Polar Bears
Polar Bears are large, meat-eating bears who are well-adapted for life in
their frozen Arctic environment. They are powerful swimmers who hunt
seals in the water. Polar bears can run in bursts up to 25 mph (40 kph).
Anatomy: Polar Bears are up to 10 feet (3 m) long and weigh about
1,700 pounds (770 kg); males are bigger than females. Polar bears
have a small head, powerful jaws, and a black nose and tongue. They
have a strong sense of smell. They have 42 teeth; the tail is small and
flat. They have wide front paws with slightly webbed toes that help them
swim. These bears paddle with their front feet and steer with the hind
feet.
Fur and Skin: Polar Bears have two types of fur. They have thick,
woolly fur close to the skin that keeps them warm. They also have
hollow guard hairs that stick up and protect the bears from getting wet.
These guard hairs are like drinking straws and are clear-colored (not
white). The white-looking coat camouflages them well in the snow and
ice. Under the fur, Polar Bears have black skin. They also have a thick
layer of fat (up to 4 inches thick) under the skin that helps keep them
warm.
Habitat and Range: Polar Bears live in icy Arctic areas of Alaska,
Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia. They spend much of their
time swimming in frigid seas.
Diet: Polar Bears are carnivores (meat-eaters) who frequently hunt and
catch their prey in the water, often many miles from land. They are
fierce predators who eat mostly seals (and some walruses and other
marine mammals). Polar bears don't drink water.
Reproduction: When pregnant, females (called sows) build snow dens
in which they spend the winter; they usually give birth to twin cubs. Male
polar bears (called boars) are active all year.
Classification: Kingdom Animalia (animals), Phylum Chordata, Class
Mammalia (mammals), Order Carnivora, Family Ursidae (bears), Genus
Ursus, species U. maritimus (meaning "sea bear").
Polar Bear Story
This is a fun story that is loved by all children!
The Magic Polar Bear
Materials Needed:
1. Bear shaped plastic bottle (the type that
honey comes in)
2. Bleach
3. Food coloring: yellow, blue, and red.
Teacher Prep- Fill the bear jar with water. Do
NOT let the children see the food coloring and
bleach.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful white
polar bear who often visited the St. Lawrence
Island in Alaska. Now on this island, you find
a little schoolhouse filled with many boys and
girls and their beloved teacher, Ms. Andrews.
It seems as though a neighboring child from
Siberia ventured across the Bering Strait to
St. Lawrence Island. Her name was Tatiana,
and she had beautiful golden hair. As she
explored the island, she soon met Mr. Polar
Bear. As the children watched out the
windows of the schoolhouse, the bear wished
that he had golden hair like Tatiana's. He shut
his eyes tightly and wished very hard for
golden hair. Now will you just shut your eyes
for a moment and help Mr. Polar Bear make
his wish? ( put 2 drops of yellow food coloring
in bear bottle)
Now you may open your eyes! AMAZING! a
blond polar bear- Oh, my goodness! Do you
know what the children shouted out the
windows of the schoolhouse? Do you think
they liked a BLOND polar bear?
(get children to slap, slap, clap, clap, and snap
and say:)
POLAR BEAR, POLAR BEAR
YOU ARE A SIGHT!
YOUR COLOR WAS RIGHT
WHEN YOU WERE WHITE!
Mr. Polar Bear was VERY SAD! He thought the
children would like his new golden color! He
climbed on an iceberg and began to think
about his problem. Now, as Mr. Polar Bear
rested, he caught a new scent in the air. What
did he smell? As he raised his head and
looked around, he saw a young boy coming
closer. Chad was from the GREEN forests of
Canada. He wore a green hat, a green sweater,
green pants, and green boots. Guess what he
had in his pocket? Chad had a GREEN
lollipop! Mr. Polar Bear thought GREEN must
be the most beautiful color in the world!
