POLAR BEAR  

 Scientific Name: Ursus maritimus  

 Ursus means "Bear", maritimus means "of the Sea"

 Also Called Sea Bear or Ice Bear or Nanook

  

 

Polar Bear Family

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Alaska Image Library

Used with Permission

 

 

Polar bears live in the top parts of the world, in the Arctic regions, where it is very cold. This area is located in the northern part of the earth: there are no polar bears living in Antarctica. They live in ice and snow several months of the year, where the temperature can plunge to -50 degrees for days at a time. The average temperature in winter there is -25 degrees. These bears live throughout the circumpolar Arctic areas: Russia, United States (Alaska), Canada, Greenland, and Norway. During the winter months in the most northern part of the Arctic, it is dark all day long. There are approximately 25,000 polar bears in the wild, with about 60% of them found in Canada.

 

Their fur is all white and their skin is all black. Polar bear fur is very very thick at the skin. This dense short fur combined with the fat under the skin helps to keep them warm in their cold climate. Some polar bear fat can measure four inches thick. The top part of their fur contains very long thin guard hairs. These hairs hold water lightly so that a polar bear can shake like a large dog, and all the water flies off. The large size of polar bear paws helps them to walk easily through snow; they act like snowshoes. The underside of their large paw pads have little hills and valleys that act like suction cups to help with walking over ice. Polar bears don't run very often on ice, but on good terrain, they can sprint up to thirty miles per hour. They are very strong swimmers, and their very large paws help in getting them to the next ice floe. They can dive and hold their breath a full minute.

 

Adult polar bears are very large mammals. They are the largest living carnivorous animal on four legs in the world today. They can weigh 440 lbs. and up: bears up to 1100 pounds (pregnant females) and 1300 pounds (males) have been recorded prior to hibernation; adult females usually weigh 440-640 pounds, adult males usually weigh 850-1300 pounds. Polar bears reach maturity at five to six years of age, and they may not reach their largest size until they are eight to fourteen years old. Some polar bears may live to be about twenty five to thirty years of age.

 

Mating season for polar bears occurs in spring and early summer. One of the reasons that polar bear populations don't grow faster is that the death rate of the cubs is estimated to be 70%. Another reason is that the female will keep the cubs with her for two and a half years. Females mature around four to five years of age, but males do not mature until they are eight to ten years of age. Females mate only every three years.

 

 

 

Polar Bear Denning Map 1981 - 2001

Beaufort Sea Polar Bear Population

Pink circles indicate den locations of radio-collared females

Green area is Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Lands, USA

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

 

Dens for polar bears are made of snow, although they may start out earlier in a dirt den.  In the Beaufort Sea area, around 50% of these polar bears den on land and the rest on ice.  Little polar bear cubs are born under very harsh conditions, in the middle of Arctic winter, in these snow dens.  Polar bears, like black bears, will eat enormous amounts of food in Autumn to fatten up for bear hibernation in winter.  Through the winter they will live on their own fat, and not eat or drink.  They will come out of their dens in Spring, much leaner and very hungry again.

 

The temperatures where these bears live can plunge to -50%, and average -29 in January and February each year.  It is very dark there in winter, with no sunshine from October to late February.  Strong icy Arctic winds rage during the Arctic winter.

 

Baby polar bears are born small, only about 12 inches long and weighing about 1 pound.  They will stay with their mothers at least until they are nearly 2 years old, sometimes as old as 3 years in the coldest areas of their Arctic range.  Like other bear cubs, their food is bear milk when they are young, and since bear milk is very rich, they will do well on that until they begin eating other types of foods.

 

 

 

Polar Bear and Cub with Fish

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Alaska Image Library

Used with Permission

 

 

Polar bears eat ringed seals, bearded seals, young walruses, berries, grasses, kelp, animal carcasses, rarely narwhals and belugas; and, like other bears, they have been known to attack and eat humans.

 

Their eyesight is very good, their hearing is very good, and their sense of smell is terrific. They are very smart and, like other bears, are good problem-solvers.

 

 

Polar bear populations are stable in the pale blue areas, increasing in the dark blue area.

Trends are unknown in grey areas. Largest images of the

polar bear denote populations of 3500, smallest images populations of 500

Source: CAFF 2001

 

 

The most famous polar bears are:

(1) The fictionalized polar bears created for Coca-Cola advertisements are famous worldwide

(2) Lars, the small polar bear, in children's books translated into 20 languages, was written and illustrated by Hans de Beer in Germany

(3) Carlton the Polar Bear, official mascot for the world famous Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club who play in the National Hockey League in Canada

(4) Knut, a polar bear born in the Berlin Zoo, abandoned by his mother and raised by the zoo animal handlers

 

 

Above are the seas in the Arctic, where polar bears may live.

