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Hello, and welcome to our page on Polar Bears! Here you can find lots of information about Polar Bears including, their place in the food chain, their importance, their habitat, their food source, and the past, present, and future of Polar Bears. Polar Bears need your help. Read to find out what is happening, how global warming is effecting their habitat, and how to prevent food shortages. Polar Bears are more than cute furry animals living in the Arctic, they are animals who are struggling to survive and are slowly disappearing.Think about it, the more you help them out, the better chance your kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids will get to learn about them!



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The Arctic food chain goes like this:

It’s important we keep Polar Bears because if they were to die, all of these animals would die. If Polar Bears were to die, the seals would have no predators and become overly populated because there would be nothing to eat them. They would then start hunting all the Arctic Cod fish to save their families and themselves from starving. But, there are only so many Arctic Cod fish because pretty soon, all of them will be eaten and the ones that survive will probably leave but only a few will make it. The Ringed Seals will die off because of starvation. Their prey has been eaten and they have nothing left to eat. Then, zooplankton will have no predators and they can reproduce without worry of being eaten. What do you think happens next? The Zooplankton become overpopulated and they have to eat the Phytoplankton. When there is so much zooplankton that they have to eat all of the phytoplankton to survive, soon there won’t be enough phytoplankton to keep the zooplankton alive and the zooplankton will die off but not before the phytoplankton does. Pretty soon, the arctic food chain will disappear. This is a major problem and this is a reason to keep Polar Bears alive. We need to keep our arctic animals and mammals alive.
 * Polar bears on top
 * Ringed Seals
 * Arctic Cod
 * Zooplankton
 * Phytoplankton on the bottom

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As temperatures in the Arctic rise, the ice, which bears use as hunting platforms, is melting rapidly. This leaves them with less time to build up their fat in their bodies before a long and hot summer. Since the temperatures are increasing, the ice is melting all year around and life is slowly diminishing. Polar Bears dive for fish but prefer to hunt seals on the ice. They also eat salmon (Charr) and slimy sculpin fish. Polar Bears live and mainly eat on the ice. Their main food source comes from seals. Polar Bears prefer seals to fish because the seals provide more fat and keep them full for a longer time. Fish provide next to nothing as far as nutrients, fat, and other vitamins but when the polar bears are desperate, they eat the fish around the ice. Polar Bears plunge into the water and catch their fish unlike Brown bears who scoop up fish with their paws. They learn all their hunting techniques from their mothers Polar Bears don’t have a vast number of options when they are looking for something to eat. Can you imagine not having any ice in the Arctic? Well, you better believe it because in 2040, scientists project there will be an ice-free arctic. Polar Bears live mostly in the ice in the arctic. Since the habitat of this species is melting, these creatures are being forced into human lands which lead to attacks against the bears. Because of the warm ‘blanket’ that is covering our planet because of human beings, our Earth is getting warm. This is not good for the animals living in cold places. The Hudson Bay has lost about three weeks of ice coverage in recent decades! If this continues, Polar Bears will become extinct along with the other creatures of the Arctic and other cold places.



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Through research, we have discovered the past, present, and future of Polar Bears. Polar Bear population is diminishing as warmer weather melts their habitats. Scientist concluded that about 2,000 to 2,500 polar bears existed near the Alaskan Coast in 1959. In 1961, they estimated the world polar bear population at 5,000 to 8,000. In 1964 the believed world polar bear population was well over 10,000. In 1993 their press release noted the population of polar bears was thought to be between about 21,000 and 28,000. Almost 50 years ago, polar bears scientists first estimated there might be as many as 19,000 polar bears. Three years ago they estimated there might be as few as 20,000. By the time the government decrees polar bears not merely threatened by endangered there may be as few as 30,000 roaming the arctic waste.

Save the polar bears!

Polar bears are the worlds largest terrestrial carnivore and they help us gain an understanding of what is happening throughout the Artic. Large carnivores- those are the apex or top of the food chain- are particularly sensitive indicators of the health of an eco system. In this case the Arctic. All recent indicators show that sea ice in the Arctic is melting at an alarming rate, a problem that needs to be addresses immideatly if polar bears and other species unique to the region are to survive. (Eric V. Regehr/USGS)

Through research, our group found out so many interesting things about Polar Bears and why it is so important they don't become extinct. We chose to talk about polar bears because our whole group felt very strongly about the positive impact they have on us and the enviornment. We all wanted to look up facts about the climate change, which we found leads to the loss of Arctic sea ice, and that it is the leading threat to polar bears. Polar bears are a very large species, we all know that. However, they are weak against global warming much like the rest of us and their population is diminishing very quickly. Many people think that's why they are so interesting, because they have much in common with us. Help spread the word!

Resources:

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[] Eric V. Regehr/USGS

Title: Polar Bear Caught Diving For Fish Source: New Scientist; 9/29/2007, Vol. 195 Issue 2623, p16-16, 1/2 p

Title: Arctic Food Chain Source: Weekly Reader News- Edition 3, 11/30/2007, Vol. 77 Issue 11/12, Special section p4-4, 1/3 p