Pistons+123's+writing

my favorite animals spider monkey orangatang gorilla zebra elephant chimp manitee birds loin cheatah

1) Polar bears are a potentially threatened species living in the circumpolar north. 2)They pad across the ice from Russia to Alaska, from Canada to Greenland and onto Norway's Svalbard archipelago. 3)No adequate census exists on which to base a worldwide population estimate, but biologists use a working figure of 20,000 to 25,000 bears with about sixty percent of those living in Canada. 4)Polar bears are fastidious about staying clean. 5) In addition to washing, a polar bear's cleaning ritual also involves licking its paws, chest, and muzzle. 6) After feeding, a bear will devote up to fifteen minutes to cleaning itself up.A thorough job is important, as matted and dirty fur is a poor insulator. 7)A thorough job is important, as matted and dirty fur is a poor insulator. 8)Hibernation in the true sense of the word does not apply to polar bears. 9)True hibernators experience a marked drop in heart rate and a body temperature that plunges to nearly O° C (32° F). It may take some time to wake them up. 10)Polar bears only rarely catch seals in open water. 11). They are far more successful at hunting them on the sea ice. 12). On the ice, the bears catch their prey when they surface to breathe. 13) Polar bears locate breathing holes with their powerful sense of smell. 14)When a bear finds an aglu, it waits patiently for the seal to surface — which can take hours or days. 15)Polar bears depend on the presence of ice for access to seals. In summer, when the floes retreat north, polar bears will travel hundreds of miles to maintain contact with their prey. 16)The bears are superbly adapted for survival in the Far North. 17) Polar bears range throughout the Arctic in areas where they can hunt seals at open leads. 18)The five "polar bear nations" where the ice bears are found include the U. S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark (Greenland), and Norway. 19)Polar bears are the world's largest land predators They top the food chain in the Arctic, where they prey primarily on seals. 20)Adult male polar bears weigh from 775 to more than 1,500 pounds. Females are considerably smaller, normally weighing 330 to 550 pounds. 21)Churchill, Manitoba, the "Polar Bear Capital of the World," was established in 1717. Since that time, only two townspeople have ever been killed by polar bears, despite numerous encounters. 22)not federally listed as endangered or threatened 23) The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Polar Bear Specialist Group lists most populations as "stable." 24)The polar bear rivals the Kodiak bear as the largest four-footed carnivore on Earth and can live up to 25 years. 25)Although the polar bear�s coat appears white, each individual hair is actually a clear hollow tube that channels the sun�s 26)skin and helps it stay warm 26)The polar bear�s entire body is furred, even the bottom of its paws. 27)The polar bear is classified as a marine mammal. 28)Its feet are partially webbed for swimming, and its fur is water-repellent. 29)A formidable predator, it has extremely sharp claws. 30)males are 8 to 11 feet long and weigh 500 to 1,100 pounds but can reach as much as 1,500 pounds 31)Females are smaller, measuring 6 to 8 feet long, and weigh from 350 to 600 pounds, occasionally reaching 700 pounds. 32)Worldwide there are thought to be 22,000-27,000 polar bears in 19 separate populations. 33)They can be found in the United States, Canada, Russia, Greenland and on the Arctic islands of Norway. 34)There are estimated to be about 3,000 to 5,000 polar bears in Alaska. 35)Polar bears are found throughout the Arctic and are the most nomadic of all bear species. 36)They travel an average of 5,500 miles a year or 15 miles a day 37)in the United States, polar bears are located in two Alaskan populations: the Chukchi/Bering Seas of western Alaska and the Beaufort Sea off northern Alaska. 38)The entire circumpolar Arctic region is polar bear habitat. 39)They are equally comfortable in the water and on land. 40)Polar bears can be found on pack ice, coastal islands, coastlines and even out in Arctic waters. 41)They are exceptional swimmers and have been observed in the sea more than 100 miles from the nearest land or pack ice. 42)Polar bears are strictly carnivores and feed or scavenge only meat. 43). Their primary prey is the ringed seal though they also take bearded, harp and hooded seals and the occasional walrus youngster. 44)They will also scavenge walrus and whale carcasses. 45)That sometimes results in temporary aggregations of polar bears at such sites. 46)Other species, such as the Arctic fox, rely entirely upon "polar bear left-overs" after the bears have eaten their fill of seal skin and blubber, leaving the remaining meat for such scavengers. 47)The two main focuses of this solitary creature's life are to conserve energy and to hunt. 48)Only pregnant females dig dens and hibernate in the traditional sense for extended periods. 49)The other bears may enter into what is referred to as "walking hibernation" where they remain active and continue to hunt and feed, even though some of their metabolic processes may slow (decreased heart rates, respiration, lowered temperatures, etc.). 50) Polar bears depend mostly on their sense of smell to determine the location of prey. 51)Their white coats make great camouflage for hunting seals, and they will wait patiently for hours next to a seal�s 52)Once the seal arrives, the polar bear will use its immense strength and sharp claws to clutch the seal and drag it through the small blowhole. 53)females are able to breed at the age of five years. 54)They dig dens either on the coastal mainland or out on the drifting pack ice in late October or early November, and then remain denned until the next spring. 55)An average of two cubs are born, each weighing about 1 pound at birth and growing to about 15 pounds by the time they emerge in the spring. 56)the cubs have much to learn and usually remain with their mothers for more than two years. 56)The primary threat facing polar bears today may be global warming. 57)Scientists have already documented measurable effects in the body sizes and reproductive success of bears at Hudson�s Bay. 58)This southern-most population of polar bears has adapted to an ice-free summer by moving onshore at Churchill, Manitoba, and fasting through the short summer season until freeze-up occurs, and the bears can return to the ice. 59)Global warming has resulted in prolonged ice-free periods, and the polar bears are left stranded onshore for longer and longer periods. 60)Break-up in the spring occurs an average of 10-14 days earlier than 20 years ago and was four weeks earlier in 1999. 61)CITES* Appendix II, U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears. 62)Polar bears are the largest land carnivores (meat-eaters) in the world and the largest members of the bear family. 63)Polar bear cubs are no bigger than a rat when born. 64)Polar bears live only in the northern Arctic where they spend most of their time on ice floes. They are found in the US (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Greenland and Norway. These areas are viciously cold, with temperatures as low as minus 55 degrees Celsuis and wind speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.65) 66)By having a thick layer of fat (blubber) under their skin, the bears can stay warm in the cold environment. Polar bears are warm-blooded mammals, which means that they can regulate their body at the same temperature. Their skin is black, which helps to soak up as much heat from the sun as possible. What's more, their round and compact body shape helps to keep them warm. Polar bears don't have large ears or a long tail, because they lose warmth quickly. Instead they try to weigh as much as possible because large objects lose heat slowly, so the heaviest polar bear stays warmer longer. 67)Polar bears hunt seals, fish, seabirds and reindeer. They will also eat vegetation and berries in the summer. Polar bears do not need to drink water, as they get all the liquid they need from the food they eat. 67)In order for polar bears to stay fat and warm they must eat a lot of food, namely seal blubber. About half of the food polar bears eat is used to keep them warm, which is the same for humans. So the colder the Arctic gets, the more they must eat to keep warm. 68)Polar bears have an amazing sense of smell, which means that they can smell a dead meal 20 miles away and a live seal one metre under the ice. They are very good swimmers, and use their fat and two layers of dense, oily, water repellent fur to help keep them afloat. They use their large feet as paddles when swimming and when on the ice, their feet are used as snow-shoes. 69)//Paw pads with rough surfaces help prevent polar bears from slipping up on the ice.//

