What is the average height of a polar bear

Thank you! Your submission has been received! Giant Panda Bear. DWG FT. DWG M. Polar Bear. Grizzly Bear. Sun Bear. Kodiak Bear. Sloth Bear. Spectacled Bear. Short-Faced Bear. Asiatic Black Bear. Cave Bear. American Black Bear. More Animals. View the Category Category. Polar bears stand on their hind legs only when they want to see as far a distance as possible.

Sometimes a female polar bear attempts to check out if there is any adult male polar bear approaching. She just wants to keep her cubs safer from any possible threat.

Males range from about feet in length, while females are generally feet in length. Their tails are inches long. Male polar bears can weigh up to three times as much as the females.

Males are typically pounds, and females are pounds. Polar bears probably evolved during the Pleistocene Era. Splitting from brown bears in Asia only around , years ago. The oldest known fossil of a polar bear is less than , years old. They have decreased in size as they evolved. According to Guinness, the heaviest polar bear ever documented was shot in Alaska in Polar bears are extremely well-adapted to their arctic environment.

They have the thickest fur of any bear species. The layer closer to the body, the undercoat, consists of thick, plush hair that retains heat. The outer layer provides extra insulation and repels cold water and ice. The tubes trap air for insulation and also reflect all the visible wavelengths of light in their hollow airspace, which combine to make the fur look white, though it is in fact colorless.

The white coloring provides excellent camouflage for the bears, allowing them to blend in with their snowy surroundings. Polar bears molt in the summer months and grow a new coat.

By the next spring, the coat may look yellowish from seal oil stains. They sometimes wash their fur in ice or snow during or after feeding. Underneath their fur, polar bears have black skin which absorbs the heat of the sun, and below the skin is a thick, 4-inch layer of blubber. This blubber layer is particularly beneficial while polar bears swim, keeping them warm in the cold water and increasing buoyancy. Polar bears also have fur on the bottoms of their paws, providing extra warmth and creating traction on the ice.

The bottoms of their paws are also covered with small bumps called papillae. The paws are broad to distribute their weight as they walk across ice and snow, and tipped with long, powerful claws to help grip the ice. Compared to other bears, the polar bear has an elongated body with a particularly long neck and a narrow skull.

These features streamline the bear, making it an efficient swimmer. Large, flat, and partially webbed paws, functioning like oars, also help them navigate the water. Polar bears are classified as carnivores and are the most carnivorous member of the bear family. They predominantly eat meat but occasionally eat vegetation. As the apex predators of the Arctic, they occupy the top level of the food chain and have no natural predators.

Their major prey is ringed seals, but they also hunt bearded seals, hooded seals, and harp seals. After catching a seal, polar bears will consume the fat and skin first, often leaving the rest of the meat for other animals like Arctic foxes, ravens, Arctic gulls, and smaller bears, to scavenge. The fat is eaten before the rest of the meat for several reasons. Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Inspire a lifelong connection with wildlife and wild places through our children's publications, products, and activities. In 4 seconds , you will be redirected to nwfactionfund. The National Wildlife Federation. It is so popular among wildlife enthusiasts that it has its own day of recognition, International Polar Bear Day, which falls each year in late February.

In spring, female polar bears emerge from dens with their new cubs, making spring a good season for discovering a few amazing and amusing things about this celebrated species: 1. A large male polar bear may weigh up to 1, pounds and grow to nearly 10 feet tall, standing on its hind legs; however, a record male shot in in Alaska weighed 2, pounds and stood 12 feet tall. The petite females stand only up to about 8 feet tall and tip the scales at a svelte pounds or less. Brown and polar bears can interbreed and produce fertile young, which by some definitions suggests they are the same species.

Once mature, males tend to have much longer hair on their forelimbs. Polar bear hair is transparent; the way it reflects light makes it look white. It can turn yellowish with age.