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They are the Kings of the North, the Lords of the Arctic. They are the massive and impressive purveyors of the Canadian Northwest. They are the Polar Bear and they can be most commonly found at and around the area of Churchill, Manitoba on the south western coast of Canada’s Hudson Bay. Thus, this area has become known as the ‘Polar Bear Capital of the World.’
Early northern explorers were intrigued by the polar bear. American naturalist John Muir described it as ‘a noble looking animal and of enormous strength, living bravely and warm amid eternal ice.’ Weighing in at between 1,000 and 1,400 pounds the bear is an incredibly agile mover. He can, in fact, run at amazingly high speed. The polar bear is also renowned as the most powerful four footed swimmer on the earth. They can swim across ice flows in wide bays. The oil lubricating the bear’s fur means that ice and water crystals will not stick. After rolling in the snow to get rid of any extra moisture the coat is now completely dry.
The bear’s coat has an amazing capacity to absorb light, which not only keeps it warm but also gives the polar bear its dazzling white appearance. Fortunately for humans, polar bears are rather retiring and unaggressive, especially when compared to the grizzly bear. We should never, however, underestimate their great power and agility.
The male polar bear will leave the female after mating. Wandering off, he leaves her all of the responsibilities of single parenthood. The fertilized egg inside the mother divides a number of times, then it remains dormant for the next four or five months. When implantation occurs and growth begins, the female digs a snow den in the deepest drift she can find. There she remains without food, neither urinating or defecating until the end of March. The newborn is surprisingly tiny in comparison to the massive brute that it will develop into. Baby polar bears, in fact, weigh only about one pound. Born blind and deaf, the cubs are covered with fuzzy wool, except for the pads of their paws and their nose. With sickle shaped claws, they creep along the mother’s fur to suckle on her rich, creamy cod-liver oil flavoured milk.
The cubs grow rapidly. At about 26 days, they hear their first sounds. Seven days later their eyes open. Natal fuzz will soon turn into real fur which will give real protection from the elements.
The mother will train the cubs for two and a half years. Then she will abandon them, to fend for themselves.
The polar bear is a excellent example of an animal being designed to thrive in an inhospitable environment. The closest you and I will probably get to seeing one, however, is the local zoo. Still, we can appreciate the ease with which the King of the North is able to adapt to the icy wastes of earth’s North Polar Basin.
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