Map courtesy of  US Geological Survey

 

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/special/polar_bears/docs/USGS_PolarBear_DeWeaver_GCM-Uncertainty.pdf

 

 

 

 

 LINKS TO MORE POLAR BEAR INFORMATION

 

Due to increased traffic to this webpage since October 2008, we have added more links in case you may be interested in reading other articles about polar bears.  The listing of the polar bear in recent months has become a controversial subject, as frequently happens with bears.  For that reason, we encourage everyone to seek out other trustworthy websites, based on science and research, that may offer insight into the subject of polar bears and their habitat.  The CoveBear website offers general information about polar bears, such as what they eat, where they live, etc., as well as links to other places on the internet that may offer more information about polar bears.  Any decision made about the management of wildlife, such as polar bears, is not made lightly or quickly.  Only by using scientific data gathered over the period of many years by wildlife experts can accurate assessments be made.

 

See videos of polar bears on the CoveBear website and see what

hurts polar bears, read about climate change,

and read other opinions about

the polar bear listing here.

 

Read about effects of ice melt on polar bears here.

 

Read about what polar bears eat here.

 

Read about polar bear safety here (with video).

 

Read more facts about polar bears here.

 

Click here to go back to Polar Bear Index.

 

 

 

Swimming Polar Bear in Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 1978

Photo by Helicopter Pilot Captain Bud Christman

NOAA Corps - NOAA Photo Library

 

 

 

 

 IUCN  - WORLD CONSERVATION UNION

 

The Polar Bear Specialist Group meets every 4 years to discuss the status of the polar bear and offer recommendations

http://www.iucn.org/

 

 

 ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME

 DIVISION OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

 

The state of Alaska is the only one in the United States that has polar bears.  Alaska Department of Fish and Game is the natural resources agency of that state, tasked with seeing to it that the people and the animals of Alaska can co-exist in the same territories, as well as managing the wildlife of that state, based on sound scientific conclusions.  Alaska's bears include brown bears such as grizzlies and Kodiak bears, black bears, and polar bears.  The bears in Alaska grow very large because of their diet of fat salmon.  Below is a map of Alaska that shows where polar bears live in that state.  On this map, the striped areas are where polar bears live, red is for black bear, and purple is brown bear territory.

http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/

http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/marine/polarbea.php

www.wildlife.alaska.gov

 

 

 NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

 

http://www.noaa.gov/

 

Article by Scott L. Schliebe, Polar Bear Project Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska

http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/essay_schliebe.html

 

Darting & Tagging Polar Bear near Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 1982

Photo of Himself by Helicopter Pilot Captain Bud Christman

OCSEA - NOAA Corps - NOAA Photo Library

 

 

 

 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Mission: The USGS serves the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.  Vision: USGS has become a world leader in the natural sciences thanks to our scientific excellence and responsiveness to society's needs. Who we are: The USGS employs the best and the brightest experts who bring a range of earth and life science disciplines to bear on problems. By integrating our diverse scientific expertise, the USGS is able to understand complex natural science phenomena and provide scientific products that lead to solutions. Every day the 10,000 scientists, technicians, and support staff of the USGS are working for you in more than 400 locations throughout the United States.  What we do:  As the Nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems.  The diversity of our scientific expertise enables us to carry out large-scale, multi-disciplinary investigations and provide impartial scientific information to resource managers, planners, and other customers.

 

Here is the home page of their main website.

http://www.usgs.gov/

Link here to see a graph and presentation about "Wandering Wildlife."  Click on the animals to learn more.

http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/wandering_wildlife/index.php

Link here to access the U.S.G.S. Alaska Science Center.

http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/index.php

Link here to see other bear projects the U.S.G.S. is working on.

http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/brownbears/brownbears.htm

 

 

 U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE

 

With regards to polar bears, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service does these things:

- Monitors polar bear population distribution, abundance, status, and trends through use of aerial surveys and activities conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey’s polar bear research program

- Monitors harvest of polar bears for subsistence use by Alaska Natives

- Studies polar bear feeding ecology by observing polar bears concentrated near bowhead whale carcasses along the Beaufort Sea coastline

- Works cooperatively with the Alaska Nanuuq Commission and the North Slope Borough for co-management of polar bears in Alaska

- Works to implement the terms of the recently signed U.S.-Russia Bilateral Agreement for the Conservation of Polar Bears

- Provides technical assistance to the participants of the 1988 North Slope Borough/Inuvialuit Game Council Agreement for the conservation of polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea region

- Monitors the effects of incidental (unintentional) take of polar bears from oil and gas operations in the Beaufort Sea region.

