Polar+Bear+Period+3

Alek Wobeck, Saneel Prabhu
 * Group Members:**
 * How Will We Work Together:**

1.	**Where does your animal live, and what are its characteristics**?
 * Research:**

A. Locate your animal’s habitat (Where does it live? Does it migrate?) On the coasts of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, and the North Pole. It does migrate in colder (more north) places in the summer, and warmer (southern) places in the winter. It will also migrate if it can't survive where it is living because of lack of food, to hot, too many polar bears in habitat, etc. B. Include all subspecies or varieties of your animal. None. (unless you count black bear, brown bear, and grizzly bear) Polar bear is Ursis maritimus.

C. Identify at least 10 characteristics that will give an in-depth, accurate description of your animal 1.	Polar bears are the largest living land carnivore in the world. 2.	Whitish yellowish coat. 3.	Has very thick fur. 4.	Has the longest neck out of all bear species. 5.	Lives 20-25 years. 6.	Are 2-3 meters tall. 7.	Females are half the sides of males. 8.	Males weigh 350-650 kilograms. (700-1450lbs.) 9.	Females weigh 175-300 kilograms. (350-700lbs.) 10.	The soles of their feet have small indents that act like suction cups that help the bears walk on the ice. 11.	Polar bears have black skin underneath their pelt. (only seen on nose and foot pads.)

2.	**Where and why is your animal endangered?** A. Locate where it is endangered (might not be endangered in all its habitats) It’s vulnerable in all of its habitats.

B. Identify the factors, environmental and/or anthropogenic (caused by man) that cause it to be endangered Global warming is melting ice, hunting, and food is becoming less available.

C. Provide statistics and other facts related to its endangerment An estimated 21,500-25,000 polar bears live. More than half are in Canada where they allow sport hunting of polar bears. In the next 30-35 years 30% of the polar bear population will be extinct. 3.	**Where is your animal in captivity and/or conserved?** A. Locate at least two zoos and/or conservation centers where the animal is held. 4.	**What is being done to restore your animal’s populations? Where is it being done?** A. Locate where research is done on your animal and where efforts are underway to conserve its population (Note: It may be that this is done at the same location(s) you identified in #3) Conservation Centers:
 * Sea World Orlando, Florida
 * Central Park Wildlife Conservation Center, New York
 * Bronx Zoo
 * Alaska Zoo
 * Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat
 * Singapore Zoo
 * Sea World Queensland, Australia
 * Karlsruhe Zoologischer Garten
 * HSUS
 * Defenders of Wildlife
 * International Fund for Animal Welfare
 * IUCN (World Conservation Union) Polar Bear Specialist Group
 * Polar Bear International

B. Identify the experts, leaders, and/or groups guiding the conservation Wayne Pacelle, CEO of HSUS, Dan Guravich, head of Polar Bear International, global warming scientists, and runners of zoos. C. Outline any research and efforts to conserve the population Humane Society International has gone all over where polar bears live and tried to stop hunting of both polar bear and the food it eats. Also they have informed people about what global warming is doing to the polar bear habitat and what we can do to stop it.

Photos

In the Central Park Zoo, one of the main attractions takes an afternoon nap












 * Videos

Check out this [|video] starring the polar bear(s) in sea World Orlando.

View are Google Earth Tour by clicking below.

Bibliography (All Resources Used)**

http://www.alaskazoo.org/

http://www.lovettscience7.wikispaces.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Zoo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binky_(polar_bear)

http://www.bronxzoo.com/

http://www.polarbearhabitat.ca/

http://freetranslation.com/

http://ka.stadtwiki.net/Zoologischer_Garten_Karlsruhe

http://goaustralia.about.com/od/qldsightseeing/a/seaworld.html

http://www.zoo.com.sg/spotlight/polarbear.htm

http://www.hsus.org/about_us/humane_society_international_hsi/index.html

http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/

http://www.arkive.org/

http://www.centralpark.com/pages/central-park-zoo/polar-bears_2.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/riteshm/501776417/sizes/s/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/crackerbunny/34854097/sizes/m/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eskimo_jo/2431182317/sizes/s/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_world_in_my_eyes/2448761364/sizes/m/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21476503@N05/2084406014/sizes/s/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluejeff/2372680585/sizes/o/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoshie/2225094706/sizes/m/