Polar bear quiz

1.UrsusMaritimusisthescientificnameforthepolarbear.What

doesitmean?a. Seabearb. Icebear

c.Whitebeard. Oldmaninthefurcloak

2. Polarbearslivealongsidepenguins.Trueorfalse?

3. Wheredopolarbearslive?

4. Whatisapolarbear’sfavouritefood? a.Seaweed b.Seals

c.Penguins d.Icecream

5. Canpolarbearsswim?6. PolarbearsareimportanttotheArcticfoodchain.Trueorfalse?

7. Inwhichseasonarepolarbearsborn?

8. Whatagedopolarbearsliveupto?9. Howmanycubsdomotherpolarbearsusuallyhave?

a. 2 b.6 c.10 d.14

10. Howbigarepolarbearcubswhentheyareborn?a. Theyaresimilarinsizetoahumanbabyb. Theyaresimilarinsizetoamousec. Theyaresimilarinsizetoaguineapigd. Theyaresimilarinsizetoababyelephant

11. Apolarbear’sfuriswhite.Trueorfalse?

12. Howdoesapolarbearkeepwarm?

13. Whydoesapolarbearhaveverywide,largepaws?

14. Whydoesapolarbearhavenostrilsthatitcanclose?

15. Thebiggestthreattothesurvivalofpolarbearsisclimatechange.Trueorfalse?

Questions

Polar bear quiz!

1. Seabear.2. False.3. The Arctic: Roughly 60% of theworld’s polar bears are found in Canada,

with the remaining in the United States of America (Alaska), Greenland,RussiaandNorway(theSvalbardarchipelago).

4. Seals.5. Yes!6. True.7. Winter.8. 25-30yearsoldonaverage.9. Two.10. Similarsizetoaguineapig.11. False.12. Athicklayeroffurtoprotecttheirbodiesfromtheextremelycoldair;a

layeroffat(called‘blubber’);blackskinundertheircoat,whichhelpsthemsoakupthesun’srays.

13. Tohelpthemwalkacrosssnowandiceandtoswim.14. Sotheycanswimunderwater.15. True.

Answers

Polar bear quiz!

1.UrsusMaritimusisthescientificnameforthepolarbear.Whatdoesthismean?

a. Seabearb. Icebearc. Whitebeard. Oldmaninthefurcloak

UrsusMaritimusisLatinfor‘maritime’or‘seabear’.CommanderC.J.Phipps,anofficerintheBritishNavyandauthorofAVoyagetowardstheNorthPole,useditforthefirsttimein1774.Othernamesforthepolarbear:

• Later, the scientific nameThalarctos gained acceptance. It is a combination of theGreekthalasso,meaning‘sea’,andarctos,meaning‘bearofthenorth’.

• To the Inuit, the polar bear isNanuq, ‘an animalworthy of great respect’. In theirpoetry,heisPihoqahiak,‘theever-wanderingone’.

• TheRussiantermforpolarbearisbeliymedved,‘thewhitebear’.• InNorwayandDenmark,thepolarbearisisbjorn,‘theicebear’.• Norsepoetsdescribedthepolarbearas‘whiteseadeer’,‘theseal'sdread’,‘therider

of icebergs’, ‘thewhale'sbane’and ‘thesailorofthefloe’.Theypraisedpolarbearsforhavingthestrengthof12menandthewitof11.

• InGreenland,thepolarbearisknownasTornassuk,‘themasterofhelpingspirits’.• Sami(orLapp)peoplerefusetosaythepolarbear'srealnameforfearofoffending

him.Instead,theycallhimGod'sd’gor‘oldmaninthefurcloak’.• TheKet,aSiberiantribe,revereallbears.Theycallthemgyp,meaning‘grandfather’,

orqoi,meaning‘stepfather’.

2.Polarbearslivealongsidepenguins.Trueorfalse?

Althoughpopularartandchildren'sbooksoftenshowpolarbearsandpenguinstogether,the two live at opposite poles. Penguins live on Antarctica, an ice-covered continentsurroundedbyoceans,attheSouthPole.PolarbearsarenativelargelytotheArcticCircle,encompassingtheArcticOcean,itssurroundingseasandsurroundingland-masses.

Further Information

3.Wheredopolarbearslive?

Polarbearsarefoundinareasofthecircumpolarnorthwheretheycanhunttheirprimaryprey, iceseals. Apolarbear’spreferredhabitat is theannualsea icecoveringthewatersover the continental shelf and the Arctic inter-island archipelagos. Roughly 60% of theworld’spolarbearsare found inCanada,with the remaining40% in theUnitedStatesofAmerica(Alaska),Greenland,RussiaandNorway(theSvalbardarchipelago). Thereare19populationsofpolarbearslivinginfourdifferentseaiceregionsacrosstheArctic.

