
The polar bears live in icy regions of the Northern Hemisphere, in the Arctic.At present, an estimated population of 20,000 copies is estimated.Its number has dropped dramatically in recent years.
They are bears of solitary habits that do not hibernate.In this article of Animals and Pets Online we will talk about the feeding of the polar bear , its main prey and feeding habits.We will also know the threats to which it is exposed today.
Also, if you want to know how bears survive polar in such a cold environment read our article about how polar bears survive cold.
Polar Bear Feeding
The polar bears are one of the largest land mammals in the world.Adult males weigh more than 350 kg and are 2.5 m long, females are a bit smaller, they need huge amounts of meat to keep, about 30 kg.
They are animals carnivorous .Other species of bears incorporate numerous vegetables and fruits into their diet.Polar bears Due to the region they inhabit, they only eat sporadically vegetables in the Arctic summer, which is why they are the most carnivorous bears on earth.
Polar bears don't drink water .The water they have in their environment is salty, so they need to obtain the blood and body fluids from their prey.
Throughout their life, their eating habits vary.Young individuals consume mainly the meat of prey.Adults first consume the fat and skin of animals.

Main prey of the polar bear
- Seals: It is the favorite prey of polar bears and is the most numerous in the Arctic.The seals have a high fat content and some species can weigh 350 kg.Polar bears feed on ringed seals (Pusa hispida) and bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus). At the end of the summer the seals retreat delartico and the bears lose its main source of food.
- Walruses: Young or injured specimens are hunted when they surface.
- Belugas: These cetaceans are common prey for polar bears.
- White-nosed dolphins: Recently it has been observed that white-nosed dolphins are also hunted by polar bears.These dolphins approach the waters of Sualbard in the summer and can get caught in the ice.
- Land dams: Although it hunts mainly pres As marine, sometimes it can hunt wounded or sick specimens of foxes or other animals.It is not very fast on land so it does not waste energy on land dams.
- Carrona: If a polar bear finds remains of a prey, it will consume them even in a state of decomposition.They are occasional carroneros.

How do polar bears hunt?
To catch their prey, they use their effective smell .When the seals or belugas come to breathe on the surface they hit them and nail their claws to get them out of the water, although they swim very they prefer to face their prey on the ice.
They can attack individuals who are on the coasts, in the breeding areas.They will attack young or injured specimens first.
En the dominant predator of the region that inhabits.Sometimes groups of foxes chase them to feed on the remains they leave behind.Except for the human being, the polar bear has no natural predators.

Cannibalism
The lack of hunting can cause situations of cannibalism among polar bears.Adult male bears have been observed attacking young members of their species.global warming is leading polar bears to change their behavior and cases of cannibalism occur.
Bears Males, also of other species of bears, attack the young so that the female enters into heat beforehand.It could be this phenomenon that although cruel, occurs in nature.Brown bears for example have also been observed doing this.
In any case polar bears are not cannibal by nature and if they occur they are isolated cases.

Current situation of the polar bear
Although hunting was one of the main threats of the polar bear in the past, it is currently the pollution and the loss of its natural habitat .
Global warming has caused huge ice masses in the polar regions to disappear.This melting of the poles has forced the polar bear to withdraw from its usual areas.
They are forced to travel long distances and sometimes they are trapped in drifting ice islets.Environments where they used to live and were formed by huge blocks of ice are now large bodies of water with small islets.This makes them have to swim during longer crossings and although they are excellent swimmers it makes them consume a lot of energy.
The little wolverines suffer much more from this situation.Recently, photos of adult polar bears have been taken in a state of malnutrition.This is a reflection of the delicate situation that bears live s polar.Destruction of their habitat will cause a decline in the population in the coming years if the situation does not improve.

If you want to read more articles similar to The feeding of the polar bear , we recommend that you enter our section on Balanced diets.
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