Polar bear fact sheet

Canada is home to nearly 60 per cent of the world's polar bears.

Polar Bear Facts

Nearly 60 per cent of the world's polar bears live in Canada.

Polar bears spend so much time on ice and in the water that some scientists consider them to be

marine mammals.

Polar bears can swim up to 100 kilometres.

Polar bears use sea ice as a hunting platform to catch seals and other marine mammal prey. Without

sea ice, they have difficulty meeting their dietary needs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_QDaXJT_ms

Male polar bears can be two to three times larger than females—one of the greatest differences

between sexes in all mammals.

The largest recorded polar bear weighed a whopping 1,002 kilograms (2,209 lbs.) and measured 3.7

metres (12 ft.) long.

Polar bears are so well insulated that they easily overheat and sometimes swim in frigid waters to

cool down.

Six out of eight members of the bear family are now considered endangered in Canada.

A recent study disproved the theory that the hollow hairs of the polar bear's coat carried light to its

dark skin to warm the bear.

The Canadian two-dollar coin or "toonie" features a polar bear.

A polar bear can eat up to 46 kilograms (100 lbs.) of food at one sitting.

Sea Ice and Polar Bears

Temperatures are rising far more rapidly in the Arctic than in the rest of the world. Since 1978, sea ice

cover has declined by approximately nine per cent per decade, and the rate of melting appears to be

increasing each year. This loss of sea ice threatens Canadian wildlife, like the polar bear, which are

wholly dependent on the Arctic sea ice habitat for survival.

Sea ice is so important to polar bears that scientists have defined seven types of sea ice habitat and

have documented different preferences for each.

Polar bears use sea ice for a variety of purposes including hunting, seeking out mates and travel.

Temperatures are rising far more rapidly in the Arctic than in the rest of the world. Since 1978, sea ice

cover has declined by approximately nine per cent per decade, and the rate of melting appears to be

increasing each year.

This loss of sea ice threatens Canadian wildlife, like the polar bear, which are wholly dependent on

the Arctic sea ice habitat for survival.

Scientists have identified a strong correlation between the decline in polar bears and the reduction in

sea ice in Western Hudson Bay, which is breaking up on average seven to eight days earlier per

decade. When the sea ice melts earlier, the population of polar bears in the Western Hudson Bay are

forced to come ashore, where they do not eat until their return to the ice.

Recent studies show that the increased time on land is leading to weight loss, physical deterioration

and decreased rates of reproduction. Scientists have predicted that by 2012 most females in the

Western Hudson Bay population will be below the minimum required weight for successful

reproduction.

Why Is the Maple Leaf a Canadian Symbol?

1. Early Importance

o It's thought that the maple leaf was used as a Canadian symbol as early as 1700. Even before that, maple sap served as an important source of food for the native population..

National Symbol

o On February 15, 1965, the national flag of Canada was inaugurated. The red and white flag features the maple leaf as the only symbol. Previously the Canadian flag had a small Union Jack in the upper-left corner.

o French Canadians did not approve because they had no ties to England. English Canadians were more keen to keep it. One third of the population was neither French Canadian nor English Canadian and wanted something entirely new. The maple leaf symbolized and celebrated a uniquely Canadian identity.