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5. They Really Love Seals
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Often seen as one of the most recognisable animals of the Arctic, polar bears have this reputation in great part from their diet, which mostly consists of seals. Spending over half of their time hunting, these magnificent animals mostly concentrate on two particular species: bearded seals and ringed seals. Polar bears' survival depends on their fat intake, hence these seals are very high in that component. Fat is a vital energy source that keeps polar bears' body heat and general health in the hostile Arctic climate, where temperatures can drop and food supplies are few.
Polar bears use great sensory awareness combined with patience to hunt seals successfully. Since these are ideal sites for seals to surface for air, they often search regions where the ice is weak or fractured. Polar bears can find seals from great distances using their remarkable sense of smell; occasionally even under several feet of snow and ice. Once they find a possible hunting habitat, they can lie in wait for a seal to surface for hours or perhaps days. Known as "still-hunting," this kind of hunting calls for tremendous endurance and will. But the success rate of these hunts is shockingly poor; the WWF reports that less than two percent of its hunting attempts yield a successful catch. This low success rate emphasises the difficulties polar bears have finding food, hence their dependence on seals is all the more important.
Apart from hunting seals, polar bears are opportunistic eaters and will pick over whale carcasses when they become accessible. This behaviour helps them to maximise alternative food sources and augment their diet. When seal hunting proves challenging, they might also eat bird eggs, walrus carcasses, and other marine life. Apart from people and perhaps other polar bears, polar bears, as apex predators in the Arctic ecosystem, have few natural adversaries. Although they are fragile as climate change affects their habitat, their top-of- the-food-chain status enables them to be quite important in preserving the balance of their surroundings.
One cannot stress the value of seals to the polar bear diet. The availability of seals could drop when sea ice melts due to climate change, therefore endangering polar bear numbers. Along with shrinking seal hunting areas, the loss of ice influences their pupping and breeding areas. Polar bears may thus be under more competition for limited food supplies, hence their interaction with seals becomes a major focus of conservation activities meant to save both species.
Polar bears really love seals since their survival in the Arctic depends on these marine life. The difficulties polar bears have in their search for food are highlighted by the problems hunting seals presents together with their poor success rate of hunts. The future of both polar bears and their main food supply is yet unknown as climate change keeps changing the Arctic environment, which emphasises the importance of continuous research and conservation projects to save these amazing animals and their delicate habitat.
