How Polar Bears are adapted to their Environment

Essay by burninbabe666High School, 11th grade November 2004

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The Polar Bear's fur is extremely thick and it traps the heat so well, you can't see one in inferred vision. This is good because the retention of heat keeps it permanently warm. It does not lose body heat as other animals and people do, and it would not be recognised by an inferred scanner, such as used when searching earthquakes and other devastated sites for survivors. The Polar bear would not be detected so this shows how well the bears fur keeps its body warm, especially in icy cold freezing temperatures.

Polar bears can go weeks between meals. Their digestive system, like true carnivores, is also more adapted for processing meat than plant material. Their large stomach capacity is designed to allow them to take advantage of unexpected large meals which will serve to tide them over during the slower months when food might be hard to find.

This would keep them from starving until they can find more food. However starvation is not a cause of death for the Polar Bear, as their ability to store body fat, enables them to go such long periods without food, that it would be almost impossible for the Polar Bear to go hungry!

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, and, like others, enables the Polar Bear to live in the somewhat harsh Artic environment!

The forepaws on a Polar Bear are very large. With a diameter approaching 30 centimetres (12 inches) and partial webbing between their toes, Polar Bears are able to use their front feet much like paddles to propel them rapidly through the water. This helps them to catch their pray, as they can...