Polar Bears - Data, Pictures and Videos

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Body Type.

Polar bears have a heavy stout body with strong muscular legs and well-developed neck muscles. Compared to other bears, the head of a polar bear is proportionally smaller. The necks of polar bears are longer than their nearest kin, the brown bear. This adaptation makes it easier for them to keep their heads above water when swimming. They have short, fur covered ears and a very short tail. Polar bears have large paws compared to body size, reaching 30 cm (12 in.) in diameter. The large paws of a polar bear act like snowshoes, spreading out the bear's weight as it moves over ice and snow. The forepaws are round, and the hind paws are elongated. The partial webbing between their toes, polar bears are able to use their front feet much like paddles to propel them rapidly through the water. The hind feet are slightly smaller. On both the front and hind feet, the bottoms are covered with dense fur, which affords better traction when moving on ice. Each toe has a thick, curved, nonretractable claw. The claws are used for grasping prey and for traction when running or climbing on ice. The sole of a polar bear's foot has thick, black pads covered with small, soft papillae (dermal bumps). The papillae create friction between the foot and ice to prevent slippage. Long hairs growing between pads and toes also help prevent slippage. Polar bears walk in a plantigrade manner (i.e., in a manner similar to humans with both heel and toe make contact with the ground when walking). On land, they are not as quick as brown bears and appear to have traded off speed for their extremely massive forelegs which they use to break through seal dens or flip a large seal out of the water. They are able to attain speeds of 40 kilometers per hour (25 miles per hour) for short distances.


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