Maybe he should be a green bear. He shut his
eyes and began to wish he was green. Can
you help Mr. Polar Bear make his wish come
true? Now shut your eyes for a moment and
help Mr. Polar Bear make his wish? (put 2
drops of blue in) Now he was a GREEN polar
bear!! But the children said:
(get children to slap, slap, clap, clap, and snap
and say:)
POLAR BEAR, POLAR BEAR
YOU ARE A SIGHT!
YOUR COLOR WAS RIGHT
WHEN YOU WERE WHITE!
Now this made Mr. Polar Bear feel REALLY
BAD. He pouted and pouted. Mr. Polar Bear
began to walk across the snow. As he topped
a big snow drift, he met COUSIN BROWN
BEAR from Kodiak Island. Cousin Brown Bear
had followed the path of green tears that came
from polar bear. The two bears had a nice,
long visit and before long, Mr. Polar Bear
began to admire his SMART COUSIN. The
Kodiak Bear is the world's largest bear. Mr.
Polar Bear thinks maybe the children would
like him if he were brown instead. Let's shut
our eyes and wish with Mr. Polar Bear. ( add 2
drops of red)
Now he was a BROWN polar bear!! But the
children said:
(get children to slap, slap, clap, clap, and snap
and say:)
POLAR BEAR, POLAR BEAR
YOU ARE A SIGHT!
YOUR COLOR WAS RIGHT
WHEN YOU WERE WHITE!
Mr. Polar Bear felt SO BAD, he ran away from
the children and dove in the ice cold waters of
the Bering Sea. Polar bears are the best
swimmers of all bears. His thick, heavy fur
was now BROWN and looked quite strange as
the children of Gambel watched him swim
DEEP, DEEP, DEEP into the sea. Now, if you
will just shut your eyes and think about Mr.
Polar Bear swimming around under the cold,
cold water, a tiny bit of Alaska magic might
happen. ( add bleach to the water, while their
eyes are closed, continue to talk about polar
bear swimming while the bleach takes effect)
Mr. Polar Bear swam up, up, up, up, to the
surface and guess what!
(get children to slap, slap, clap, clap, and snap
and say:)
POLAR BEAR, POLAR BEAR
Your color IS right!
WE LOVE YOU!
WE LOVE YOU!
YOU ARE WHITE!
Mr. Polar Bear decided NEVER to change his
color again. After all, Polar Bears are
supposed to be WHITE, RIGHT?
The End
After telling the story, discuss the
observations the children made throughout
the story. Consider letting them mix tempera
paints on a paper plate.
HINT: Do this activity before presenting to the
class to determine how much bleach to use in
your plastic bottle.
How do Antarctic animals stay warm in bone-chilling water?
1. Discuss how quickly our bodies are chilled in cold water. What do we do to stay
warm? (move around, wear insulating wetsuits, get out of the water).
2. Ask students to list ways in which animals are able to stay warm in cold water
(blubber, air in feathers, oil on fur, low surface area to volume ratio).
3. Have the students cover one hand with a plastic bag.
4. Put a generous amount of solid shortening into another bag. Have the student put the
plastic-covered hand into the bag with the shortening. Knead the shortening to make sure
the hand is completely surrounded by shortening.
5. Wrap duct tape around the portion of the bag covering your wrist to seal the bag
(optional).
6. Cover the other hand with two plastic bags (without shortening). This is the "control."
7. Place both hands simultaneously into a bucket of cold water.
8. Have a student time how long each hand remains underwater.
9. Whales, Weddell seals, and penguins all have blubber.
Discuss how the solid shortening is like the blubber that these Antarctic animals have.
10. Discuss what other advantages blubber gives marine animals besides warmth.
(buoyancy)
11. Remove the bags from the students' hands and seal the bags so water won't get in.
Attach weights to the outer bag of each "glove."
12. Put the bags into the bucket of water. How much weight can each bag hold before it
sinks to the bottom of the bucket?