"the fourhorn sculpin. With the exception of pregnant females, polar bears are active year-round, although they have a vestigial hibernation induction trigger in their blood. Unlike brown and black bears, polar bears are capable of fasting for up to several months during late summer and early fall, when they cannot hunt for seals because the sea is unfrozen. When sea ice is unavailable during summer and early autumn, some populations live off fat reserves for months at a time, as polar bears do not 'hibernate' any time of the year. Being both curious animals and scavengers, polar bears investigate and"
"formula is Polar bears are superbly insulated by up to of adipose tissue, their hide and their fur; they overheat at temperatures above , and are nearly invisible under infrared photography. Polar bear fur consists of a layer of dense underfur and an outer layer of guard hairs, which appear white to tan but are actually transparent. Two genes that are known to influence melanin production, LYST and AIM1, are both mutated in polar bears, possibly leading to the absence on this pigment in their fur. The guard hair is over most of the body. Polar bears gradually moult from"
"May to August, but, unlike other Arctic mammals, they do not shed their coat for a darker shade to provide camouflage in summer conditions. The hollow guard hairs of a polar bear coat were once thought to act as fiber-optic tubes to conduct light to its black skin, where it could be absorbed; however, this hypothesis was disproved by a study in 1998. The white coat usually yellows with age. When kept in captivity in warm, humid conditions, the fur may turn a pale shade of green due to algae growing inside the guard hairs. Males have significantly longer hairs"
"Most mammals have agouti hair, with each individual hair shaft having bands of colour corresponding to two different types of melanin pigment. Bears however have a single type of melanin and the hairs have a single colour throughout their length, apart from the tip which is sometimes a different shade. The coat consists of long guard hairs, which form a protective shaggy covering, and short dense hairs which form an insulating layer trapping air close to the skin. The shaggy coat helps maintain body heat during winter hibernation and is shed in the spring leaving a shorter summer coat. Polar"
"bears have hollow, translucent guard hairs which gain heat from the sun and conduct it to the dark-coloured skin below. They have a thick layer of blubber for extra insulation, and the soles of their feet have a dense pad of fur. Other than the bold black-and-white pelage of the panda, bears tend to be uniform in colour, although some species may have markings on the chest or face. Bears have small rounded ears so as to minimise heat loss, but neither their hearing or sight are particularly acute. Unlike many other carnivorans they have colour vision, perhaps to help"
"Polar bear The polar bear (""Ursus maritimus"") is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is a large bear, approximately the same size as the omnivorous Kodiak bear (""Ursus arctos middendorffi""). A boar (adult male) weighs around , while a sow (adult female) is about half that size. Although it is the sister species of the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice and open water,"
"Pullman's fantasy trilogy ""His Dark Materials"" are sapient, dignified polar bears who exhibit anthropomorphic qualities, and feature prominently in the 2007 film adaptation of ""The Golden Compass"". The television series ""Lost"" features polar bears living on the tropical island setting. Polar bear The polar bear (""Ursus maritimus"") is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is a large bear, approximately the same size as the omnivorous Kodiak bear (""Ursus arctos middendorffi""). A boar (adult male) weighs around , while a sow (adult female)"
"on their forelegs, which increase in length until the bear reaches 14 years of age. The male's ornamental foreleg hair is thought to attract females, serving a similar function to the lion's mane. The polar bear has an extremely well developed sense of smell, being able to detect seals nearly away and buried under of snow. Its hearing is about as acute as that of a human, and its vision is also good at long distances. The polar bear is an excellent swimmer and often will swim for days. One bear swam continuously for 9 days in the frigid Bering"
"may influence the ability to retain heat, depending on how much light is reflected. Mammals with a darker colored coat can absorb more heat from solar radiation, and stay warmer, and some smaller mammals, such as voles, have darker fur in the winter. The white, pigmentless fur of arctic mammals, such as the polar bear, may reflect more solar radiation directly onto the skin. The term ""pelage""first known use in English c. 1828 (French, from Middle French, from ""poil"" for ""hair"", from Old French ""peilss"", from Latin ""pilus"")is sometimes used to refer to an animal's complete coat. The term fur"
"hollowness, which blends the traits of both polar bears and grizzlies. In cross section, the hair of polar bears is hollow, while the hair of grizzlies is either solid or has small hollow regions. This varies according to which part of the grizzly the hair is located. In the hybrid male, the paw hair was solid, but the dark back hair was somewhat hollow, albeit with ""smaller empty regions than found in polar bear hair"". The hair of the female hybrid, ""contains a range of hollow regions"". The hybrids demonstrated behavior more similar to polar bears than grizzlies. They stomped"
"colored coat can absorb more heat from solar radiation, and stay warmer, and some smaller mammals, such as [[vole]]s, have darker fur in the winter. The white, pigmentless fur of arctic mammals, such as the polar bear, may reflect more solar radiation directly onto the skin. [[File:Goat family.jpg|thumb|left|[[Goat]] kids stay with their mother until they are weaned.]] The ancestral condition for mammal reproduction is the birthing of relatively undeveloped, either through direct vivipary or a short period as soft-shelled eggs. This is likely due to the fact that the torso could not expand due to the presence of [[epipubic bones]]."
