Arctic Cold
Arctic Cold
Polar Bears Adaptation to the Cold and Unforgiving Arctic Climate
Polar Bear adaptation to the wintery and bitter Northern climate is one of nature's marvels. The shifting sea ice, where polar bear live, is one of the unkindest and most relentless climates on planet earth.
It's only in modern evolutionary time that bears adjusted to arctic sea life. It commenced during the Ice Age, in the northern seas, when the seals needed to breathe and mate near the water's surface. By doing this, the seals placed a rich year-round food source near a population of brown bears, who then began to inhabit the ice, developing into something similar to the polar bear of today, around 100,000 years ago.
Weighing about 330 to 1,760 pounds, the length of the polar bear's body is approximately 6.6 to 10 feet. The male body is usually bigger than the female. The polar bear, akin to the brown bear, is heavy and heavyset. It has an drawn out neck and small head. Its fur, normally white, occasionally appears yellow, due to oxidation.
A polar bear has black skin, which assists it's adjustment to the Arctic temperature, absorbing and holding heat from the sunlight. It is unquestionably well attired for the weather with a layer of fat more than 4 inches thick, allowing for efficient insulation. The dense fur on its feet (its foot is about 9 inches wide and 12 inches long) allows for warmth and traction. Since each foot is so big, it acts as a practical snowshoe.
It adjusts well to swimming with its wide front paws that serve as paddles and when swimming underwater it lays the small ears flat for protection, and its nostrils close under water. It paddles at about 6 and one-half miles per hour --forepaws only, hind paws trailing--and can remain under water for about 2 minutes. The hairs of its waterproof coat are hollow which is an effective insulator and increases the bear's buoyancy while swimming.
A polar bear has a keen sense of smell, sensing prey at a distance of about 20 miles. Although little is known about its sense of touch (its eyesight and hearing is acute), a polar bear is able to manipulate varied objects with great dexterity.
With canine teeth larger and malariform teeth sharper than those of different bears, the polar bear is the most carnivorous North American bear.
A polar bear inhabits Arctic islands, sea ice, and water and continental coastlines. It favors the sea ice habitat, with water channels or cracks through the ice, next to continental coastlines or islands. Some polar bears spend part of the year on land, although in warmer climates a bear could become stranded. Most pregnant females spend the autumn and winter on land in maternity dens.
A polar bear journeys throughout the year within single home ranges, which are inclined to be larger than for other mammal species because of the alterations in sea ice from year to year and even season to season. Small home ranges (19,000 to 23,000 miles) can be found near Canadian Arctic Islands, while larger home ranges can be found in the Bering or Chukchi Sea areas. The polar bear remains in the general area during the same time of year. A polar bear walks 19 miles or more per day for several days, although some are capable of much more than that. One can only hope that polar bear adaptation will continue, as their habitat area shrinks and the pressures of civilization continue to encroach on the the natural homes where the polar bear calls home.
About the Author
For more information, check out my blog Polar Bear News. You can also find information at Are You Polar Bear Aware? and Polar Bear Video Showcase
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California Innovations 54090 "Arctic Zone" Lunch Box
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Description"ARCTIC ZONE" LUNCH BOX |
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Cecilware 20-1PD 1 Bowl "Deluxe" Bubbler Style Cold Beverage Dispenser
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DescriptionPerfect for circulating all thirst quenching beverages like fruit punch, lemonade and ice teas in clear refrigerated bowls One 5.4 gal capacity bowl - largest in the industry reduces refilling time spent Stainless steel dispensing valves Space saving design Bowl separates into two pieces for easier cleaning Stainless steel body is easy to clean and highly durable One year factory parts warranty - 90 days labor 7 1/8''W x 26 1/2''H x 18 1/2''D 110V, 15 Amp, 1/6HP |
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Cecilware 20-2PD 2 Bowl "Deluxe" Bubbler Style Cold Beverage Dispenser
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DescriptionPerfect for circulating all thirst quenching beverages like fruit punch, lemonade and ice teas in clear refrigerated bowls Two 5.4 gal capacity bowls - largest in the industry reduces refilling time spent Stainless steel dispensing valves 1 mixing device switch per bowl... |
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Rhythms Del Mundo: Cuba
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DescriptionCreated as a benefit project for Artists' Project Earth, an organization devoted to protecting the environment, reversing climate change, and tendering disaster relief, this compilation pairs Western pop stars (U2, Sting, Artic Monkeys, et al) and their hits with all-new arrangements performed by members of Cuba's Buena Vista Social Club plus other Havana-based talent... |
