Polar lands · Mammal
Polar bear
Ursus maritimus
The polar bear is the largest meat-eater on land. It spends most of its life on sea ice hunting seals — and that ice is shrinking as the climate warms.
- Where it lives
- Around the Arctic
- Diet
- CarnivoreEats meat
- Weight
- 150–700 kg
- Shoulder height
- 1.5 m
- Top speed
- 40 km/h
- Lifespan (wild)
- 20–30 years
In Pawpedia: What is a mammal?What is a carnivore?
Yaman scale
Drawn side by side with Yaman, to the same scale.
Shoulder height1Yamans
Polar bear: shoulder height 1.5 m — that's 1 times Yaman's height.
Weight12Yamans
Around 425 kg — as heavy as 12 Yamans.
Common questions
Where does the polar bear live?
- Around the Arctic. In our zoo it lives in the Polar lands zone.
What does the polar bear eat?
- It is a carnivore: it eats meat.
How big does the polar bear get?
- Shoulder height: 1.5 m. It weighs 150–700 kg.
How long does the polar bear live?
- 20–30 years in the wild.
How fast is the polar bear?
- It can reach about 40 km/h.
Is the polar bear endangered?
- On the IUCN Red List it is listed as vulnerable. Numbers are falling; it will be in danger without protection.
Did you know?
- Its fur looks white, but each hair is actually see-through — and its skin is black.
- It can swim for days without stopping.
- It has an amazing sense of smell and can find a seal under the ice from far away.
How safe is it?
- LC
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Vulnerable. Numbers are falling; it will be in danger without protection.
IUCN Red List
.jpg){kind=link}