"predators, whereas Antarctic seals all have dark fur at birth. Brown bears tend to dominate polar bears in disputes over carcasses, and dead polar bear cubs have been found in brown bear dens. Wolves are rarely encountered by polar bears, though there are two records of Arctic wolf (""Canis lupus arctos"") packs killing polar bear cubs. Adult polar bears are occasionally vulnerable to predation by orcas (""Orcinus orca"") while swimming, but they are rarely reported as taken and bears are likely to avoid entering the water if possible if they detect an orca pod in the area. The melting sea"
"(a hypothesized animal for which there is no scientific proof of existence in the wild). Analyses of the genomes of bears have recovered multiple instances of introgressive hybridization between various bear species, including introgression of polar bear DNA intro brown bears during the Pleistocene. Brown bears are often not fully brown. They have long, thick fur, with a moderately long mane at the back of the neck which varies somewhat across the types. In India, brown bears can be reddish with silver tips, while in China, brown bears are bicolored with a yellow-brown or whitish cape across the neck, chest,"
"bears have the appearance of the typical Alaskan grizzly bear, which includes milk chocolate colored fur, a humped back, with a large size and reputation to match. Although the bear is commonly a milk-chocolate color, it can range from blonde to black fur. Along with the humped back, the bears also have a slightly dished profile to the face. The bears have long front claws. Adult males on average will weigh , with adult females weighing on average . Adult height will range on average from at the shoulder. As these bears reside within the Tongass National Forest, the bears"
"such as polar bears, wolverines, Arctic wolves and Arctic foxes will have fur under their pads to help keep their flesh concealed from the cold. Other mammals such as the musk oxen can keep warm by growing long, shaggy fur to help insulate heat. And this can be quickly shed off when warmer temperatures arrive. But with the snowshoe hare it will change the color of its fur from white to brown or with patches of brown when it sheds off its winter coat. This is to help camouflage itself in its new environment to match with the dirt during"
"Individual coat colors can range from white, blonde, cinnamon, light brown or dark chocolate brown to jet black, with many intermediate variations existing. Silvery-gray American black bears with a blue luster (this is found mostly on the flanks) occur along a portion of coastal Alaska and British Columbia. White to cream-colored American black bears occur in the coastal islands and the adjacent mainland of southwestern British Columbia. Albino specimens have also been recorded. Black coats tend to predominate in moist areas such as Maine, New York, Tennessee, Michigan and western Washington. Approximately 70% of all American black bears are black,"
"than males. Their claws are typically black or grayish-brown. The claws are short and rounded, being thick at the base and tapering to a point. Claws from both hind and front legs are almost identical in length, though the foreclaws tend to be more sharply curved. The paws of the species are relatively large, with a rear foot length of , which is proportionately larger than other medium-sized bear species, but much smaller than the paws of large adult brown, and especially polar, bears. The soles of the feet are black or brownish and are naked, leathery and deeply wrinkled."
