Us West Airlines - Rulers of the Arctic North polar Bears,

The polar bear is the most northerly located land mammal on earth, along with the Arctic fox. Polar bears are white to creamy white all year round which gives them excellent camouflage against the Arctic snow when hunting. 600 pounds; feet tall and up to 1, these bears are huge with adults at 7 to 8 ½. The polar bears (Thalarctos maritimus) live in the Arctic regions of the north near open water where they can find their main source of food which are seals.

They are also excellent swimmers being able to swim at about 3 miles per hour but for considerable distances. A polar bear can outrun a reindeer, at speeds like this. They are incredibly fast being able to run up to 25 miles per hour, despite their large sizes. Polar bears have longer necks and smaller heads making them appear more streamlined, unlike other species of bears.

Even while in the Arctic waters, these protective layers of fur ensure that the polar bear's skin is kept dry most of the time. It simply shakes its body which results in most of the water being thrown right off leaving the bear almost dry, after a polar bear leaves the water. An outer layer of long guard hairs mat together in the water which forms another layer over the inner layer. An inner layer of fur is so compact that it is almost impossible to wet it. Their thick coats of fur traps a deep layer of insulating air around their bodies. Their adaptation to the cold Arctic waters is even more impressive. Leathery pads on the bottoms of their feet to maintain footholds on slippery ice surfaces, polar bears have rough. They spend most of their time on the ice floes hunting seals, during winters.

Baby walruses and even man if they are extremely hungry, birds, polar bears will eat Arctic foxes, besides seals. Particularly if no cover is available, sometimes polar bears have been known to crawl on their bellies until they are close enough to rush their prey. They also stalk their prey utilizing their white camouflage abilities against the mounds of ice. Polar bears hunt seals by waiting for seals to come through holes in the ice to breathe.

The life span of polar bears can be up to 34 years. The polar bear cubs stay with their mothers for 1 to 2 years. Usually 1 to 4 cubs are born during March to April, females tend to breed only every other year and when they do. Males and females stay apart for most of the year except during the summer mating season.

To further help protect these great bears, even for Inuit hunters, there is presently much debate on adjusting annual hunting quotas of polar bears. Polar bears could face extinction in about 100 years, some think that if climate changes continue at its present rate and if worldwide hunting is not adequately controlled. Their populations are thought to be stable for now but some speculate that the species is at risk. 000 polar bears left in the world with 60 percent of them in the Canadian Arctic region, 000 to 25, there are estimates of about 22. Scientists say that climate changes have been reducing the ice floes in the Arctic which has disrupted the polar bear's feeding grounds and migration patterns. Tendons and fur, the Inuit hunt polar bears for their fat.

Polar bears are definitely the rulers of the Arctic north. It's also not surprising that polar bears are some of the most sought after Inuit art sculptures. Manitoba Canada, tourists can see polar bears in the wild through unique tours on specially designed tundra buggies in Churchill. Nunavut even has their license plates cut in the shape of a polar bear. Polar bears have become the most popular symbol of the Arctic north with representations used in everything from soft drink commercials to corporate logos of northern based companies including Canadian North airlines.