What is the name of the polar bear's ancestor? Are polar bears social animals?

Polar bears appear in countless cartoons. They are gentle, honest, cute, loyal, and good companions of humans. The way they sleep on the glacier is as cute as a three-year-old child sleeping with a doll. Are polar bears social animals? The answer is revealed below!

Contents of this article

1. Are polar bears social animals?

2. What is the name of the polar bear’s ancestor?

3. Characteristics of polar bears

Are polar bears social animals?

Polar bears are solitary animals. Only during the mating season will male and female individuals approach each other. Once the mating season is over, they will separate and go out to look for food. Female bears with cubs will also avoid male bears because male bears often kill their cubs. In Canada near the Arctic, you can sometimes see multiple polar bears entering villages to look for food. That is not a group, but a random gathering phenomenon because some hungry polar bears are attracted by human food waste. When leaving, the polar bears will go their separate ways.

What was the name of the polar bear's ancestor?

Current research shows that the ancestor of polar bears is a female brown bear that lived in Ireland during the last ice age.

Scientific researchers have extracted DNA samples from the bones and teeth of 242 brown bears and polar bears, including modern bears and fossils of bears from 120,000 years ago. The research report published in the journal "Contemporary Biology" said that the mitochondrial DNA of modern polar bears is highly matched with the genetic material of female brown bears living in Ireland 20,000 to 50,000 years ago. In addition to the difference in skin color and fur color, polar bears are larger than brown bears and have different tooth structures. Polar bears live in the Arctic and are good at swimming, but brown bears live in mountain jungles and are good at climbing trees.

Characteristics of polar bears

Adult polar bears stand up to 2.8 meters tall and 1.6 meters tall at the shoulder. Male polar bears weigh 300-800 kilograms, while females weigh 150-400 kilograms. Polar bears have longer heads and smaller faces than brown bears, small and round ears, slender necks, wide feet, hairy limbs and palms, and black skin. The original appearance of the skin can be seen from the black skin on the nose, paw pads, lips, and around the eyes of polar bears. The black skin helps absorb heat.

Polar bears appear in countless cartoons. They are gentle, honest, cute, loyal, and good companions of humans. The way they sleep on the glacier is as cute as a three-year-old child sleeping with a doll. But sometimes they slap their heads to show fear.

Polar bears are the largest carnivores in North America, weighing up to 1,800 pounds and standing 10 feet tall. Between 20 and 90 people are attacked by polar bears every year. They have no natural enemies, but they can tear a 4-inch hole in a 12-inch thick sealed can, just like peeling a banana.