70)Polar bears live along shores and on sea ice in the icy cold Arctic. 71)When sea ice forms over the ocean in cold weather, many polar bears, except pregnant females, head out onto the ice to hunt seals. 72)Polar bears have been spotted on sea ice hundreds of miles from shore. 73)When the warm weather causes the sea ice to melt, polar bears move back toward shore. 74)In fall pregnant polar bears make dens in earth and snowbanks, where they’ll stay through the winter and give birth to one to three cubs. 75). Generally, she will nurse them for two and a half years. 76)During that time she will protect them and teach them how to hunt. 77)Polar bears primarily eat seals. 78)Polar bears often rest silently at a seal’s breathing hole in the ice, waiting for a seal in the water to surface. 79)Once the seal comes up, the bear will spring and sink its jagged teeth into the seal’s head. 80)Sometimes the polar bear stalks its prey. 81)It may see a seal lying near its breathing hole and slowly move toward it, then charge it, biting its head or grabbing it with its massive claws. 82)A polar bear may also hunt by swimming beneath the ice. 83)The U.S., Canada, Denmark, Norway, and the Soviet Union signed an agreement in 1973 to protect polar bears. 84)Each of these countries either banned hunting or established rules for how many polar bears could be hunted within its own boundaries. 85)These rules help keep polar bear populations stable. 86)Today, 25,000 to 40,000 polar bears roam the Arctic. 87)The Zoo received its first polar bear in 1917.It was displayed in a cage. 89)hen a male polar bear and a human are face to face, there occurs a brief kind of magic: an intense, visceral connection between man and beast whose poignancy and import cannot be expressed in mere words. Then he rips your arms off. 90)v**Adapted for the cold, polar bears have a thick fur coat. The coat of a polar bear can appear in a number of color variations from pure white to creamy yellow to light brown, depending on season and angle of light. A polar bear's black skin absorbs heat from the sun, helping it stay warm. In addition, the long guard hairs of a polar bears coat can trap a still layer of water in the under-fur and help insulate the bear's body while submerged; acting in a similar manner to a wetsuit. Polar bears also possess a fat layer that can reach a thickness of up to 11 cm (4.3 in.) This fat layer acts as an energy reserve in times of low food availability and possibly also aids in thermoregulation**.[|http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/polar_bear.html http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/mammalia/carnivora/polar-bear.htm#ff2] 91) Polar bears are strong swimmers, paddling dog-style with their partially webbed front paws while holding their hind feet and legs flat like rudders. Scientists have tracked polar bears swimming continuously for 100 km (62 mi.). On land they are capable of reaching speeds of 40 kph (25 mph) while running in short bursts. 91)
 * Only female polar bears, especially pregnant females, enter into a state of carnivore lethargy or "hibernation". They do so from October or November through March or April. During hibernation, the female's heart rate slows from a normal resting rate of about 46 beats per minute to about 27 beats per minute. Females also fast throughout hibernation, losing all or most of their fat stores. Though hibernating females sleep soundly, they are easily aroused. ||