 

With regards to the listing of the polar bear as a threatened species, the FWS offers this PDF for you to read:

Polar Bear Facts (You must have the Adobe Reader to view this file)

 

Here is the timeline of events that led up to the listing:

Polar Bear Listing Timeline (You must have the Adobe Reader to view this file)

 

This is the link to their main website.

http://www.fws.gov/

 

Link here to see the FWS webpage about polar bears, at "Marine Mammals Management."

http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/pbmain.htm

 

Link here to see a timeline of events leading up to FWS declaring the polar bear a threatened species.

http://www.fws.gov/home/feature/2008/polarbear012308/pdf/Timeline.pdf

 

The following articles are available for reading at the links provided below.

"CONSERVATION PLAN FOR THE POLAR BEAR IN ALASKA, 1994" - PDF

Acknowledgements: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is grateful for the contributions made to the conservation plan by the Marine Mammal Commission; notably Mr. John Twiss for support in development of an initial draft conservation plan, and Mr. Jack Lentfer for writing an earlier draft conservation plan much of which served as a foundation for this plan. The FWS extends a special thanks to the following individuals for their support in the preparation and review of various draft versions of the Plan: Mayor George Ahmoagak, North Slope Borough; Mr. Steven C. Amstrup, National Biological Survey (NBS); Mr. Delano Barr, Kotzebue Traditional Council; Mr. Charles D.N. Brower, North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management; Mr. Harry Brower Jr., North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management; Mr. David Cline, National Audubon Society, Alaska and Hawaii Region; Mr. Robert Dewey, Defenders of Wildlife; Mr. Phil Driver, Alaska Professional Hunters Association; Dr. Gerald Garner, NBS; Ms. Michelle Gilders, BP-Exploration (Alaska) Inc.; Dr. Robert Griffeth, ARCO Alaska; Mr. Donald Hansen, Minerals Management Service; Dr. Scott Hebertson, Safari Club International/Alaska Chapter; Mr. Matthew Iya (deceased), Kawerak Inc.; Dr. Carl Hild, RurAL CAP; Mr. Charles H. Johnson, Kawerak; Mr. Luther Komonaseak, Wales Native IRA Council; Mr. Gerard Koonooka, Village of Gambell; Mr. Merlin Koonooka, Village of Gambell; Mr. Jack Lentfer, Marine Mammal Commission; Ms. Cindy Lowry, Greenpeace; Mr. Lloyd F. Lowry, Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Dr. Doug Miller (deceased), National Wildlife Federation; Mr. Percy Nayokpuk, Village of Shishmaref; Mr. Nolan Solomon (deceased), North Slope Borough, Fish and Game Management Committee; and Mr. John Waghiyi Jr., Village of Savoonga. Mr. Judd Monroe provided technical review of the draft of the plan. Mr. Steven C. Amstrup, Mr. George Durner, and Dr. Gerald Garner furnished information for maps. Mr. Douglas M. Burn and Mr. Thomas J. Evans, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, designed the maps, figures, and tables. Ms. Elaine Rhode, with Mr. Thomas J. Evans and Mr. Douglas M. Burn, developed the Executive Summary of the draft plan which was provided to the public for comment. Dr. Leslie E. Holland-Bartels, NBS, Mr. Robert Bartels, Mr. Thomas J. Evans, Ms. Ann Rappoport and Mr. Jon Nickles (all FWS, Anchorage) reviewed an earlier draft of the plan. Mr. Scott L. Schliebe, FWS, wrote and prepared several previous drafts and the Final Draft, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

 

"WIDE-RANGE STATUS REVIEW OF THE POLAR BEAR" - PDF

Prepared and Edited By Scott Schliebe, Thomas Evans, Kurt Johnson, Michael Roy, Susanne Miller, Charles Hamilton, Rosa Meehan, Sonja Jahrsdoerfer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

 

"OIL SPILL RESPONSE PLAN FOR POLAR BEARS IN ALASKA" - PDF

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99503

 

http://usasearch.gov/search?query=Scott+L.+Schliebe&v%3Aproject=firstgov&affiliate=fws.gov

 

http://usasearch.gov/search?v%3aproject=firstgov&v%3afile=viv_1092%4031%3aUjF5jJ&v%3aframe=list&v%3astate=root%7cN17&id=N17&action=list&

