The Largest Polar Bear Ever Recorded

Polar bears are not only the largest bears in the world, but they are also the largest carnivores on land! These magnificent creatures are admired for their beautiful white coats and their particularly adorable little cubs. Interestingly, a polar bear’s famous white fur has no white pigment. The outer layer of fur is called guard hair. In polar bears, the guard hairs are translucent and appear white because of how they reflect light. This is similar to how snow appears white despite not having any pigment. What other surprising information do we have about polar bears? Find out in this article as we explore the largest polar bear ever recorded!

Why Are Polar Bears So Large?

Polar bears inhabit the arctic circle, including parts of Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the United States. The temperature in the Arctic Circle is influenced primarily by the surrounding seawater, which is 28.8 degrees Fahrenheit before it freezes. The average atmospheric temperature in the winter is between -22 and -31 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bergmann’s Rule states that animal species in colder climates will be larger than related species in warmer climates. For example, a male polar bear, Ursus maritimus, typically weighs between 770 and 1,540 pounds. This is much larger than its southern cousin, the Floridian black bear, Ursus americanus floridanus, which weighs 300 pounds on average. Size and climate are correlated because a larger, rounder animal has a lower surface area to volume ratio. This means they lose heat more slowly, which is one reason polar bears are so big.

Polar bears are also very large due to the amount of insulation they have. Polar bears have a thick, dense coat of underfur, as well as an outer coat of guard hairs. Beneath their fur, these bears have a four-inch thick layer of fatty tissue. This fat and fur insulate polar bears from the extreme cold.

How Do Polar Bears Maintain Their Weight?

Polar bears are apex predators considered “hypercarnivorous.” An animal classified as a hypercarnivore has a diet consisting of at least 70% meat. A polar bear is the most carnivorous bear with a diet of 90% meat! This is partially due to the lack of vegetation in arctic ecosystems. In comparison, the grizzly bear is the least carnivorous bear with a diet of only 10% meat.

Polar bears primarily eat seals. They typically guard a hole in the ice until a seal emerges. This is an effective hunting method because of their incredible sense of smell. Polar bears can smell a seal up to a mile away or beneath three feet of snow. They can smell a seal’s breath, locate it, and pull it out from below the ice. The skin and blubber of seals provide a high-caloric diet that helps a polar bear maintain its weight.

A female polar bear’s weight fluctuates greatly throughout her lifetime. A mature female typically weighs between 330 and 550 pounds. Male polar bears are much larger at upwards of 1,500 pounds, but when a female is pregnant, she doubles in size and can weigh up to 1,100 pounds.

How Do Such Large Animals Get Around?

Polar bears are classified as marine mammals because they rely on sea ice. They have massive paws about 12 inches across that assist them in swimming. The large amount of fat insulating the polar bear also contributes to its ability to swim. The extra fat makes the bear more buoyant and allows it to swim greater distances. . The furthest a polar bear has ever been recorded swimming was a female in the Bering Sea. She swam 426 miles over nine consecutive days to reach distant ice.

Polar bears also travel extensively on land. Their big paws are helpful on both snow and thin ice. Their paws distribute their weight over a larger area, similar to snowshoes. Polar bears typically walk quite slowly, but they can run at speeds up to 25mph. While polar bears usually remain within a home range, the furthest recorded distance a polar bear has traveled in a single trip was a female trekking 2,980 miles.

The Largest Polar Bear Ever Recorded

The largest polar bear ever recorded weighed a staggering 2,209 pounds. With the average man weighing around 200 pounds, this bear was the size of 11 grown men! This polar bear was spotted in Kotzebue Sound, Alaska in 1960. Polar bear sightings in Kotzebue Sound are not very common because it is a transitional climate zone.

This impressive bear stood 11 feet and one inch tall on its hind legs. In comparison, the average male polar bear typically stands around eight feet tall on its hind legs. Unfortunately, the bear was shot and mounted.

Polar Bear Conservation

Polar bears can live as long as 20-30 years. However, few polar bears live longer than 15-18 years. In captivity, polar bears typically live up to 25 years because of carefully controlled diet and conditions. The oldest polar bear in a zoo lived for 45 years.

Polar bears are currently listed by the IUCN Red List as a Vulnerable species. They are at risk due to habitat loss, hunting, industrial activity, and pollution, among other reasons. The ice that polar bears live on is melting because of increasing global temperatures. Temperature increases prevent polar bears from creating sufficient fat reserves to survive periods of food scarcity. Melting ice also forces polar bears to swim longer distances, which can cause fatigue and drowning.