92)
 * nlike most other hibernators, female polar bears give birth while hibernating. Sows give birth in their dens from November through January. Typically, two cubs are born. Cubs are born helpless with their eyes closed, and appear hairless because of their very fine fur. Cubs open their eyes within the first month and begin walking at two months. At four to six months of age, cubs emerge from the den. By eight months, they weigh more than 45 kg (99 lb.). ||

93) 94) 95) When other food is unavailable, polar bears eat reindeer, small rodents, seabirds, waterfowl, fish, eggs, vegetation (including kelp), berries, and human garbage. 96)A polar bear's stomach can hold an estimated 15% to 20% of its body weight. A polar bear generally eats this much only when its energy demands are high. A bear can assimilate 84% of the protein and 97% of the fat it eats. 97) 98) Stalking is a hunting method used when seals haul out on sea ice.
 * Polar bears feed mainly on ringed and bearded seals. Depending upon their location, they also eat harp and hooded seals and scavenge on carcasses of beluga whales, walruses, narwhals, and bowhead whales. ||
 * On occasion, polar bears kill young beluga whales and walruses. ||
 * Still hunting is the most common method of hunting year-round. ||
 * || The polar bear remains motionless beside a breathing hole or lead edge waiting for a seal to surface. When a seal surfaces, the polar bear bites onto the head or upper body, then flips the entire seal onto the ice. ||
 * || Still hunting usually takes less than one hour, but polar bears will wait much longer. ||
 * || Still hunting usually takes less than one hour, but polar bears will wait much longer. ||
 * • || Once spotted, the seal is slowly and steadily stalked by the polar bear. At 15 to 30 m (49-98 ft.) away, the polar bear suddenly charges the seal. With its claws or teeth, the polar bear grabs the seal before the seal can leave the ice. ||
 * • || Once spotted, the seal is slowly and steadily stalked by the polar bear. At 15 to 30 m (49-98 ft.) away, the polar bear suddenly charges the seal. With its claws or teeth, the polar bear grabs the seal before the seal can leave the ice. ||

99) Mother seals and pups have the high fat content needed for hungry polar bear mothers and their growing cubs.

100) Male polar bears that may attack young polar bear cubs don't normally hunt seals in birth lairs.

[|http://www.inkycircus.com/jargon/images/polar_bear_at_dump_sxc_nr.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear] http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/PolarBears/home.html