 

 

 

 

 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR BEAR RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT

 

Sponsorship of an Educational Website and Worldwide Conferences About Bears

www.bearbiology.org

The International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) is a non-profit tax-exempt organization open to professional biologists, wildlife managers and others dedicated to the conservation of all bear species. The organization has over 550 members from over 50 countries. It supports the scientific management of bears through research and distribution of information. The IBA sponsors international conferences on all aspects of bear biology, ecology and management. Many of the conference papers are published as peer-reviewed scientific papers in the journal Ursus. The eight bear species of the world pose significant research and management problems to governments, local authorities, wildlife biologists, land managers, park personnel, tribal councils, and private land owners. The public endures hardships caused by bears; the public wants bears to survive. Management responsibility for the bears and their habitats rests with numerous national and local agencies and councils. Encroaching civilization, involving land-use conflicts and resource utilization by human beings, has resulted in the decline or disappearance of bear habitat and bear populations in portions of their ranges. Continued viability of populations and the possible restoration of bears in certain areas, will be largely contingent upon a cooperative approach towards research, management, land use, and education, and will increase in cost as land values escalate. The IBA, an association primarily of professional biologists with an interest in bears, recognizes these difficult bear research and management problems faced by agencies and governments. The goal of the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) is to promote the conservation and restoration of the world’s bears through science-based research, management and education. In support of this goal, IBA’s objectives are to: - Promote and foster well-designed research of the highest professional standards. - Develop and promote sound stewardship of the world’s bears through scientfically based population and habitat management. - Establish and distribute, through its conferences and publications, peer-reviewed scientific and technical information of high quality addressing broad issues of ecology, conservation and management. - Encourage communication and collaboration across scientific disciplines and among bear researchers and managers through conferences, workshops and newsletters. - Increase public awareness and understanding of bear ecology, conservation, and management by encouraging the translation of technical information into popular literature and other media, as well as through other educational forums. - Encourage the professional growth and development of our members. - Provide professional counsel and advice on issues of natural resource policy related to bear management and conservation. - Maintain the highest standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.  - Encourage full international participation in the IBA through the sitting of conferences, active recruitment of international members and officers, and through financial support for international research, travel to meetings, member ships, and journal subscriptions. - Through its integrated relationship with the Bear Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN)/Species Survival Commission, identify priorities in bear research and management and recruit project proposals to the IBA Grants Program that address these priorities. - Build an endowment and a future funding base to provide ongoing support for IBA core functions and for the IBA Grants Program. - Support innovative solutions to bear conservation dilemmas that involve local communities as well as national or regional governments and, to the extent possible, address their needs without compromising bear conservation, recognizing that conservation is most successful where human communities are stable and can see the benefits of conservation efforts. -  Form partnerships with other institutions to achieve conservation goals, where partnerships could provide additional funding, knowledge of geographical areas, or expertise in scientific or non-scientific sectors. Read "Status and Conservation of Bears of the World" by Chris Servheen at IBA Read "IUCN/Bear Specialist Group" at IBA Read about "Polar Bears" at IBA

 

 

Weighing and Measuring and Tagging

Polar Bear Cub and Mother at Bear Den

Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 1977

Operations off of SURVEYOR

NOAA Photo Library

 

 

 POLAR BEARS INTERNATIONAL

 

Polar Bears International was founded in 1992 by wildlife photographer Dan Guravich, a Canadian native who was internationally known for his work with polar bears. Dan served as PBI's first president. He resigned in 1995 for health reasons, but remained active as chairman of the board until his death in 1997. Today, the members of our board of directors and advisory council are scattered across the U.S. and Canada.  PBI strongly believes that all the donations they receive should directly help the bears. Therefore, all officers and directors serve without pay or expense reimbursement in order to ensure the lowest possible administrative costs. Their office space is donated as well. This frugal approach, coupled with sales from their Polar Bear Gift Shop, allows PBI to dedicate 100% of all contributions to key polar bear projects. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of the polar bear:

> Provides an educational resource about polar bears worldwide

> Provides funding that allows polar bear research on Wrangel Island in Russia

> Contributed funding toward a polar bear population study in the Southern Beaufort Sea near Canada and Alaska

> Sponsors studies on human/bear impact studies

> Sponsors research on the impact of captivity on polar bears in zoos

 

This non-profit organization has many people expert in their fields on their various committees. See their website for a complete list. Their field research advisory council is currently made up of the following:

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their website is at www.polarbearsinternational.org

 

Read about PBI-supported research at this link.

http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/pbi-supported-research/