polar bear

The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a carnivorous bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak bear, which is approximately the same size.[3] A boar (adult male) weighs around 350–700 kg (770–1,500 lb),[4] while a sow (adult female) is about half that size. Although it is closely related to the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet.[5] Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time at sea. Their scientific name means "maritime bear", and derives from this fact. Polar bears hunt their preferred food of seals from the edge of sea ice, often living off fat reserves when no sea ice is present.

For more information about polar bear check the Wikipedia article here

ZME Science posts about polar bear

Animal hybridization accelerated by climate change

Mon, Mar 25, 2013

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What do you get when you cross a grizzly bear with a polar bear? Simple, a prizzly bear or golar bear, depending on the side you’re looking from. What about a narwhal with a beluga whale? A narluga! No, these aren’t childish word plays, nor elaborated photoshop attempts – these animals truly exist and come [...]

Oil barons and hunters threaten polar bear protection

Sat, Oct 20, 2012

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As the global oil supply is starting to grow thin, the Arctic area seems to be more and more interesting to oil barons, but of course, there’s the problem of those pesky protected animals – so what do we do? Get rid of that, of course. A group of plaintiffs including the state of Alaska [...]

Polar bears interbred with brown bears during warmer climate

Tue, Jul 24, 2012

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A new research has found after analyzing the genomes of polar bears and brown bears that the two species interbred, after the two species split some 5 million years ago, during periods of warmer climate. Recent evidence suggests this is happening today as well, as an effect of global warming. The team of scientists from Pennsylvania [...]

Climate change causes animals to shrink

Mon, Oct 17, 2011

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Global warming has significant consequences to Earth’s ecosystems, each effect triggering another one in a slew of chain reactions. Frighting enough, rising temperatures and changed global weather patterns has caused certain types of plants and animals to become smaller, claims a new study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change. Warmer and drier weather causes plants [...]

The fight for survival – a single bear vs a colony

Sat, Dec 26, 2009

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As we enjoy our peace and quiet (or at least we should be), we shouldn’t forget that how the society we’ve built leads to an ever fiercer fight for survival. Here’s a movie that really touched me, with an ending you don’t (thankfully) see every day.

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