THE POLAR BEAR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 84, 10 April 1937, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE POLAR BEAR.

How would you like to travel 250 miles over the sea on a small piece of ice?

The Polar bear, living in the cold Arctic regions, thinks nothing of taking this long journey. It will float on an ice "raft" from Greenland to Iceland, diving off its "boat" to catch fish or seals for food, and satisfying its thirst by licking the ice. ' The Polar bear is very clever and |«tient. Sometimes it waits on the edge of an icepack for a seal to apj»ear, then, with one .stroke of its paw, the Polar bear lifts the seal out of the water on to the ice and its "dinner"' is caught! But the Polar bear also includes walruses and white whales in its menu. Indeed, during the summer, in certain districts, the Polar bear also eats vegetable food, such as seaweed, grass and lichen. It is surprising how swiftly the Polar bear can move over the ice without slipping. The fact is the Polar bear has pads of hair on the soles of its feet and this makes the animal very sure-footed. The Polar bear is not a pleasant animal to meet if it is hungry, for it is powerful and very bold. In fact it has been known to climb on board a ship and steal a dog from the deck, returning two or three times for other dogs, in spite of the efforts of the sailors. Polar bears do not hibernate, or sleep, during the winter, like many other ] animals, but mother Polar bears often 1 retire to a •"den" at this time of the year. This den is hidden beneath the snow, and in it Mrs. Bear may stay for weeks, taking great care of her children, which are usually very playful. The coat of the Polar l>ear is always white, although at times it may be slightly tinged with yellow. The animal lias a smaller head and a longer neck than all other species of bears. It is al.«o the largest member of the bear familv, often reaching a length of nine feet. " A full-grown Polar bear may weigh over WOO pounds, which is over a quarter of a ton.