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Cold Weather Survival Guide
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DescriptionIndependent Hip Hop from Alaska! Raw energy and lyrical precision meet to form the "Cold Weather Survival Guide." |
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Way Too Cold
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The Country Mouse and the City Mouse: Mice on Ice
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DescriptionJoin this adorable mouse duo as they travel the world in search of exciting, fun-filled adventures. Watch Emily, the clever Country Mouse and her sophisticated City Mouse cousin, Alexander, as they travel the world visiting wondrous new lands, making new friends and experiencing fantastic adventures - all set in the late 1800's... |
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HEARTLAND 21000 Dryer Vent Closure
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Portable Military Camping Tent Steel Wood Stove Heater Army Cook Hunting Fishing Cot
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DescriptionThis is a great stove you can use to cook your dinner, dry your gear, heat your shelter, or just warm your hands and feet on a cold winter's night. Safer than an open fire. Small enough to transport in your car and hand carry to your campsite... |
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Ironclad Tundra Cold Condition Gloves--parent
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DescriptionIronclad Tundra Cold Condition Work Gloves offer the outstanding protection you need against nasty on - the - job conditions! A rugged Work Glove that's also waterproof, windproof and insulated? Yup, the guys at Ironclad are always ahead of the curve, and they've outdone themselves with these beauties! Get the warmth and flexibility you need for equipment operations, hand and power tool use, cold storage and material handling... |
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Captain Cold`s Arctic Eruption (Paperback) $5.89 "Within hours, a monstrous volcano will destroy a Pacific island and all of its citizens. The Flash has done everything he can, but there`s only one way to stop the disaster . . . cool the volcano`s magma chamber. Unfortunately, only one man is capable... |
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Arctic Ice System $113.99 The Arctic Ice system can be used from the earliest stages of post-operative recovery to chronic pain of any body part. This ice pack system uses a motorized pump to circulate cold water to the desired body area. |
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Wolverine: Super Strong Built for the Cold - Arctic Animals (Hardcover) $22.1 Introduces wolverines, including information on their habitats, feeding habits, how they grow, and how they protect themselves. |
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Over in the Arctic (Hardcover) $12.58 A counting book in rhyme presents various Arctic animals and their offspring, from a mother polar bear and her "little cub one" to an old father wolf and his "little pups ten." |
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A Fabulous Kingdom (Paperback) $22.53 Inconstant and forbidding, the arctic has lured misguided voyagers into the cold for centuries--pushing them beyond the limits of their knowledge, technology, and endurance. A Fabulous Kingdom charts these quests and the eventual race for the ... |
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Nova - Arctic Dinosaurs (DVD) $15.08 How did dinosaurs, who many scientists thought were cold-blooded animals, survive in the barren wilds of the Arctic? This dynamic series from Nova follows two separate expeditions and the brave research teams who risked their lives to uncover secrets m... |
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Arctic Wolf (Hardcover) $22.1 Introduces the arctic wolves, and examines the mystery of how Arctic wolves survive the extreme cold of an Arctic winter, and discusses how Arctic wolves hunt, communicate, and raise their babies. |
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Spirits in the Stars (Hardcover) $10.84 On the unforgiving Arctic Ice . . . United once again, Toklo, Lusa, Kallik, and Ujurak continue across the ice. Conditions are harsh and especially treacherous for the black bear and grizzly bears who are not used to the brutal cold, never... |
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Polar Bears, Penguins, and Other Mysterious Animals of the Extreme Cold (Hardcover) $24.31 "Explains why the Arctic and Antarctic are extreme environments and examines how polar bears, penguins, and other animals have adapted to the cold"--Provided by publisher. |
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Incarnate (Paperback) $10.77 For an innocent man, she’ll go to her grave. Again. Cia is serving her sentence in the Canadian Arctic, guarding one of the many portals that seals off Earth from Heaven and Hell. She doesn’t mind the cold.... |
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Planet Arctic Life at the Top of the Wor (Hardcover) $27.18 A celebration of the magnificent and unexpected world of the Arctic.The Arctic, the mystical lands north of 60 degrees, is a cold and forbidding place that is covered in ice and snow for most of the year. Yet each spring the Arctic bec... |
