How do polar bears adapt to the conditions in which they live?
The nature of the bears in the Arctic differs from the rest of the bears, in their ability to adapt to ambient conditions, through their ability to survive in the cold climate.
Polar Bear:
Polar bears are carnivorous mammals, native to the Arctic Circle, which includes the Arctic Ocean, surrounding oceans and land blocks large animals with a male weight of 772-1543 pounds, A female who weighs half the weight of a male, polar bears are the world's largest carnivores. The seal is its primary meal, born on Earth but spends most of its life in cold ice seas and there are many manifestations of polar bear adaptation in cold areas that help it live in these conditions.
Polar Bear Living Conditions:
The polar bear lives in a very cold environment where the Arctic is located and many animals such as the Arctic wolf and the penguin live in these environments If anyone wants to travel there, they will need a lot of fittings, such as heavy wool clothes, socks and warm hats, The Arctic has a temperature of minus 29 degrees Celicius in winter and minus 32 degrees Celicius in summer. The average temperature of the Arctic Ocean is 29 degrees, while in winter the ocean's waters begin to freeze to minus 28 degrees. And there are so many manifestations of polar bear adaptation in cold areas that it doesn't even need a light jacket!
Causes of polar bear adaptation in cold areas:
There are many reasons why polar bear can adapt in areas with freezing cold. These are so varied that they form a complete defence system against freezing temperatures. These causes are shown by:
Feet and nose:
Polar bear is a skilled swimmer; He catches his prey in the sea by swimming and is helped by his large, partially conditioned feet. He uses these feet to push himself in the water, and these feet are covered in fur and his feet stay warm. When the polar bear dives into the sea to hunt its prey, the cold water does not enter its nose because its nostrils close directly when it comes down into the water, A manifestation of the polar bear's adaptation in cold areas is its claws and shoulders that allow it to walk on ice They are similar to long honey bear claws suitable for vegetation drilling, they -In polar bear - short and suitable to walk on ice, it also has bumps on the shoulder called papillae that help it stand on ice, and a large shoulder measuring up to 11.81 inches. This helps it walk on thin panels without drowning them by distributing body weight over a larger area.
Grease and fur:
The polar bear has a layer of grease under its skin that is up to four inches thick to keep its body warm and even if the air and water are too cold And this feature is almost one of the most important manifestations of polar bear adaptation in cold areas, As for its fur, it is insulating and does not allow heat loss, and it has been found that the polar bear when it runs greatly increases its heat due to this insulation layer, Interestingly, polar bear fur is not white, it is transparent and hollow, Reflecting and scattering light, this adaptation protects the polar bear from warming mainly in summer when the sunlight is intense, the skin of the polar bear is black and the layer of grease is underneath.
Low surface area to size:
This is a manifestation of polar bear adaptation in cold anatomy areas. Compared with the bodies of other bears, the polar bear has small limbs with a full body and relatively short legs, and this ensures that there is less surface area for heat loss.
Special Food:
This unique physiological manifestation of polar bear adaptation in cold areas enables the bear to eat a food full of fat. The polar bear mainly relies on the seal for its food and is full of fat and an energy source. Other animals cannot survive by eating this amount of fat. Adult bear only eats fat, and young people eat meat.
Eye conditioning:
The polar bear has eye adaptations that enabled it to survive in its harsh environment. Its eyes possess highly concentrated recidivist cells that gave the polar bear the ability to see in the dark. This property also helped them to see in the water during swimming.
Polar bear adaptation to climate change:
Climate change and global warming have a major impact on the Arctic and therefore on organisms there, including the polar bear. The ice mass is decreasing and the numbers of polar bears are decreasing by 40% between 2001 and 2010. The manifestations of polar bear adaptation in cold areas alone are no longer able to keep it alive, so the polar bear has adapted to climate change in several manifestations.
Food storage: Where a research team saw a hungry polar bear eating dolphin and burying the residue in the ice to store for a later time, this was very surprising.
Adding new varieties on his menu: After the problem of global warming and melting a lot of snow during the long summer, the re-shaping of the ice in winter is slow. This means losing food for the medical bear, so the eggs of the ice geese are on his menu to keep his body warm.
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