Polar bear swimming in open water. Photo by: USGS. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are capable of swimming incredible distances, according to a new study published in Zoology, which recorded polar bears regularly swimming over 30 miles (48 kilometers) and, in one case, as far as 220 miles (354 kilometers).
How long can a polar bear swim without stopping?
Polar bears can swim for days in open water without rest, says new research. The study tracked 52 female polar bears off Alaska between 2004 and 2009, and found that about a third of those bears made swims of more than 30 miles during that period.
How long can polar bears stay in water for?
Polar bears usually swim under water at depths of only about 3-4.5 m (9.8-14.8 ft.). They can remain submerged for more than one minute. Maximum dive duration is unknown; however the longest polar bear dive observed to date lasted a total of 3 minutes and 10 seconds covering a distance of 45 to 50 m (148–164 ft.)
Why do polar bears swim for so long?
Polar bears are swimming longer distances because of a global warming. This climate change is causing temperatures in the Arctic to warm faster than in other parts of the world. The result is more melting of sea ice and more open water.
Are polar bears good swimmers?
As well as reaching speeds of up to 6mph in the water, polar bears can swim for long distances and steadily for many hours to get from one piece of ice to another. Their large paws are specially adapted for swimming, which they’ll use to paddle through the water while holding their hind legs flat like a rudder.
Do polar bears swim with their eyes open?
Polar bears are excellent swimmers and will enter the water to catch food or to escape danger. … While under water, their ears are flattened and their nostrils are closed, but their eyes remain open. In the wild, they may occasionally hunt seabirds by diving and coming up underneath them.
Can a polar bear smell a seal from 20 miles away?
The polar bear’s nose is so powerful it can smell a seal on the ice 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, sniff out a seal’s den that has been covered with snow, and even find a seal’s air hole in the ice up to 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) away.
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 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.
Do orcas eat polar bears?
PREY: The orca is at the top of the marine food web. Their diet items include fish, squid, seals, sea lions, walruses, birds, sea turtles, otters, other whales and dolphins, polar bears and reptiles. They even have been seen killing and eating swimming moose.
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 drink?
It might come as a surprise that polar bears rarely drink 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. For example, when they hunt seals, polar bears will eat the blubber, but leave the rest behind for scavengers.
Why can’t polar bear cubs swim alone?
“Adult polar bears are strong swimmers,” York said. “But they can’t hold their noses while swimming, so they’re at risk for drowning if a storm hits. Cubs are at even greater risk. Their smaller body size leaves them more prone to hypothermia, and they don¹t have the energy reserves of the adult bear.
What are the most dangerous bears?
Grizzly and polar bears are the most dangerous, but Eurasian brown bears and American black bears have also been known to attack humans.
Do polar bears kill for fun?
Some of the other animals which have been observed engaging in surplus killing include orcas, zooplankton, humans, damselfly naiads, predaceous mites, martens, weasels, honey badgers, jaguar, leopards, lions, spiders, brown bears, american black bears, polar bears, coyotes, lynxes, minks, raccoons and dogs.