Muskan

· 11 Jan 2022

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What do polar bears eat

Polar bears or Ursus maritimus are carnivores that are found in the arctic and are a member of the Ursidae family.  They often called as ice bear, white bear or sea bear. These bears have a short tail and a stocky build, with a long neck, comparatively small head, short and rounded ears. On average, they weigh between 400 and 720 kg on average. Female adult bears are smaller in size than their adult male counterparts. Polar bears live 25-30 years on average. In such  a bone-chilling climate where even the survival is difficult, have you ever wondered how they manage to get food or what do polar bears eat? Interesting? Let’s read ahead, to know some interesting facts about polar bears and their food preferences.

Behaviours
Polar bears are skilled swimmers who can maintain a six-mile-per-hour speed by paddling with their front paws and holding their hind legs flat like a rudder. They are protected from chilly air and water by a thick layer of body fat and a water-repellent coat. Just like humans, they sleep an average of seven to eight hours per day. They also take naps frequently to conserve energy. Sleeping with their backs to the wind, the bears huddle up and dig tiny trenches in the snow. To give extra warmth and insulation, the bear uses one of its outstretched paws as a pillow and lets the snow pile up around it.
Just like any other living being bears also like to play, adult polar bears will occasionally move its head from side to side while standing on their hind legs, with their front paws dangling beside their body when they want to play with one another. If one bear wants food from another, it will approach carefully, circle around the food source, then delicately contact the other bear's nose with its own. This respectful, non-aggressive behaviour will almost certainly result in a free supper. However, when a bear has its head down and ears pushed back this indicates that the bear is on the attack.

What do polar bears eat?
Polar bears spend more than half of their time searching for food. Because they require significant amounts of fat to survive, they primarily eat ringed and bearded seals. Once prey is captured by polar bears, like other carnivores such as lions and tigers, they attack it on the head and neck numerous times to make it disabled so that they can drag and consume the prey easily.
Depending upon the availability, these sea bears also eat beluga whales, hooded seals, harp, walruses, bowhead whales and narwhales. When alternative food sources are few, polar bears will consume everything, including reindeer, small rodents, seabirds, waterfowl, fish, eggs, plants (including kelp), berries, even garbage. The stomach of a polar bear may carry anywhere from 15% to 20% of its overall weight. A bear can digest 84 percent of the protein and 97 percent of the fat it consumes.
Polar bears require an average of 2 kg of fat each day to maintain their energy levels. A polar bear may get up to eight days' worth of energy from a 55 kg ringed seal.
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