The Great Ice Bear of The Arctic
YOU don’t see me, do you? I can tell that easily from the way you’re looking directly at the ice ridge where I am without showing any sign of fear. You’re totally absorbed in the scenery—making no move to flee as you would if you knew I was here. Since I can reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour (40 km/hr) in a dash, I could be where you’re standing in seconds!
Perhaps if I moved my paw from in front of my black nose you would see me, but I don’t wish to frighten you. Besides, I’ve just had a meal, so I’d rather just relax as we bears often do after dining.
While doing so, why don’t I tell you a bit about myself? It will enhance your view of this part of the planet. I am so typical of this frigid zone that I am called “the very symbol of The Arctic.”
Family Description
Since I’ve already said “we bears,” you’ve likely guessed I’m a polar bear. You know I have darker cousins to the south, although some members of my family—grizzlies and black bears—can also be found above the Arctic Circle.
There are notable differences between us and other bears. For example, compare our neck and head to others. See, our neck is longer and our head is smaller. Also, we are seldom on dry land as other family members are. We are sea bears. (That may be why scientists call us Ursus maritimus.) Another difference is that our diet, of necessity, is almost entirely some form of flesh.
Our color, as you know, is white with a yellow tinge. That is what made it hard for you to see me. I weigh about 1,200 pounds (544 kg), the average for an adult. Although I have some “great” uncles who got up to 1,600 pounds (726 kg) and were 11 feet (3.4 m) long! We males average about 8 feet (2.4 m) long. Females are smaller.
Where We Live
We great polar bears are right at home in the watery polar regions of the northern hemisphere. We don’t live in Antarctica, true, but then, neither do penguins come up here to the Arctic Circle. Like many international animal travelers, we wander about The Arctic in complete disregard of national boundaries. Some of us may be born in Russian territory, such as Novaya Zemlya, but may travel to Norwegian islands like Svalbard. In winter some members of my family here in Canada have been seen as far south as the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Gaspé Peninsula. Summertime, though, keeps us farther north. One relative of mine remembers seeing the U.S. nuclear submarine Skate when it surfaced near the North Pole some years ago!
What makes such nomads of us? Our search for food. So our journeys are not aimless wanderings. We are following the seasonal patterns of the Arctic Ocean. The ice-edge limits vary from season to season.
You humans may admire the skill of your long-distance swimmers, but some of us sea bears have been spotted 40 miles (64 km) and more from land. How do we do it? Our strong front paws propel us from one ice floe to another in icy seas. This foreleg swimming style is peculiar to us polar bears.
Our Adaptation to Our Habitat
Take a good look at my feet. That sole pad of hair you see on each foot gives a frictional grip that is ideal for an ice bear. Another benefit to us in finding our meals is our excellent sense of smell. We polar bears have been known to pick up the scent of blubber being burned by humans more than two miles (3 km) away. We have the best eyesight of all bears too. This combination makes up for any deficiencies in our hearing. And did you know that we have an eye membrane that protects our eyes from the blowing snow and the blinding effects of the sun in an area of so much whiteness? We don’t need sunglasses!
We are at home in the water because our body fat and dense, oily fur help to make us buoyant, as well as protect us from frigid temperatures at sea and on land. Even the hair of our coat is believed to have the effect of channeling ultraviolet light to the surface of our skin. This helps us to keep warm.
Our built-in navigational system is a blessing to us as we follow the ebb and flow of the food-supply chain during the changes in seasons. The effectiveness of our navigation is seen in the fact that some of us were taken hundreds of miles away from a garbage-dump site at Cape Churchill in northern Canada but soon found our way back! Normally, though, we hunt all winter.
Family Life
Mating time is in spring or early summer, starting when we are three or four years old. After mating, we males move on to hunt for food. In winter our females move into snow dens. Some denning areas have had as many as 200 females in them. Cubs, usually two born in December or January, are blind and not much bigger than a small rabbit. That’s a small start for an animal that can weigh over half a ton when it grows up! But we grow fast.
I can still remember life in the den—protected from the elements outside and warmed by my mother’s body fat and the warm air trapped in a chamber higher than the entryway. It was a time to feed and grow. I still recall the taste of my mother’s warm, rich milk with its unique nutty flavor. Delicious! But that only lasted until about March. Then my mother broke through the roof of the snow den and we scrambled out into the outside world. How excited my sister and I were! By this time we weighed about 25 pounds (11 kg).
That was also the day we started our schooling. As soon as we were adjusted to the light we went right into the water with my mother and started to swim. It was natural for us. The Alaskan Eskimo has aptly named us ah tik tok—“those that go down to the sea.” When we got tired of swimming we simply hung on to Mom’s tail and were towed! We’re trained by our mothers for life in The Arctic for about two years. Then we’re on our own—ready to leave home and start families of our own.
We polar bears have a most beautiful place in which to live—sculptured snow and ice, an endless sea and rugged coastlines to enjoy. Often we express our joy with a hearty roar of approval. In this environment we have a life span of more than 30 years, although we hear that some of us who have been taken to your zoos have lived for 40 years.
Well, I think I’ve rested enough. I hope you have enjoyed your visit with me. I trust it helped you learn that life wonderfully survives even in the harsh environment of the North Pole. So the next time you see a polar bear at the zoo—don’t be fooled. The real life of The Arctic ice bear is much more fascinating. See you on your next expedition to The Arctic!
[Picture on page 18]
“My nursery was this snow den”