POLAR BEAR

(oso polar)

-CHARACTERISTICS;(características)
Polar bears are classified as marine mammals because they spend most of their
lives on the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean,They have a thick layer of body fat and a
waterproof coating that insulates them from air and cold water. They are talented
swimmers paddling with their front legs while holding their hind legs flat like a
rudder.

-FEEDING:(alimentación)
Polar bears spend more than 50% of their time foraging for food. A polar bear may
catch only one or two of the ten seals it hunts, depending on the time of year and
other factors. Since they need large amounts of fat to survive, it mainly feeds on
ringed and bearded seals.

-THREATS:(amenazas)
The loss of their habitat, sea ice, due to climate change, is the biggest threat to
the survival of polar bears. However, they also face other threats such as conflicts
with humans, unsustainable hunting and the impacts generated by the industry.

-UNSUSTAINABLE HUNTING:(caza insostenible)

Many areas of the Arctic have strong management and monitoring of polar bears.
But there are places where unsustainable hunting appears to be taking place.

-POPULATION:(población)
Su población se estima entre 22.000 y 31.000 ejemplares en el mundo.