Annual icecontainsareasofwaterthatappearanddisappearthroughouttheyearastheweatherchanges.Sealsmigrateinresponsetothesechangesandpolarbearsmustfollowtheirprey.InHudsonBay,JamesBayandsomeotherareas,theicemeltscompletelyeachsummer(aneventoftenreferredtoas ‘ice-floebreakup’), forcingpolarbearstogoontolandandwait through themonthsuntil thenext freeze-up. In theChukchiandBeaufortseas,polarbears retreateachsummerto the ice that is furthernorthandwhichremainsfrozenallyearround.4. Whatisapolarbear’sfavouritefood?

a. Seaweedb. Sealsc. Penguinsd. Icecream

Polar bears are the planet’s biggest land-based carnivores (meat-eaters), although theyactually spendmost of their lives aroundwater and ice. Adult polar bears canmeasureover2.5mlongandweigharound680kg;thatismorethan107stoneortheweightofasmallcar! Polarbearsgenerally liveandhuntalone,althoughtheycanbequitesocialattimes. Theymainly eat seals, with the ringed seal (themost abundant Arctic seal) andbearded seal being their key prey; they wait for them to breathe at openings in theice(known as ‘leads’)or at breathing holes. Polar bears have to be smart and patientbecausethewaitcanbelong,fromhourstodays.Polarbearswillalsostalksealsthatarebasking on the ice. Using their remarkable sense of smell, they can detect a seal in thewater beneath ametre of compacted snow and from almost one km away. Out of thewater,theycansniffoutpreyupto16kmaway.Whilepolarbearshaveevolvedasahighlyspecialisedpredatoroficeseals,theyarealwaysalerttootherfoodsources,includingvegetation,geese,birdeggsandeventheoccasional

Circumpolarnorth-theareatraditionallycoveredbytheterms‘Arctic’and‘Subarctic’,the northern lands of the world’s eight northernmost countries (the Arctic Eight):Canada, Finland,Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Iceland,Norway,Russia,SwedenandtheUnitedStatesofAmerica(Alaska).

Ringedseal.

smallmammal.Althoughindividualbearsmaybenefitfromeatingthesealternativefoodsinplaceswheretheyoccur,thereisyetnoevidencetheycouldprovideenoughcalories,intherightform,tosustainpolarbearsatthepopulationlevel.Polarbearsalsooccasionallyfeed on other Arctic marine mammals, including bowhead whale carcasses, or walrus,narwhalandbelugawhalethatbecometrappedinasavsatt(asmallopeninginpackice).However, none of these alternativemarine foods are available on a predictable enoughbasis.Freshwaterislimitedintheseenvironmentsbecauseitiseitherlockedupinsnoworsaline.Polarbearscanproducewaterthroughthemetabolismoffatsfoundinsealblubber. 5. Canpolarbearsswim?

Yes! Despite their size and bulk, polar bears arebrilliant swimmersandhavebeen spotted inwatersover100kmfromshore.Theycancomfortablyswimat around 10 km per hour, using their slightlywebbed, very wide large paws like paddles in thewater. Adultpolarbearscanswimforseveralhourstoget fromonepieceof ice toanother. TheirLatinname Ursus Maritimus means ‘sea bear’ becausetheyspendsomuchtimeinoraroundwater.Infact,thepolarbearisconsideredamarinemammal as it spends somanymonths of the year at sea. However, it is the only livingmarinemammalwithpowerful,largelimbsthatallowthemtocovermilesonfootandrunon land. They can walk or swim long distances to find food or to breed – sometimesroaming across vast areas up to 600,000 sq km. Polar bears walk at 5-6 km per hour,femaleswithsmallcubsslowtheirspeedtoabouthalfthat.Polarbearsarewellknownfortheirslow,ploddinggait,buttheyarealsoabletogallopasfastasahorse(40kmperhour)overshortdistances. However,theyprefertoambleleisurely. Younger, leanerbearsarethebest runners,coveringupto twokilometreswithoutstopping,butolder, largerbearscanquicklyoverheat. Insummer,when ice floesretreat,mostpolarbears followthe ice,sometimestravellinghundredsofmilestostaywiththeirfoodsource.

6. PolarbearsareimportanttotheArcticfoodchain.Trueorfalse.

PolarbearsaretopoftheArcticfoodchain.Theyplayavitalroleinthebalanceoftheirecosystem,ensuringtheArcticfoodchainstayshealthyforthebenefitofwildlifeandpeopleinandbeyondtheArctic.TheArcticprovidesfishformillionsofpeople,includingthoseintheUK.Forthousandsofyears,polarbearshavealsohadastrongculturalsignificanceforArcticpeople,akeyfigureinmaterial,spiritual,andculturallife.

