ICE BEAR IN THE STEPS OF THE POLAR BEAR

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ICE BEARIN THE STEPS OF THE POLAR BEAR

• WRITTEN BY Nicola Davies
• Illustrated by Gary Blythe
• 2007-2008 NC childrens Book Award Nominee

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Polar bears have longer necks and legs than
their closest relativesthe brown or grizzly
bears
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Only a polar bears nose and the pads on the
ends of its toes are without fur.
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Tiny ice crystals rub the dirt from the polar
bears furPolar bears are careful to keep
clean so that they stay camouflaged against the
snow and ice.Polar bears stay warm in
temperatures of 40 degrees below 0 and lower.
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Polar bears are the biggest hunters on
land.Male bears can be 10 feet long and weigh
as much as 10 men.
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Polar bears fat keep them warm in the cold
sea.Webbed feet help them to swim.Their
water shedding fur helps them dry off quickly.
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Polar bears can catch seals only on the sea ice
so hunting is best in winter and early spring.
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Newborn polar bears are tiny.They weigh just
over 1 pound about the same as a guinea pig!
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Polar bear moms usually have 2 cubs at a time
but sometimes they have only one or, very rarely
triplets.
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When the sea ice melts in summer, polar bears
cant catch seals. Theyll eat almost anything
instead fish, dead birds, berries, and even
grass.
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Real fighting is very dangerous for polar
bears! So males play-fight to find out whos
the strongest without either bear getting hurt.
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Some scientists think that when humans came to
the Arctic about 40,000 years ago, they learned
how to survive by watching polar bears.
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By international agreement, polar bears are
protected wherever they roam. But global warming
may be melting the sea ice they depend on. Here
are some things you can do to help preserve the
polar bears Arctic homeSwitch off lights,
television and computers when you dont need them
on. Bike or walk instead of getting gin the
car.Every little bit helps!
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Photo creditsGoogle ImagesJosephine
SorrellLibrary Media SpecialistMabel
SchoolZionville, NC