"bears is its pelage (hair coloration), which ranges from silvery blue to gray. The subspecies was reported by Dall in 1895. This variation can be seen on individual bears that are often lighter on their backs and shoulders, with their legs and belly being much darker or even black. The glacier bear's habitat ranges has been reported to be the Alaskan coastal areas between Cross Sound and Cape St. Elias and from Prince William Sound to Glacier Bay in southeast Alaska, with a few sightings as far east as Juneau, Alaska, and the Taku River. This region includes Glacier Bay"
"bear is among the most sexually dimorphic of mammals, surpassed only by the pinnipeds such as elephant seals. The largest polar bear on record, reportedly weighing , was a male shot at Kotzebue Sound in northwestern Alaska in 1960. This specimen, when mounted, stood tall on its hindlegs. The shoulder height of an adult polar bear is . While all bears are short-tailed, the polar bear's tail is relatively the shortest amongst living bears, ranging from in length. Compared with its closest relative, the brown bear, the polar bear has a more elongated body build and a longer skull and"
"14 million years ago. Their common ancestor must have existed even earlier than that. Although polar bears spend most of their time on the ice rather than in the water, polar bears show the beginnings of aquatic adaptation to swimming (high levels of body fat and nostrils that are able to close), diving, and thermoregulation. Distinctly polar bear fossils can be dated to about 100,000 years ago. The polar bear has thick fur and layers of fat on its body to protect it from the cold. Proponents of the aquatic ape hypothesis believe that part of human evolution includes some"
"first to describe the polar bear as a distinct species in 1774. He chose the scientific name ""Ursus maritimus"", the Latin for 'maritime bear', due to the animal's native habitat. The Inuit refer to the animal as ""nanook"" (transliterated as ""nanuq"" in the Inupiat language). The Yupik also refer to the bear as ""nanuuk"" in Siberian Yupik. The bear is ""umka"" in the Chukchi language. In Russian, it is usually called бе́лый медве́дь (""bélyj medvédj"", the white bear), though an older word still in use is ошку́й (""Oshkúj"", which comes from the Komi ""oski"", ""bear""). In Quebec, the polar bear"
"of the US. Kodiak bears have been genetically isolated since at least the last ice age (10,000 to 12,000 years ago) and very little genetic diversity exists within the population. Although the current population is healthy and productive, and has shown no overt adverse signs of inbreeding, it may be more susceptible to new diseases or parasites than other, more diverse brown bear populations. Hair colors range from blonde to orange (typically females or bears from southern parts of the archipelago) to dark brown. Cubs often retain a white ""natal ring"" around their neck for the first few years of"
"the brain to vary its opacity. By controlling chromatophores of different colours, cephalopods can rapidly change their skin patterns and colours. On a longer timescale, animals like the Arctic hare, Arctic fox, stoat, and rock ptarmigan have snow camouflage, changing their coat colour (by moulting and growing new fur or feathers) from brown or grey in the summer to white in the winter; the Arctic fox is the only species in the dog family to do so. However, Arctic hares which live in the far north of Canada, where summer is very short, remain white year-round. The principle of varying"
"roundworm they contract through cannibalism, although infections are usually not fatal. Only one case of a polar bear with rabies has been documented, even though polar bears frequently interact with Arctic foxes, which often carry rabies. Bacterial leptospirosis and ""Morbillivirus"" have been recorded. Polar bears sometimes have problems with various skin diseases that may be caused by mites or other parasites. Polar bears rarely live beyond 25 years. The oldest wild bears on record died at age 32, whereas the oldest captive was a female who died in 1991, age 43. The causes of death in wild adult polar bears"
"fur surpasses all other types of fur due to its silky dense texture and luminous shades of beige, brown, gold, silver, and black. The darkest shades of sable fur are the most valuable. Next to sable, Siberian fox furs and squirrel pelts are the most valued furs from the region. In addition to sable, black and white fox, ermine, beaver, squirrel, lynx, wolf, wolverine, rabbit, marten, walrus, sea otter, and polar bear were also hunted for their pelts. Most of these fur bearing animals are found in the Siberian taiga, except for the sea otters and walrus that were found"
