Polar Bears

Polar bears live along shores and on sea ice in the icy cold Arctic. When sea ice forms over the ocean in cold weather, many polar bears, except pregnant females, head out onto the ice to hunt seals. TOP SECRET FOR YOUR EYES ONLY Polar Bear Ursus maritimus TYPE: Mammals DIET: Carnivore AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 25 to 30 years SIZE: Head and body: 7.25 to 8 feet; tail: 3 to 5 inches WEIGHT: 900 to 1,600 pounds Polar bears primarily eat seals. Polar bears often rest silently at a seal's breathing hole in the ice, waiting for a seal in the water to surface. A polar bear may also hunt by swimming beneath the ice.

FACTS

• Polar bears are classified as marine mammals. ...

• Polar bears are actually black, not white. ...

• They can swim constantly for days at a time. ...

• Less than 2% of polar bear hunts are successful. ...

• Scientists can extract polar bear DNA from just their footprints. ...

• They face more threats than climate change. ...

• Grizzly-polar bear hybrids exist.