Page 147 - World of Animals - Book of Sharks & Ocean Predators

Polar bears
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“The polar bear’s

huge paws act as
oar-like paddles

in the water for
effi cient, energy-

saving swimming”

The polar bear’s closest relative

Polar bears are descended from brown polar bear may have evolved as long as 1.5
bears – a species that is clearly much more million years ago. However, the two species
at home in the forest than in the Arctic are still so similar that they have been
Circle. Fossil evidence shows that the known to interbreed, even in the wild.

Streamlined form
Polar bears have longer necks and narrower skulls than
brown bears – an adaptation for their marine lifestyle
making it an efficient and streamlined swimmer

Long, curved claws
Brown bears’ claws are much longer than the polars’;
they can be the length of a human finger. Brown bears

use these for digging dens and rooting out vegetation
Shoulder hump
Brown bears have a prominent shoulder hump – muscle
mass that allows it to be a powerful digger. While polar
bears do dig dens in snow, they don’t have humps

Asiatic black bear Sloth bear
Ursus thibetanus Melursus ursinus
Length: 1.8m Spectacled bear Length: 1.8m
Shoulder height: 1m Tremarctos ornatus Shoulder height: 90cm
Amount left in wild: Length: 1.5m Amount left in wild:
60,000 Shoulder height: 80cm 7,000-10,000
Amount left in wild:
Less than 6,000-10000

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