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SmoothWall Polar Bear Adoption
Since the beginning of the SmoothWall project, we have used the Polar Bear as an icon of the project. More recently with the launch of Express 3 (last year), we wanted to go an extra stage and support a species close to our hearts - which could soon be on the brink of extinction.
SmoothWall are therefore pleased to announce the adoption of a Polar Bear through the World Wildlife Fund for Nature adoption plan. Each month we donate money to the organisation to help protect Polar Bears.
The Svalbard Polar Bears
| Names |
The Svalbard polar bears (pronounced svaal-baard) |
| Species |
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) |
| Sex |
Males and females |
| Age |
Between 5-12 years old |
| Location |
Svalbard Island, Norway, Arctic archipelago |
| Number |
5 polar bears |
Polar Bear Characteristics
The polar bear's white, or yellowish white appearance is caused by a reflection of light. In fact, the fur has no white pigment at all but is translucent and hollow which helps to conduct the sun's heat down to the base of the hairs and onto the skin. Under its fur, the polar bear's skin is entirely black.
The polar bear is the top predator in the Arctic. Its dense coat contains under-fur and guard hairs and underneath this is a thick layer of fat making it superbly adapted to Arctic environments, where temperatures rarely exceed 10c in summer and typically hover around -30c during winter.
Polar Bear Habitat
Polar bears are found in the Arctic landscapes of Canada, Greenland, Norway (the Svalbard archipelago), Russia and Alaska. They spend much of their time at or near the edge of pack ice, the most fruitful place to find food. As the climate warms, some bears will need to retreat further north to follow their food source.
Polar Bear Diet
Polar bears typically need a daily intake of about 2kg of fat. Their pray includes ringed seals, which they hunt by penetrating their dens or by catching them on sea ice when they emerge from water. It is believed that a ringed seal, weighing approximately 55kg, would sustain a polar bear for up to eight days. Also on the bears' menu are young walruses, carcasses of narwhal and beluga whales, fish, seabirds and their eggs, and even other polar bears.
Polar Bear Breeding
Polar bears give birth between the months of November and January and the female nurtures her young in a specially built maternity den, which she digs out of earth and snow whilst pregnant. The cubs weigh less than 1kg when they are born and are much the same size as a kitten. In spring the mother emerges from her den followed by her cubs. She will then nurse them for two and a half years, protecting them and teaching them how to hunt on the sea ice. In the third spring of the cub's life the mother and cubs will go their seperate ways.
How can I help?
You can help by sponsering an animal yourself via the World Wide Fund for Nature's website. Sponsership starts from as little as £2.50 a month. Other members of the SmoothWall Ltd. team have already adopted a Malu Pothi tiger in Nepal!
Adopt an animal (WWF website) »
Where Can I Find More?
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SmoothWall's Polar Bear with certificate
Name our Polar Bear!
We need a name for our new toy Polar Bear and want your help naming him/her!
Choose a name on the forum.
Adopt an animal (WWF website) »
Polar Bear Facts
- The average lifespan of a wild polar bear is 30 years.
- Polar bears are excellent swimmers. They can sustain a heady pace of 10kph.
- The bear's Latin name, Ursus maritimus, means "sea bear", reflecting the fact that they spend much of their lives around water.
- A polar bear's age is determined by looking at its teeth! Scientists measure levels of cementum - a thin layer of bones which builds each year in their teeth - and estimate their age accordingly.
- Polar bears depend on sea ice to live, hunt and breed but sea ice over the Arctic is projected to disappear in summer before the end of this century.
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