Kodiak Bear Vs Polar Bear

Kodiak Bear Vs Polar Bear

Although Kodiak and Polar bears are both bear species, they are different in many aspects. The Kodiak bear is a subspecies of the Brown Bear. In fact, it is the largest subspecies of them. Typically, they get much bigger than other Grizzlies, because they have an abundance of Pacific Salmon to consume. They are only found on Kodiak Island, which is off the southern coast of Alaska. They try to avoid any and all contact with humans.

The Polar Bear, on the other hand, is even larger than the Kodiak Bear. They are a direct descendant of the Brown Bear and are now classified as the largest bear on the entire planet. Although they are usually more slender, they are definitely longer and therefore, stand taller. Not only that, but they are now classified as a marine mammal because of the large amount of time that they spend in the water. In fact, they spend months and months of the year out at sea.

Polar bears are social animals. However, whenever they are hungry they will kill almost anything to have something to eat. The most common thing they attack and consume are seals. They have also been known to hunt walrus and beluga whales. They are mostly concentrated within the Arctic circle which encompasses the Arctic Ocean. They can also be found around surrounding land masses.

Kodiak bears are generally solitary animals and are more aggressive than Polar bears are. However, Polar bears are more experienced when it comes to killing extremely large prey. If you were ever to pit these massive species against each other, it could be a toss up as to who would win. They come from very distinct backgrounds, and therefore, they each have different advantages.

If they ever attacked each other, the polar bears would get the first hit. They have longer arms and a longer neck, so it would give them the first benefit. The Kodiaks are likely to avoid fatal injury, though, because they have many layers of fat. The Kodiak would then retaliate. They have a lot of experience in territorial fights with other big bears.

They also have lots of strength and weight to use to their advantage. More than likely, the Kodiak's would charge the Polar Bears and knock them down. It would not be likely that the Polar bear would ever be able to get back up. So, in the end, they would probably lose the fight.

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Polar Bears - The Key Facts & Figure

Polar Bears - The Key Facts & Figure

The polar bear is an endangered species of bear that lives in the far north on the polar pack ice and ranges as far afield as Canada, Denmark, Russia and Norway. It is the largest land predator alive today, with 25,000 to 40,000 roaming throughout the Arctic region. Female polar bears reach sexual maturity at roughly five years of age and their offspring are comparatively much smaller than human infants, weighing only around a pound at birth.

They usually give birth to two live young which spend the first winter months of their lives in a den dug out of a snowdrift. They emerge in the spring and within a year can grow to man-size if supplied with an abundance of food. The average male bear will grow to weigh over 1400 pounds and stand ten feet tall. The female of the species weighs in at 650 pounds and stands at a height of seven feet tall.

A fact about polar bears that you might not know is that their fur is not white, but that each hair is a colourless hollow tube which reflects sunlight during daylight hours. This serves to keep the bear warm and because the coat is oily it does not mat when wet, making it easy to shake off excess water and ice that may form after swimming.

Polar bears eat mainly seals which they hunt on the pack ice, either by waiting for them to surface at their breathing holes in the ice or by stalking them. On occasion they will hunt beneath the ice for their prey. They have slightly webbed front feet to assist them with forward motion in the water, while they steer with their powerful back legs.

Their only predator is man. Men are starting to mine in the arctic for oil and coal, encroaching on their natural habitat, making food more difficult to find.

Find out more about polar bears or adopt a polar bear online.

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10 Facts About Polar Bears

10 Facts About Polar Bears

Polar Bears.

1. The Polar Bear is the largest land carnivore on the planet. Although the Kodiak brown bear is sometimes just as big, the Polar Bear on average reaches larger sizes. The largest Polar Bear we know of weighed over 1000 kilograms.

2. Polar Bears are the top of the Arctic food chain and don't have any natural predators. Its main threat is from the melting icecaps due to global warming and human poaching.

3. The Polar Bear is an excellent swimmer. The blubber that covers the bear is about 10cm thick and helps them float as well as keeping them warm. Its paws are very large, up to 30 cm in diameter, and very strong, enabling them to swim large distances. Distances of more than 100 km are not unusual. It can also dive about 6 meters and hold its breath for 2 minutes. A bear swims faster (10kph) than it walks (9kph).

4. Newly born baby cubs are about 30cm long and weigh less than a kilogram and cannot see. They are totally dependent on their mother's warmth and protection in the den. When they leave the den they weigh up to 15kg.

5. The Polar Bear has two layers of fur. The upper layer of Polar Bear fur is not actually white but translucent and hollow, it only appears white or yellow due to the reflections from the sun.

6. Polar Bears are extremely well insulated by their blubber and fur so they experience almost no heat loss. So much so, in fact, that if they run too much or exert themselves for too long they can overheat.

7. Polar Bears have an excellent sense of smell. They can smell food up to 2km away and can smell prey even if it is buried under 1 meter of snow.

8. The Polar Bear's large paws help it distribute its weight on thin ice and help them walk easily over soft snow. The paw pads are covered with tiny bumps that help with grip. The hairs and claws also stop the bear slipping when crossing slippery terrain.

9. Polar bear skin is actually black, the only place this can be seen is on the pads of their feet, the nose and the inside of their ears. The black colour is best for absorbing the heat from the sun.

10. Polar Bears are not territorial and are patient hunters; they have been known to wait many hours until a seal comes up to breath. The polar bear does not drink because it gets all its liquids from what it eats.

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