In ideal hunting conditions, the bear will just eat the seal fat, leaving the carcass for other animals. However, when food is scarce, polar bears will eat just about anything. Supplemental foods include walruses, short-legged reindeer, birds, bird eggs, kelp, and beached whales.
What do polar bears need to survive?
Polar bears live in one of the planet’s coldest environments and depend on a thick coat of insulated fur, which covers a warming layer of fat. Fur even grows on the bottom of their paws, which protects against cold surfaces and provides a good grip on ice.
Can polar bears live without ice?
Q: Why do polar bears need ice and snow to survive? A: Because of the extremely cold climate, polar bears need food with a high content of fat and that makes seals their ideal prey. Polar bears need ice to capture their prey. … Without sea ice, bears won’t be able to catch any seals.
Do polar bears need sea ice?
“Sea ice is absolutely essential for the day-to-day survival of polar bears,” says Kruger. “It is an entire ecosystem inhabited by plankton and micro-organisms, which support a rich food chain that nourishes seals, that in turn become prey for polar bears.
Do polar bears need sunlight?
The polar bear loves and is well adapted to the cold and icy climate of the Arctic. They have a dense fur that has hollow air-filled hairs which insulate the polar bear from the frigid weather conditions. The fur also allows them to absorb the sunlight which also keeps them warm.
Do polar bears eat humans?
Bears. Polar bears, particularly young and undernourished ones will hunt people for food. … Truly man-eating bear attacks are uncommon, but are known to occur when the animals are diseased or natural prey is scarce, often leading them to attack and eat anything they are able to kill.
Do polar bears eat penguins?
Polar bears do not eat penguins, since penguins live in the southern hemisphere and polar bears live in the northern hemisphere.
Do polar bears eat seals?
Unlike other bear species, polar bears are almost exclusively meat eaters (carnivorous). They mainly eat ringed seals, but may also eat bearded seals. Polar bears hunt seals by waiting for them to come to the surface of sea ice to breathe.
Do polar bears eat fish?
Food Preferences & Resources
When other food is unavailable, polar bears will eat just about any animal they can get, including reindeer, small rodents, seabirds, waterfowl, fish, eggs, vegetation (including kelp), berries, and human garbage.
Why are there no polar bears in the Antarctic?
The main reasons there are no polar bears in Antarctica are evolution, location and climate.
Do polar bears drink water?
It might come as a surprise that polar bears rarely drink water. … Consequently, polar bears have evolved so that they don’t need to drink free water. Polar bears get their water from the chemical reaction that breaks down fat. This is why a polar bear’s diet is high in fat but low in protein.
Why do polar bears rely on sea ice?
Polar bears rely on sea ice to hunt and store energy for the summer and autumn, when food can be scarce. Sea ice now melts earlier in the spring and forms later in the autumn in the bears’ southern range, like Hudson Bay and James Bay in Canada. As the bears spend longer periods without food, their health declines.
Can polar bears break ice?
You’d think the sheer weight of a polar bear would send him plunging through the ice, and the fact is, it can, if the ice is too thin. But for the most part, polar bears traverse and live on ice without breaking through to the frigid water beneath.
How much do polar bears eat?
When polar bears prey seals they eat a lot. An adult bear eats as much as 20% of its body weight. The adult polar bear weighs up to 500 pounds. As per calculations, she will consume 100 pounds of meat in a single sitting.
Why is polar bear skin black?
The outer layer of hair is clear – and a polar bear’s skin is black. Polar bears evolved to have black skin, as the colour is the best for absorbing energy from the sun. … The clear fur allows this sunlight to get to the skin – but it still looks white, so that the bear can blend in with its environment of ice and snow.
Why do polar bears give birth to one cub?
Polar bears typically give birth to twins
This evolutionary adaptation increases the likelihood that at least one cub will survive to adulthood, especially given the harsh and unforgiving conditions found in their Arctic habitat.