Polar Bears

By: Trinity Connaughton

What is a Polar Bear?

Polar Bears are the largest land carnivores in the world. They tend to prey on ringed and bearded seals ,who become easy prey once they hit the ice. While Polar Bears are at the top of the food chain, only 2% of their hunts are successful. 
Polar Bears are equipped with a thick layer of fur and an even thicker layer of blubber to help insulate and keep them warm in Arctic, whose winter weather is an average of about -30 degrees F. They are particularly skilled swimmers due to their huge, flat feet which propel them forward, allowing them to swim an impressive six miles per hour. 

Grown female Polar Bears can anywhere between 500 and 600 pounds and when standing on her hind legs, can stand up to 10 feet tall. Interestingly enough, the Polar Bear's water resilient fur is not in fact white but instead transparent; the white color is actually just what happens when the sun's light refracts against it. A Polar Bear's skin is actually black, which comes in handy because it absorbs the sun's rays and keeps it warm. 

Polar Bears Over Time

Polar Bears are marine mammals who reside solely in the countries that surround the icy Arctic. There are about 20,000-25,00 Polar Bears in the world who are comprised of 19 sub populations. Unfortunately, the sub populations are in decline. 

How Are Polar Bears Listed?

Polar Bears are listed on the Endangered Species List as a Vulnerable species. This means that Polar Bears are facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Polar Bears are a keystone species because when they are done eating the fat off the seals they have killed, other animals are able to eat the rest of the carcass. Without Polar Bears, their habitat would be negatively impacted. Polar Bears were listed in the United States under the Endangered Species Act in 2008.

So, What's Wrong?

Climate Change 

Climate Change is by far the biggest threat to the Polar Bear's survival. For the last twenty years, the earth's temperature has continued to rise and the ice in the arctic has begun to disappear. Summer ice is staying melted for longer which keeps Polar Bears on land for longer periods of time, which has begun to lead to malnutrition and death. They also have to struggle to speed up to move faster and to longer distances to keep up with the melting ice. 

Polar Bear- Human Conflicts

As the melted ice leads to Polar Bears staying ashore for longer periods of time, they are coming into contact with humans a lot more. Humans are the only predator of the Polar Bear and when Polar Bears come into Arctic coastal communities, they are a risk to humans and humans are a risk to them.

Industrial Impact

As ice begins to melt, nations and companies alike realize how useful passages will be to speed up travel time through the short cut that would then be available. And even now, petroleum installations and operations are becoming a feasible and desirable idea. But an oil spill, if occurred, would be detrimental to all species in the area, especially Polar Bears. Noise pollution would also be a problem.

Illegal Hunting

Unsustainable hunting, while not overwhelmingly popular, does seem to be happening in certain regions. Because Polar Bears are a K-Selected species, they do not reproduce particularly fast or often and thus unsustainable hunting is a problem.

What's the Plan?

1. Limit global atmospheric levels gases to levels appropriate for

    supporting polar bear recovery and conservation,

    primarily by reducing greenhouse

    gas emissions

„ 2. Support international conservation efforts

     through the Range States relationships

3. Manage human-Bear conflicts

 4. Collaboratively manage subsistence harvest

„ 5. Protect denning habitat

„ 6. Minimize risks of contamination from spills

„ 7. Conduct strategic monitoring and research 

What Can You Do?

If you feel inspired to try and help save these majestic marine mammals, here are some ideas:

Adopt a Polar Bear!

With a donation, you can get a certificate of adoption of a Polar Bear, and other treats! Your donation will be used in general support of WWF's efforts around the world.

The WWF website where you can adopt/donate

Works Cited

http://www.livescience.com/27436-polar-bear-facts.html

http://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Polar-Bear.aspx?sc=AWY1302WC922&_ga=1.84714974.632531432.1449040125

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/wildlife/polar_bear/population/

http://www.fws.gov/alaska/pbrt/pdf/Recovery_%20Plan_Book_final_DRAFT.pdf

http://www.defenders.org/polar-bear/basic-facts

https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Mammals/Polar-Bear.aspx

http://thepolarbearblog.tumblr.com/page/2