations are abundant on pack ice, where currents and wind interact with the ice. All data indicates polar bears as a species are in jeopardy, be it from marine pollution or climate change, and more encounters with. Bears are large mammals that eat mostly meat and fish. In spring 2008, the polar bear was placed on the endangered species list.
But, we know that both environmentalists and their opponents hype the dangers to a point of untruth in order to press home their message. They have gone from a population of 33,000 to a population of 25,000. Photos, videos, and endangered status from leading polar bear nonprofit. Teachers and students are returning from a two week christmas break rested and ready to here are some of my favorite polar bear books that students can both read and comprehend during your polar bear unit in the classroom. This book will give your students information about the polar bears arctic habitat. International polar bear day is here, and you may be wondering why polar bears are endangered. Did you know that a fullgrown polar bear standing on his hind legs is as tall as an elephant. Polar bears are the largest bears in the ursidae family. It has no natural predators and knows no fear of humans, making it an extremely dangerous animal. Polar bears roam the arctic ice sheets and swim in that regions coastal waters. This book has smaller pictures and longer descriptions compared to similar books of this style. Children can write information they have learned about bears in this booklet.
Its hearing is about as acute as that of a human, and its vision is also good at long distances. If youd rather use this with a guided reading group, it is a level 2 reader. The ears are small compared to those of other bears an adaptation that enables them to conserve body heat. The polar bear ursus maritimus is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the arctic circle, encompassing the arctic ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. The scientific name for the polar bear is ursus maritimus, or marine bear. It is especially perilous for bears on dry land, like the polar bear in the viral video. They are strong and fast, and can run as fast as 25 miles 40 km an hour for a short distance. Learn why a polar bears physique is perfect for the arctic. They are very protective of themselves though and they will attack if provoked or they feel that they are in danger.
Wwf continues to work with scientists at spygen, a dna specialist firm, to pioneer an innovative tool that can extract dna from a polar bear footprint. Melting ice in the arctic has opened up new shipping lanes in recent years. Dec 16, 2018 their highfat diet consists primarily of seal meat, and a polar bear is lucky to catch one in every five seals it goes after. There are currently 8 of the 19 species of polar bears out there with a status of vulnerable. This book about bears is part of the amazing facts series written by different authors that follow the same formula. Polar bear population was believed to be endangered, especially due to global warming and melting of sea ice. It is estimated that there arent more than 25,000 polar bears remaining in the world. The videos are split into bear species to further encourage independent reading and learning. Learn how polar bears have adapted to life on top of the world. The crux of the matter is that different claims are.
Apr 25, 2019 polar bear facts, pictures, video and indepth information. Christina wu at the urban times july 3, 2014 recently asked this question. Their front feet are large, flat and oarlike and they have long necks and narrow skulls that give them a. Most bear attacks occur when the animal is defending itself against anything it perceives as a threat to itself or its territory. Bears ursus species are large, fourlegged mammals that have a unique status in pop culture. Dec 27, 2019 the sysselmannen police was soon on site and used a helicoter to push the bear out of the settlement to the south, up longyearbreen longyear glacier, through fardalen and into colesdalen to be as certain as possible that there is no more immediate danger. They have grey fur with a creamcoloured chest, and strong, clawed feet, perfect for living in the branches of trees. Up until 1973 men hunted mercilessly for polar bears in the arctic.
The polar bear has an extremely well developed sense of smell, being able to detect seals nearly 1. A new book with unexpected good news about polar bears. Their front feet are large, flat and oarlike and they have long necks and narrow skulls. The bears blubber, meat, and fur all help the inuit survive.
Find out everything you need to know about bears, including bear habitat, the 8 species of bears, what bears eat, how long bears live, and much more with our beary interesting bear facts. Polar bears are one of natures most beautiful animals, but their home. Aggressive hunting in the early 20th century also threatened the survival of the grizzly bear. Polar bear facts for kids learn all about polar bears. Polar bears in danger by roberta edwards, pamela johnson.
Sister has gotten into a bad habit of talking to strangers, and. Facts about polar bears, habitat, feeding, anatomy, communication, reproduction, predators, social structure, polar bears and humans and polar bear conservation. Bears are large dog like mammals found all around the world there are eight species of bear. Despite its size and power, the polar bear is rated vulnerable. The polar bear was the most dangerous animal to hunt. As she walks, she passes many animals that are sleeping. Bear danger is the risk encountered by humans and their pets or livestock when interacting with bears although most bears are alpha predators in their own habitat, most do not, under normal circumstances, hunt and feed on humans. Found in a variety of environments from arctic ice pack to tropical forests, bears live on every continent except antarctica.
