POLAR BEAR
			Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Species: Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Ursidae Thalarctos maritimus

The polar bear is one of the largest land carnivores in the world. Males average between 6.5 to 8 feet in length (2 to 2.5 m), and weigh between 650 to 1700 lbs. (295 to 790 kg). Females are smaller.

Polar bears are found only around the North Pole, along the southern edge of the Arctic pack ice. They are carried south by the ice in spring and return northward when the ice breaks up.

A polar bear survives the cold because of its thick coat, which consists of a dense underfur beneath the visible long guard hairs, and the thick layer of fat under the skin. The undersides of the broad feet are hairy, enabling it to walk on the ice without slipping. Polar bears are strong swimmers, but generally avoid large areas of water. Males range over vast areas.

Polar bears prey on seals, particularly on ringed seals. They also eat fish and seabirds, and in spring and early summer, they eat large quantities of plant material, such as grass, lichen, seaweed, and berries. They can kill young walruses, but an adult walrus will usually defeat a polar bear by goaring it with its tusks. Humans are the polar bear's only other enemy. The bears were formerly hunted for their skins, but now are protected by international agreement.

Mating occurs in April or May and the cubs are born in December or January. There are generally two cubs, weighing about 1.5 lb (0.7 kg), and they remain with their mother for up to two years, when she is ready to mate again.