POLAR BEARS
Order Carnivora
Family Ursidae
• 11 ft tall on hind legs
• Fur
- Two layers
- Matches color of snow/ice
- Black skin to absorb sunlight
- Buoyant
• Streamlines for swimming, webbing between toes, blubber
• Threatened due to chemical pollution
- Greenhouse gasses and PCBs
• Range: Arctic coastlines & iceflows
• Size: 8 ft long, 11 ft tall, 1600 lbs (females much smaller)
• Lifespan: 20 years
• Birth rate: 1 - 2 pups per year per female
• Population = Threatened