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Polar Bears Past Bedtime (Hardcover) $12.86 In the 12th entry of the bestselling Magic Tree House series, Jack and Annie time travel to the Arctic Circle to discover the answer to final riddle that will lead to master librarianship. In the icy-cold environment, a little bit of luck, a seal hunte... |
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Snow Angels (Paperback) $11.78 "A masterful job." -Michael Connelly It is called kaamos-two weeks of unrelenting darkness and soul-numbing cold that falls upon Finnish Lapland, a hundred miles into the Arctic Circle, just before Christmas. Some get through it with t... |
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Malevolent Creation - Retrospective [2/24] * $11.2 Disc 1:Blood BrothersLiving in FearAlliance of WarIn Cold BloodVision Of MalicePreyed UponTo Die is at HandManic Demisefine Art of Murder, TheHomicidal RantKill ZoneHalvedC... |
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Fly-fishing for Alaska`s Grayling (Paperback) $15.4 An intriguing creature with its graceful sail-like dorsal fin, and willing to take your fly almost endlessly, the Arctic grayling is a fish like no other. Add to that its preferred habitat of the cold, clear streams of the northern wilderness and some ... |
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The Flash (Hardcover) $19.05 A fight between two supervillains, Heatwave and Captain Cold, could melt all the Arctic ice and Barry Allen, the Flash, has to take a chance and work with Captain Cold to defeat their common enemy and restore the Arctic ecosystem. |
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The Cremation Of Sam Mcgee $13.33 Constantly suffering from the cold, Sam makes his companion on the Arctic trail promise to cremate him when he dies, which the companion does--to his great surprise. |
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Cold Front (Hardcover) $18.02 Discusses the long-term social, economic and political consequences of the effect of climate change on the Artctic region, investigating the role this area would play in international relations and what the ice cap thaw means for trade and transport. |
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Captain Cold's Arctic Eruption $4.44 Captain Cold's Arctic Eruption |
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Arctic $6.99 A fascinating 'day in the life' look at the coldest place on Earth The Arctic is an amazing place, full of icy wonder and surprises. Come face-to-face with the amazing creatures that live in this frozen world. Discover how in the cold of dawn families stick together for warmth, find out how animals find food at lunchtime, watch a baby seal stick close to mum in the afternoon sun and spot lemmings and polar bears hiding when dusk comes. Great for homework or just for fun. There's more than just ice and snow in the Arctic! |
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Arctic Wolf $28.64 Introduces the arctic wolves, and examines the mystery of how Arctic wolves survive the extreme cold of an Arctic winter, and discusses how Arctic wolves hunt, communicate, and raise their babies. |
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The Arctic $3 The Arctic |
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To the Arctic $33.6 To the Arctic |
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Arctic Wolf (Hardcover) $22.1 Introduces the arctic wolves, and examines the mystery of how Arctic wolves survive the extreme cold of an Arctic winter, and discusses how Arctic wolves hunt, communicate, and raise their babies. |
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Cold $9.99 From avalanches to glaciers, from seals to snowflakes, and from Shackleton's expedition to "The Year Without Summer," Bill Streever journeys through history, myth, geography, and ecology in a year-long search for cold--real, icy, 40-below cold. In July he finds it while taking a dip in a 35-degree Arctic swimming hole; in September while excavating our planet's ancient and not so ancient ice ages; and in October while exploring hibernation habits in animals, from humans to wood frogs to bears. A scientist whose passion for cold runs red hot, Streever is a wondrous guide: he conjures woolly mammoth carcasses and the ice-age Clovis tribe from melting glaciers, and he evokes blizzards so wild readers may freeze--limb by vicarious limb. |
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Arctic LX Sportop - Womens $100 The Saucony Women's Arctic LX Sportop: Arctic LX fabric retains warmth while moving moisture-ideal for cold weather running. |
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Arctic LX Sportop - Mens $100 The Saucony Men's Arctic LX Sportop: Arctic LX fabric retains warmth while moving moisture-ideal for cold weather running. |
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Arctic XPT Pant - Mens $90 The Saucony Men's Arctic XPT Pant: Arctic LX fabric retains warmth while moving moisture-ideal for cold weather running. |
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In Arctic Waters $8.85 This arctic adaptation of ?This is the House that Jack Built? follows polar bears, walruses, seals, narwhals and beluga whales as they chase each other around ?the ice that floats in the Arctic waters.? Not only is the rhythmic, cumulative prose good for early readers; it is a pure delight to read aloud. The ?For Creative Minds? section helps children learn how these animals live in the cold, icy arctic region. |