PolarsightedduringHempleman-AdamsexpeditiontoSvalbard.

7.Inwhichseasonarepolarbearsborn?

Inwinter.MatingtakesplaceontheseaicefromApriluntillateJune,butthefertileovadonotimplantuntilthefollowingautumn.Thisiscalled‘delayedimplantation’.Pregnantfemalepolarbearsdigmaternitydensinsnowbanksintheautumnandusuallygivebirthtotheircubsabouttwomonthsaftertheyentertheden,soinearlywinter(mostlyNovemberorDecemberandusuallybyearlyJanuary).ThedenprotectsthepolarfamilyfromtheharshArcticenvironment.Theyemergefromthedenfourtofivemonthslater,inMarchorApril,whenthecubsarestrongenoughtosurviveoutsideandreadytomakethetrektotheseaice.Thecubswillstaywiththeirmotherforabouttwoyears,duringwhichtimetheylearntheskillsneededtosurviveintheArctic.8.Whatagedopolarbearsliveupto?

Inthewild,polarbearscanliveuptotheageof25-30yearsold.However,onaverage,theyliveto15-18yearsold.TheoldestknownpolarbearintheArcticlivedfor32years.Theoldestknownpolarbearinazoolivedfor45years.9. Howmanycubsdomotherpolarbearsusuallyhave?

a. 2 b.6 c.10 d.14

Femalepolarbearsgivebirthtoone,twoorthreecubs.Twinsaremostcommon.UntilMarchorAprilwhentheyemergefromtheden,motherandcubsspendmuchoftheirtimesleeping.Duringthistime,themotherlivesoffherfatreserves.Theychoosedensitesinsnowdriftsalongcoastalandriverbluffs,inhillsnearseaiceorinbanksofsnowonthefrozensea.AlongsouthernandwesternHudsonBay,motherbearsdigintoraisedpeatsoilsfoundinpalsaformationsoralonglakeshoresandrivers.10. Howbigarepolarbearcubswhentheyareborn?

a. Theyaresimilarinsizetoahumanbabyb. Theyaresimilarinsizetoamousec. Theyaresimilarinsizetoaguineapigd. Theyaresimilarinsizetoababyelephant

Atbirth,polarbearcubsareonlyaround30cmlongandweighlittlemorethanonepound(0.5kg)–thatisaboutthesameasaguineapig!Cubsgrowrapidlyontheirmother'srich

PolarBearssightedonthePolarOceanChallenge.

milk.Duringherentiretimeintheden(fourtoeightmonths),themotherbeardoesnoteatordrink.Whenshefinallyemergeswithhercubs,sheleadsthemtotheseaice,soshecanbreakherlongfastbyhuntingseals.Today,cubsgenerallystaywiththeirmotherfortwo-and-a-halftothreeyears.Historically,polarbearsinHudsonBayweanedinhalfthattimedueinparttothehighproductivityofthatregion.ThisisbecominglessfrequentastheseArcticecosystemschange.11. Apolarbear’sfuriswhite.Trueorfalse.

Polarbearsarenotactuallywhite!Theirfurconsistsofadense,insulatingunderfurtoppedbyguardhairsofvariouslengths,whichisnotactuallywhite,butjustlooksthatway. Eachhairshaftispigment-freeandtransparentwithahollowcorethatscattersandreflectsvisiblelight,muchlikewhathappenswithiceandsnow. Polarbearslookwhitestwhentheyarecleanandinhighanglesunlight,especiallyjustafterthemoultingperiod,whichusuallybeginsinspringandiscompletebylatesummer.Beforemoulting,accumulatedoilsintheirfurfromthesealsthattheyeatcanmakethemlookyellow.Thetranslucentfurhelpsthemblendinwiththeirsurroundings–ausefultrickwhenhuntingwaryseals!12. Howdoesapolarbearkeepwarm?

