Polar Bear

Polar bears can smell their prey up to a kilometer away and a meter below the snow.

Discover in real life
Polar Bear

  • Habitat

    the Arctic on sea ice and surrounding land

  • food

    seals, seabirds,eggs, fish, carrion, small mammals

  • Lifetime

    25 to 30 years

  • Weight

    150 to 800 pounds

  • Length

    1.80 to 2.50 m

  • Number of youngsters

    1 to 4

  • Wear time

    7 to 9 months

  • IUCN Status

    fragile

  • EEP?

    yes

  • 1000

    meters, from so far away a polar bear can smell its prey

  • 8

    months, that's how long a polar bear is pregnant on average

  • 800

    that's how many pounds a polar bear can weigh

    • Swimming Champion

    Polar bears are good swimmers. They can even swim for days at a time without coming ashore. They are not very good at hunting in the water. Polar bears eat mainly ringed seals. They catch these from the ice. They then wait patiently at an air hole in the ice until a seal comes up to take a breath.

    Nursery in the snow

    Polar bears are born in the middle of winter in a den under the snow. They already have thick fur and weigh about 600 grams. In the spring, they go outside for the first time. They then weigh between 10 and 15 kilograms.

    Management Program

    Polar bears fall under the European Management Program. Its coordinator is responsible for ensuring a healthy population of this species in European zoos.
    In this, Aquazoo Leeuwarden is tasked with taking in older polar bears and giving them a good old age.

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