All expeditions use appropriate polar bear defense. Frizzle and her class are off to the arctic to discover the different animals that live there, and other fascinating facts about this polar area. As climate change decimates the polar bears available hunting territory, polar bears are having a hard time finding enough food. My bear book a printable template for a simple booklet to be cut and folded. Polar bear endangered polar bear facts and information. The polar bear eats mostly meat and is classified as carnivores, while the panda feeds almost entirely on bamboo and is classified as a herbivore. Then join national geographic kids as we check out ten fascinating koala facts. Expeditions that are camping or travelling in coastal areas have quite a high chance of seeing a polar bear. What i learned about bears worksheet for children to write what they have learned about bears. But they loved learning about the characteristics and details of polar bears and they were inspired by the references to global warming and how we can better protect the bears. Bear cubs are born in litters of 1 to 3 and usually stay with their mothers for about 3 years.
Heres information on the main cause, and how you can help. All about the polar bear, from life cycle to size, fur, diet, and behavior. Did you know that a bear s closest relative is the seal. A science summary for all ages kindle edition by crockford, susan. This distinctive allwhite bear inhabits the arctic sea ice, where it preys primarily on seals.
Polar bears tend to hunt around the edge of the sea ice in winter, and stay fairly coastal in summer. Among them, with a classification of its own, is one of earths largest carnivores. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Apr 16, 2016 how to explain the impact of climate change on animals such as the polar bear. The polar bear as an icon for climate change is dead. Polar bears international this nonprofit organization is dedicated to the worldwide protection of the polar bear and its arctic habitat the site has facts, photos, recommended tours and more. However, due to their wide distribution and the fact that they are often in isolated areas the exact number is hard to determine. Pamela johnson introduces young children to arctic polar bears, and describes where they live, what they eat, and their behavior. By tracking these bears, scientists can map a polar bears range and examine how habitat use may change in response to shifting sea ice. The polar bear is an excellent swimmer and often will swim for days. It is a large bear, approximately the same size as the omnivorous kodiak bear ursus arctos middendorffi. For many years, we have run a polar bear tracker, using data from wwfsupported researcher teams to monitor some of the animals by satellite.
Jan 31, 2017 polar bears are classified as marine mammals just like seals, whales, and dolphins because they spend so much time out on the sea ice and depend on the ocean to live. A book in which a disaster is averted when an adolescent girl guides an airliner to a successful landing. The book starts off by telling the reader that polar bears and other animals live in the arctic, a brutally cold area near the north pole. The bear of the sea the polar bear is the worlds largest terrestrial carnivore, but its latin name ursus maritimus reflects the fact that it spends most of its life at sea. The polar bear ursus maritimus is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely. Our live polar bear cams of the annual gathering of polar bears in churchill, canada have ended for the season. Polar bears are uniquely adapted for life in the sea. On sunny days, it traps the suns infrared heat and keeps the bear warm at 98 degrees f when theyre resting. Because of melting sea ice, it is likely that more polar bears will soon starve, warns a new study. Churchill resident kelsey eliasson writes about polar bears and whales, his polar bear book, bear tours, research and anything else that comes up. A story in which stephan interacts with a group of foxes living. The list below covers some of the basic facts about bears. How will these issues impact the polar bear population.
But under their fur, polar bears have black skinthe better to soak in the suns warming rays. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading 101 facts. Helen orme simple text and colorful pictures describe the physical characteristics, behavior, habitat, and future of the polar bear. According to the usas endangered species act, an endangered species is an animal, plant or any other kind of wildlife that is likely to face extinction in its natural habitat. Polar bears are popular in fiction, particularly in books for children or teenagers. Bears take a long sleep in the winter similar to hibernation. Jan 20, 2010 also, the information brought back from the polar bear camps and meetings, attended by our volunteers and staff, provides us with valuable information that we can use to spread the word about polar bear natural history and conservation. This information reveals changes and adaptations over time.
Next, the author gives some facts about polar bears. So in order to help both children and adults discover the incredible things about polar bears, we present this interactive video presentation with our top 10 educational facts. Except for one subspecies of grizzly bear, the polar bear is the largest and most powerful carnivore on land. A polar bear s eyes are dark brown, set relatively close together, and face forward. Polar bears often rest silently at a seals breathing hole in the ice, waiting for a seal in the water to surface. I was concerned because it was not fiction and i worried about them being bored.
Or that bears can smell over 2,000 times better than humans. A polar bear may also hunt by swimming beneath the ice. The bears stark white coat provides camouflage in surrounding snow and ice. Polar bear facts, pictures, video and indepth information. Until they return next fall, enjoy our northern lights cam and highlights of the bears from 2019.
The polar bear ursus maritimus is a large bear which lives in the arctic. Today, the only hunting we do for this symbol of the climate crisis is with binoculars and cameras. January is the perfect time to begin a new unit in the classroom. Despite what we think, a polar bear s fur is not white. However, recent study shows polar bear numbers have risen. Wwf also provides funding for polar bear researchers to travel to russia and the us to share and exchange scientific information about polar bears with other researchers. Unfortunately the bears cannot be released into the wild as a result of physical and mental issues, and the lack of a safe place to release them. Especially a protective momma bear with young cubs in tow. May 16, 2018 where the doomed, beloved polar bear is still a dangerous predator a grassroots guard in alaska works to keep people safe from bears, while also keeping bears safe from people. Soon, she stops and watches the stars as they shoot across the night sky.
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