Forget Groundhog Day- The coolest mammal-themed February holiday is all about earth’s largest land carnivore, the polar bear! That’s right- Every February 27th, animal fans like the Pets Lady Crew are encouraged to consider the giant bear of the frozen north for International Polar Bear Day. I’m celebrating by wearing all white, bringing home the closest thing to an actual polar bear, eating nothing but seal jerky and by sharing the following fun facts with you:
* Polar bears have webbed feet. (It makes swimming long distances much easier!)
* These massive mammals reach an average height of 3.5 to 5 feet at the shoulder when standing on all fours, and when an adult male stands on its back legs, it can stand over 10 feet tall!
* A thick layer of fatty blubber helps polar bears to stay warm and to stay buoyant while swimming.
* The usual lifespan of a polar bear is between 15 and 25 years.
* Polar bears live in the icy regions of Alaska, Norway, Canada, Greenland and Russia.
* These bears do not hibernate.
*The polar bear’s official conservation status is listed as “Vulnerable,” a title shared with great white sharks and lions.
* Although everyone knows that polar bears have white fur, many don’t realize that their skin is black!
* This massive carnivore’s diet is mostly composed of seal meat.
* A polar bear’s sense of smell is so refined, that they can locate seals hiding in ice up to three feet thick.
Happy International Polar Bear Day, everyone!
Source: Polar Bears International
