Interesting facts about polar bears

• Interesting facts about polar bears

Polar bears - one of the most amazing animals on our planet. Get at least the fact that these amazing creatures manage to survive in extremely cold conditions. Polar bears, particularly their young, very touching, but many people do not know that they are also very smart and resourceful. You want to expand your knowledge about these Mishka?

So 25 interesting facts about polar bears.

1. Despite the fact that the polar bears are usually born in the land, they spend most of their lives at sea. Their official name Ursus Maritimus, which means "sea bear".

2. Polar Bears "broke" with their brown cousins ​​about 5 million years ago. In white bears began to evolve unique characteristics that help them survive in the cold of the Arctic region.

3. But, although they are different types for such a long time, polar bears can breed with brown bears, thereby producing hybrid cubs able to have offspring. This phenomenon is rare enough, but it happens, and in the wild and in captivity.

4. The distinguishing feature of a polar bear - it completely white fur. In fact, hair follicles - is transparent, hollow tubes, light-reflecting.

5. Nevertheless, their fur can sometimes appear yellowish or greenish. Yellowing it due to age and dirt, and the green color is caused by algae that can grow on the fur of a polar bear in the warm and humid conditions.

6. Another interesting fact associated with color is the skin of the polar bear is actually black. This helps them to keep warm.

7. Language of polar bears is also highly pigmented, sometimes it is dark blue, partly due to the fact that the body is well supplied with blood.

8. The absence of a person at the remote habitats (the Arctic Circle), polar bears have retained much of their original instincts and properties than other predators. Nevertheless, these animals are endangered, rare species because their numbers ranged from 20 to 25 thousand individuals worldwide.

9. The average male weighing 700 kg and grows up to 3 meters in length. These features make the polar bear's largest land predator in the world. The heaviest polar bear was a male weighing 1002 kg, which was shot in northwest Alaska in 1960.

10. Polar bear - an excellent swimmer, virtually all day he swims. One bear swam continuously for 9 days in the cold Bering Sea, breaking the 687 km to get to the ice floes away from the earth. Bruins, incidentally, swim at a speed of 10 km / h.

11. In a polar bear usually clumsy and ponderous gait with the average walking speed of about 5, 6 km / h. But despite its huge size, bears can reach speeds of movement of up to 40 km / h.

12. Although the polar bear, and bears the title of the largest predator in the world, cute polar bear cubs are born the size even smaller than human babies. Toddlers are capable and smart, because quickly learn, for example, how to stay completely still, so as not to scare off the prey, while their mothers hunt.

13. The seal hunt (the most common of their production), polar bears use a lot of psychological and intellectual tricks. Allegedly, they even closed their paws black noses, not to be seen in the snow.

14. The most common method of hunting in polar bears - is a hidden, discreet hunting. Bear uses his keen sense of smell to locate a seal breathing holes, he laid side by side in silence and waiting, when will seem mining. For example it can lie in wait for a few hours. When the seal appears in the opening for exhalation, breath smells bear, puts paws in the hole and pulls sacrifice on ice.

15. Polar bears - amazing chistyuli. Postprandial they spend at least half an hour to put himself in order to clean and coat of dirt or food residues.

16. After a good meal and a thorough cleaning of the polar bears love to take a nap, often amusing, almost human poses.

17. Polar bears are the only bears that do not fit into hibernation; they are active all year round.

18. Thanks to its exclusive "biological design" polar bears - a warm-blooded animal; their body temperature never drops below 31 degrees. Sometimes they even avoid running and other vigorous exercise, so as not to overheat.

19. Some researchers believe that the intelligence of the polar bears can be as high as that of the apes. This is shown by the unique methods of hunting, as well as the ingenuity and the ability to bear to change their habits and behavior depending on changing environmental conditions.

20. If the polar bear is not going well with the hunt for 7-10 days, his metabolism slows down, and the body begins to live off fat reserves until such time as there is no catch prey.

21. In polar bears particularly developed sense of smell. They can smell a seal on the ice at a distance of 30 kilometers, and they can smell a seal breathing hole in the ice at a distance of almost one kilometer, even if the seal is no longer nearby.

22. The researchers predict that by 2050 two-thirds of the current population of these amazing animals will disappear due to the reduced ice sheets.

23. Fortunately, already being taken for the protection of polar bears measures and restrictions on sport hunting, because there is hope that the world population of these animals will not shrink at a pace. Do polar bears have even its own international day - 27 February.

24. In spite of the ingenious methods of hunting and cautious behavior, only about 2% of their hunting efforts lead to success, t. E. To catch prey.

25. Typically, polar bears hunt foxes, but in Canada it was recorded in case of strong friendship between the two animals. They played together, and giant bear even shared a meal with his little friend.