"are a major food source for polar bears. They are also an important food source for the Inuit of the Arctic coast. The Inuit language name for the seal is ""ugjuk"" (plural: ""ugjuit"") or ""oogrook"" or ""oogruk"". The Inuit preferred the ringed seal for food and light; the meat would be eaten and the blubber burnt in the ""kudlik"" (stone lamp). The skin of the bearded seal is tougher than regular seal and was used to make shoes, whips, dog sled harnesses, to cover a wooden frame boat, the ""Umiak"" and in constructing summer tents known as ""tupiq"". The body"
"pods are often made up of two to three generations of the same family. Adolescent orcas help care for the young in the pod by training them to hunt fish and seals. Polar bear - Under their thick white coats, polar bears have black skin which they use to absorb the sun’s rays. Their paws are large and webbed, giving them traction on the ice and making them excellent swimmers. Puffin - One of the only three birds in the game, it only eats cod. Snowy owl One of the only three birds in the game, it eats hares, lemmings,"
"reuse the same denning areas each year. The polar bears that do not den on land make their dens on the sea ice. In the den, she enters a dormant state similar to hibernation. This hibernation-like state does not consist of continuous sleeping; however, the bear's heart rate slows from 46 to 27 beats per minute. Her body temperature does not decrease during this period as it would for a typical mammal in hibernation. Between November and February, cubs are born blind, covered with a light down fur, and weighing less than , but in captivity they might be delivered"
"born at Osnabrück Zoo in Osnabrück, Germany, in 2004, and their physical traits are generally an intermediate between the polar bear and the grizzly bear. For example, their bodies are smaller than polar bears, but larger than grizzlies, while their heads fall between the broader grizzly head and the leaner polar bear head. They have long necks like polar bears, but small shoulder humps like grizzlies. The soles of their feet are partially covered in hair; polar bears have hair-covered soles, which act as insulation, and grizzlies have hairless soles. Similarly, the hair of the hybrids exhibits a pattern of"
"and shoulders. North American grizzlies can be dark brown (almost black) to cream (almost white) or yellowish-brown and often have darker-colored legs. The common name grizzly stems from their typical coloration, with the hairs on their back usually being brownish-black at the base and whitish-cream at the tips, giving them their distinctive ""grizzled"" color. The winter fur is very thick and long, especially in northern subspecies, and can reach at the withers. The winter hairs are thin, yet rough to the touch. The summer fur is much shorter and sparser, and its length and density varies geographically. Brown bears have"
"is referred to as ""ours blanc"" (""white bear"") or ""ours polaire"" (""polar bear""). In the Norwegian-administered Svalbard archipelago, the polar bear is referred to as ""Isbjørn"" (""ice bear""). The polar bear was previously considered to be in its own genus, ""Thalarctos"". However, evidence of hybrids between polar bears and brown bears, and of the recent evolutionary divergence of the two species, does not support the establishment of this separate genus, and the accepted scientific name is now therefore ""Ursus maritimus"", as Phipps originally proposed. The bear family, Ursidae, is thought to have split from other carnivorans about 38 million years"
"some areas appears to regulate the density of polar bears, while polar bear predation in turn regulates density and reproductive success of ringed seals. The evolutionary pressure of polar bear predation on seals probably accounts for some significant differences between Arctic and Antarctic seals. Compared to the Antarctic, where there is no major surface predator, Arctic seals use more breathing holes per individual, appear more restless when hauled out on the ice, and rarely defecate on the ice. The fur of Arctic pups is white, presumably to provide camouflage from predators, whereas Antarctic pups all have dark fur. Killer whales"
"females and 9 in males. The white colouration of the skin is an adaptation to life in the Arctic that allows belugas to camouflage themselves in the polar ice caps as protection against their main predators, polar bears and killer whales. Unlike other cetaceans, the belugas seasonally shed their skin. During the winter, the epidermis thickens and the skin can become yellowish, mainly on the back and fins. When they migrate to the estuaries during the summer, they rub themselves on the gravel of the riverbeds to remove the cutaneous covering. Like most toothed whales, it has a compartment found"