Polar Bear - (Endangered/Threatened)

I need to see as many caches as I can before I disapear from the earth. Hopefully I can help people see that we have to share this world we all live in and depend on.

The Polar Bear was placed on the Endangered Species list in 2008. The estimated population is 22,000 world wide. Close to half of the polar bear population lives in Canada.

Polar bears are among the largest predators in the world. They range in color from pure white after a molt to a yellowish shade resulting from solar oxidation or staining by oil from seal blubber. Their skin, nose and lips are black in color.

Polar bears’ long neck and narrow skull aid in streamlining the animal in water, and their large, flat and oar-like front feet make them strong swimmers. Their fur is thicker than any other bears’ even covering their feet, for warmth and traction on ice. Polar bears also have a thick layer of blubber which provides buoyancy and insulation.

Height 8 to 10 feet
Weight Adult males 550-1700 lbs; females 200 - 700 lbs
Lifespan 20 - 25 years

Threats:
Climate change, which is causing the loss of older stable sea ice and the thinning, disappearance and moving offshore of older sea ice, is reducing essential polar bear habitats and is the great threat to their survival. Loss of sea ice leads to higher energy requirements to locate prey and a shortage of food. This causes higher mortality among cubs and reduction in size among first year cubs and adult males. For example, in Alaska 42% of cubs now reach 12 months of age, down from 65% 15 years ago. Another threat is human-caused mortality. Some bears are attracted by unsecured garbage and animal carcasses. This can eventually lead to conflicts between people and bears and lethal removal of the bear. Illegal killing (poaching) of bears also remains another factor causing their decline.