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Polar Bear Food
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Polar bears, like other bears are both herbivores and carnivores.
Which means they eat both plants and meat.
During the summer months, polar bears come ashore. During this
time they forge for berries and eat plants. What kind of berries do
polar bears eat? The eat the berry that is named for them
"bearberries." There are three different species of
bearberries. Polar bears like them all! Bearberries are
described as having small leathery leaves, white or pinkish urn-shaped
flowers, and red berrylike fruits. Also called kinnikinnick.
Bearberries are adapted to arctic and sub arctic climates.
Bearberries have a circumpolar distribution and can be found North
America, Asia and Europe.
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When the seasons begin to change, the polar bears need to look
for different sources of food. The begin to walk the shorelines
looking for dead whales and dead walruses. During this time that
polar bears are still on land, they will also hunt arctic foxes, lemmings
and a variety of birds. Contrary to what you may have seen a a
zoo. Wild polar bears do not catch fish to eat.
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During the winter months, when the polar bear is on the ice floes it once
again changes what it hunts. The polar bear's favourite food is the
ringed seal. The polar bear will hunt and stalk the ringed seal for
it's meal. Polar bears will wait for hours on end at a ringed seal
hole. When the seal comes to the hole for air, the polar bear is
there ready to catch it.
Polar bears can eat 150-200 pounds at a time. Polar bears will
eat the skin and blubber first, then the meat of the seal. The need
to eat an average of 1 seal every 4 to 5 days. A polar bear can go
for 11 without a seal.
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