Really Big Bears

Listen to the roar of polar bears. Artist: Ultimate Sound; AudioSparx

Polar bears are huge! They are the world’s largest meat-eating land animals. Male polar bears are 8 to 10 feet (2.4–3 m) from nose to tail. Females are a bit smaller. They are 6 to 8 feet (2–2.4 m) long. They are still very big bears! Polar bears are heavy, too. The largest polar bear ever seen was a male that weighed a whopping 2,209 pounds (1,002 kg).

Polar bears look white. In fact, the hairs of a polar bear’s coat are clear and hollow. They reflect light, making the bears look white. This makes polar bears hard to spot against the snow.

Though a polar bear’s thick coat makes the bear look white, the skin underneath it is black.View Larger Image

Shutterstock.com