- To show they want to play, polar bears wag their heads!
These polar bear fun facts are perfect for today. Because it’s February 27th, also known as National Polar Bear Day!
- Polar bears clean their fur by rolling in the snow or going swimming.
- They are classified as marine mammals.
- International Polar Bear Day is February 27th, today!
- Polar bears walk for about 19 miles a day, looking for food.
- They sit for long periods of time, waiting for seals to poke out from under the ice. Do you think this is one of the craziest polar bear fun facts?
- Female polar bears emit a stinky scent through their feet so that makes can find them through her foot prints.
- Ice is always moving meaning polar bears don’t have “territory” like other animals do.
- Polar bear babies (called cubs) are tiny and only about one to two pounds when they’re born!
- The fur of a polar bear is greasy, helping them to dry faster after swimming.
- Polar bears don’t hibernate like other bears. Mother bears use their reserved fat to keep babies warm, without having a lower heart rate or metabolism.
- There’s a layer of fat covering their body, allowing them to live in the cold. This can cause overheating to them when it gets too warm.
- Polar bears skin is black and absorbs the sunlight to help them stay warm
- The nostrils of a polar bear close when they are swimming and allow them to breathe without inhaling water.
- Polar bears are fast runners, with top speeds at about 25 miles per hour.
- Their claws are large and curved and help them catch slippery seals and give them traction on the ice.
- Polar bears are the largest land carnivores.
- Polar bears have an amazing sense of smell. Seals cut breathing holes in the ice and the polar bears are able to smell the seals around the breathing holes.
- Polar bears live in the Arctic and are found in the U.S., Russia, Norway, Canada, and Greenland.
- Male polar bears weigh up to about 1,500 pounds but it could be more. In comparison, the average male grizzly bear weighs between 400 and 600 pounds. Wow, this is one of the craziest polar bear fun facts.
- Adult polar bears only have one predator. It’s adult polar bears.
- Canada has 60-80% of the polar bear population.
- They like to slide on the ice to play.
- Polar bears hold in their heat because they have short tails and ears.
- Polar bears have 42 sharp teeth, used to hunt seals and chew them.
- The average wild polar bear lives for 15-18 years but can live up to 25 years.
- The number of polar bears is falling because of climate change and there are only an estimated 22-31,000 polar bears across the globe.
- As carnivores, polar bears prefer to eat seal meat, which is high in fat. They have also been known to eat geese, beached whales, small mammals and even bird eggs.
- Polar bears fur is actually clear! Did you know this? It helps them blend in with the snow and icy landscapes.
- They have an elongated snout which helps them warm the cold arctic air as they breath in. This makes sense as a polar bear fun fact.
- Polar bears have two fur layers to help keep them warm.
- Polar bears have huge feet with small bumps called papillae. The papillae helps them grip the ice.
- Polar bears don’t live with other polar bears. They like to be alone because it’s better for hunting.
- Polar bears don’t have a way to communicate, except when they’re looking for a mate.
- They can eat 100 pounds of blubber in one meal.
- Polar bears gallop to move around.
- They are better swimmers because polar bears have webbed feet.
- Polar bears are as tall as 10 feet. And even though grizzly’s weigh much less, they stand at about nine feet, when on their hind legs.
- Polar bears often fast for days in between meals, because seals aren’t easy to
catch. - Polar bears make a literal mess when they eat and leave some food behind because of it. Arctic foxes get a free meal out of this and will follow polar bears around to eat after them.
- Babies are born in snow bank dens that pregnant mama polar bears make for them.
What’s your favorite polar bear fun fact? Let me know in the comments!