{"id":1399,"date":"2022-02-17T16:59:37","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T16:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interestinganimalfacts.com\/?p=1399"},"modified":"2022-02-17T16:59:40","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T16:59:40","slug":"interesting-animal-facts-about-polar-bears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interestinganimalfacts.com\/interesting-animal-facts-about-polar-bears\/","title":{"rendered":"Interesting Animal Facts About Polar Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
One of the most amazing animals that have ever existed on earth is the polar bear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Polar bears have been regarded as sacred by many cultures for centuries. They have been the subject of many books, TV shows, and movies. Coca-Cola has even used them as a mascot in commercials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having always been fascinated with polar bears, I did some research to find out more. Here are some interesting facts about polar bears that I compiled. Some of them may seem familiar to you, while other facts may surprise you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are 21 interesting facts about polar bears!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along with seals, manatees, sea otters, and whales, they are classified as marine mammals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Animals in this group are dependent on the marine ecosystem to survive. Polar bears are the only animals from this group with large, powerful limbs that enable them to travel a great distance on land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although they appear white, they aren’t actually white. The skin of a polar bear is black and its fur is transparent. Polar bears appear white because their fur retracts and reflects sunlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Polar bears reside in the Arctic Circle. Polar bears have 19 different subspecies that live in territories across the United States, Norway, Canada, Denmark, and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you know that there is a cross between a grizzly bear and a polar bear?
20,000 years ago, polar bears evolved from brown bears and split into their own species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The genetic makeup of brown bears contains about 2% of that of polar bears, which indicates recent breeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Captive breeding had also occurred between these species. Grizzlars, grolar bears, and nanulaks are the names of this new hybrid type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Polar bears are listed as endangered by IUCN due to climate change and habitat loss. This makes them vulnerable species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Polar bears are the largest extant species of bears on this planet. Also, they are the largest extant predatory carnivore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The largest polar bear ever recorded weighed 1,002kg and was found in northwestern Alaska in 1960.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although polar bears are born on land, they spend the majority of their life on sea ice, where they prey on other animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Polar bears are great swimmers and can swim for a long time if they are struggling to find food. Also, their bodies are designed to easily glide through the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is in fact a record in which a polar bear swam non-stop for almost 10 days, covering more than 435 miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n