Itisvery,verycoldinthepolarhabitats;infact,theyareoneoftheharshestenvironmentsonourplanet.TemperaturesintheArctictundraareusuallybetween-12°Cto-6°C,althoughitcangetmuchcolderthanthatfurtheruptheicecap(aslowas-50°C).PolarbearshaveadaptedwelltosurviveintheextremeArcticenvironment,withmanybodycharacteristicsadaptedforcoldtemperatures,inadditiontomovingacrosssnow,iceandopenwater.Aswellasathicklayeroffurtoprotecttheirbodiesfromtheextremelycoldair,polarbearshavealayeroffat(called‘blubber’),whichcanmeasureupto11.5cmthickundertheirskinandhelpsthemstaywarmbyinsulatingtheirbodiesfromthenear-freezingwater.Polarbearsalsohaveblackskinundertheirglisteningcoat,whichhelpsthemsoakupthesun’srays.TheirthickcoatandalayeroffatkeepthemwarmandcamouflagedintheirharshArcticenvironment.13. Whydoesapolarbearhaveverywide,largepaws?

Thewide,largepaws(upto31cmwide)areperfectforroamingtheArctic–theyhelpapolarbeartowalkinthesnow,distributetheirweightwhentreadingonthiniceandtheslightlywebbedpawshelpthemtoswimefficiently.Whenswimming,forepawsactlikelargepaddlesandhindpawsserveasrudders.

14. Whydoesapolarbearhavenostrilsthatitcanclose?

Whenapolarbearswimsunderwater,itclosesitsnostrilssonowatercanenter.

15. Thebiggestthreattothesurvivalofpolarbearsisclimatechange.Trueorfalse?Climate change is the biggest threat to the polar bear. They are at particular risk fromglobalwarming,which ismelting the Arctic sea ice thatmany polar bears depend on tohunt for foodandraise theiryoung. It ishard to imaginesuchstrongpredatorsbeingatrisk, but human-induced climate change ismaking life tough for them. Due to expectedhabitatloss,thepolarbearisclassifiedasavulnerablespecies,withatleastthreeofthe19polarbearsub-populationscurrentlyindecline.Thekeydangerposedbyclimatechangeismalnutritionorstarvationasaresultofhabitatloss.Polarbearshuntsealsfromaplatformofseaice.Risingglobaltemperaturesmeansthatseaiceismeltingearlierandforminglatereachyear, leavingpolarbearslesstimetohuntforfood,aswellasdrivingthemtoshorebeforetheyhavebuiltsufficientfatreservesto survive theperiodof scarce food in the late summerandearly autumn. Reduction insea-ice also forces polar bears to swim longer distances, which further depletes theirenergystoresandoccasionallyleadstodrowning.Thinnerseaicetendstobreakupmoreeasily,whichcanmakeitmoredifficultforpolarbearstoaccessseals.Lackofproperfoodleadstofewercubsbeingborn,andalowerrateofsurvivalamongthoseborn,aswellaspoorerhealthinbearsofallages.Due to warming air temperatures, ice-floe break up in western Hudson Bay is currentlyoccurringthreeweeksearlier than itdid30yearsago, reducingthedurationof thepolarbearfeedingseason.A new development is that polar bears have begun ranging to new territory.While notunheard of but still uncommon, polar bears have been sighted increasingly in largernumbers ashore, staying on themainland for longer periods of time during the summermonths, particularly in North Canada, and travelling further inland. This may cause anincreasedrelianceonterrestrialdiets,suchasgooseeggs,waterfowlandcaribou,aswellasincreased human–bear conflict. Increased polar bear use of terrestrial foodswould alsohave negative impacts on those species and others who rely on them for survival - thegrizzlybear,Arcticfox,wolvesandbirdsofprey.

AwarmingArcticalsothreatensringedseals. Lossof ice limitstheirdistribution,raincancollapse lairs and low snow years canmean seal pups are born in the open,where theybecome easy prey for Arctic foxes, several bird species and polar bears. In westernSvalbard, changes in sea ice extent and snow cover have led to reproductive failure forringedsealsinsomeareas.Iceisamust.Bothpolarbearsandringedsealsdependonit.

FormoreinformationaboutthePizzly-Grolar,seeWickedWeatherWatchresource‘Pizzly-grolarinformationsheet’availableonourwebsite.Formoreinformationonpolarbears,visit:PolarBearsInternational:www.polarbearsinternational.org/about-polar-bears/essentialsNationalGeographic:http://www.ngkids.co.uk/animals/polar-bear-factsWorldWildlifeFund(WWF):http://www.wwf.org.uk/wildlife/polar-bears

Pizzl ies and Grolars! Didyouknowthatthereissuchathingasapizzlyorgrolar??Grizzly bears in Alaska and Canada aremoving north as their environmentwarms,bringingthemintocontactwithpolarbearslocatedonthecoastline.Climate change is known for swelling the oceans and fuelling extremeweather,butitmayalsobecausingthecuriousemergenceofanewtypeofbear,agrizzly-polarhybridintheArctic.

www.wickedweatherwatch.org.uk|talkingtoyoungpeopleaboutclimatechange