Polar bears generally weigh around 1,300 pounds; males tend to be larger than their female counterparts.
Polar bears are highly carnivorous creatures that feed mostly on seals and other Arctic predators, although they will also consume fish, birds, berries, and grass as food sources.
These amazing animals are among the largest land-based, non-mammalian, hypercarnivorous predators without mammalian features.
Males
As with many wild animals, polar bears’ weight varies significantly with season and diet. When at their heaviest during winter when food sources are abundant, their weight may reach several thousand pounds or more; during the summer when Arctic ice retreats and hunting becomes harder they often drop by half or less of that figure.
An adult male polar bear (also called a boar in the wild) typically weighs an estimated weight of over 770 pounds while females known as sows typically only weigh half as much – this difference between genders is known as sexual dimorphism.
Polar bears inhabit Arctic sea ice environments where seal hunting is their main food source, hunting them with various techniques. Polar bears have several adaptations tailored specifically for their environment such as large paws that act as snow shoes or flippers when on land and an insulation of fat which keeps them buoyant while swimming; their long necks and relatively small heads help them locate seals under the ice while their excellent vision allows them to see in near total darkness and over great distances.
These large omnivorous predators are the dominant carnivores in their environment, yet will also feed on other mammals, birds, fish, garbage as well as grass, lichens, moss, cranberries and flowers. Although primarily focused on hunting seals for food source in their wild environments.
Polar bear fur serves more than just insulation; it also serves to reflect or absorb solar heat and infrared radiation – this enables them to stand on floating ice at temperatures as low as -40C without freezing over.
Dense coats make polar bears especially effective hunters; when stalking seals from a distance, they hold their breath, slow their heart rate, and wait until it is time to lunge before taking action.
When confronted by a seal, the bear will strike with great force and power to kill it, often breaking its neck with such force that breathing stops altogether while also exposing blood vessels to the cold Arctic air. After killing an animal, polar bears typically dig themselves a den on solid ground rather than an ice floe and enter an unusual state called hibernation in which their heart rate drops significantly from 45 beats per minute down to 25; this allows fat storage during times when food may become scarcer.