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Polar bears are mainly found within the Arctic Circle in the range countries of Denmark (Greenland), Norway (Svalbard), Russia, United States and Canada.
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There may be only 25,000 polar bears left in the Arctic - about 60% of those are in Canada.
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The polar bear’s scientific name, Ursus maritimus, means maritime bear.
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Polar bears are the world’s largest land predator - more than twice the size of a Siberian tiger.
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Polar bears live in one of the planet’s coldest environments, where the winter climate in the Arctic can plunge to -50°.
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Polar bears are insulated by two layers of fur and a four-inch thick fat layer.
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The feet are furred and covered with small bumps to prevent them from slipping on the ice.
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In most parts of the Arctic, female polar bears only breed every three years.
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A female bear may put on up to 400 pounds in preparation for denning.
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Cubs, often twins, are born in January, and do not leave the ice den until March or early April.
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Polar bears are stealth hunters of ringed and bearded seals, but they have also been recorded to eat reindeer, birds, eggs and shellfish.
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Polar bears have an acute sense of smell, and can detect a seal over one mile away or through three feet of ice.
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The polar bear hunts by catching seals at their breathing holes in the ice, by stalking seals resting on the ice, or by crashing into seal birthing lairs.
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When the sea ice disappears in summer, the polar bear may have to live off fat reserves for a few months.
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The main threat to polar bear populations is malnutrition or starvation due to habitat loss, which is caused by global warming and the resulting reduction of the sea ice cover.
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