Premium Essay

Evolutionary Adaptation Of Polar Bears

Submitted By
Words 823
Pages 4
Polar Bears, the largest members of the Ursidae family, are bears that have transparent fur, which keeps them warm in icy and cold environments. They have large bodies, where male polar bears can weigh anywhere from 700 to 1,000 pounds, and female polar bears weighing anywhere from 300 to 700 pounds. While standing upright, they typically measure around 10 feet tall. Lengthwise, they measure around 7 to 8 feet long. The average lifespan of most polar bears ranges from 20 to 25 years. While they do appear as harmless majestic creatures, they are actually some of the most vicious hunters and carnivores out there.
Furthermore, Polar bears have strong large legs with some webbing on their feet, making it easier to walk on ice as well as swim. Their …show more content…
When it comes to polar bears surviving in freezing temperatures and swimming in the Arctic, they must have some specific trait that they have adapted to over the years to keep their bodies warm and allow them to survive in such harsh conditions. Polar bears most likely evolved from brown bears that were isolated into this type of environment, and adapted over the years in order to survive. An evolutionary adaptation made by the polar bear, is their ability to swim in the Arctic Ocean without freezing. With time, the polar bears were able to adapt to their environment by having thick fur and a layer of fat to keep them warm. It is said that polar bears are more likely to suffer from overheating after running than hypothermia. Furthermore, the hair on its feet also helps the polar bear from slipping on ice. These adaptations have helped the polar bear survive in their harsh environments, and as the climate starts to experience global warming, who knows what will come next for the polar …show more content…
Geographically speaking, polar bears typically reside in Alaska, Canada, Russia, and other regions around the North Pole. Polar bears do not have any animal predators, however, global warming can be a huge concern for polar bears in the future. Polar bears hunt and eat seals, and feast on whale and other sea mammal carcasses. Polar bears often either stalk their prey or while swimming, use their large feet to kick down the homes of seals and attack their prey. Often times, they will wait by the water for a seal to swim through, and will attack its

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

As the World Continues to Evolve

...everywhere. We have all heard of the Global warming debate, being a layman does not help to decipher the rhetoric from the hard facts (known or not). According to the EPA’s “Climate Change Risks and State Adaptation” web-page, climate change is steadily affecting water, energy, ecosystems, agriculture and your health and transportation. (United States Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). It is up to each state to save itself the best way it sees fit in anticipation of the inevitable increase in heat waves, flash floods, heavy rains and the rising sea level. Everything from an energy curfew, cap and trade, incentives for running a low GHG business and having funding to research more efficient ways to do business and have a lesser impact. On the other side of the debate you have scientists that say global warming is a natural part of the evolutionary cycle of nature, or that it is not occurring at all. In the 60s and 70s some scientists insisted that global cooling was happening (it reminds me of the twilight zone episode from 1961, “The Midnight Sun”). Most recently you have the co-founder of the Weather Channel John Coleman come out on a national news network and say global warming is a myth. He then goes on the say the polar ice caps are at their highest in years and the polar bears are happy in their winter wonderland. (Explaining climate change science & rebutting global warming misinformation, n.d.). Regardless of whether you agree or disagree that global warming is a threat...

Words: 453 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Lean

...DEFINITION FROM WIKI (understand and write it yourself) In ecology, resilience is the capacity of an ecosystem to respond to a perturbation or disturbanceby resisting damage and recovering quickly. Such perturbations and disturbances can include stochastic events such as fires, flooding, windstorms, insect population explosions, and human activities such as deforestation and the introduction of exotic plant or animal species. Disturbances of sufficient magnitudeor duration can profoundly affect an ecosystem and may force an ecosystem to reach a threshold beyond which a different regime of processes and structures predominates.Human activities that adversely affect ecosystem resilience such as reduction of biodiversity, exploitation of natural resources,pollution, land-use, and anthropogenic climate change are increasingly causing regime shifts in ecosystems, often to less desirable and degraded conditions. Interdisciplinary discourse on resilience now includes consideration of the interactions of humans and ecosystems via socio-ecological systems, and the need for shift from the maximum sustainable yield paradigm to environmental management which aims to build ecological resilience through "resilience analysis, adaptive resource management, and adaptive governance". The concept of resilience in ecological systems was first introduced by the Canadian ecologist C.S. Holling  in order to describe the persistence of natural systems in the face of changes in ecosystem variables...

Words: 15264 - Pages: 62

Premium Essay

Inc1 Modules 3-9

...Module 3 Waves and the Electromagnetic Spectrum  Topic: Waves    1. What is a wave?  A wave is vibration that travels and all waves are created by something vibrating. Waves transport energy  but do not transport mass.     2. Describe the following terms associated with waves:   a. amplitude­ height of wave  b. wavelength­ length of a wave  c. frequency­ number of waves per second (Hz)  d. period­ how long a wave lasts when it arrives at a fixed point (measured in seconds)      3. What are radio waves?  An electromagnetic wave of a frequency used for long­ distant communication.     4. Explain the difference between a transverse wave and a longitudinal wave, and give examples of  each.  In a longitudinal wave, the vibration travels in the same direction that wave travels. Examples of longitudinal  waves include: Sound, p­-waves (earthquakes)     In a transverse wave, the vibration direction is perpendicular to direction that wave travels. Examples  include: Light/electromagnetic, (radio, microwave, x­ray, etc.), water waves, s­waves (earthquakes).     The major difference between longitudinal and transverse waves is their direction. Longitudinal waves move  left to right while transverse waves move up and down.       5. Compare and contrast: light waves vs. sound waves   Light waves are transverse and sound waves are longitudinal. Light waves can travel through a vacuum but  sound waves cannot. Speed of light is nearly 300 million m/s while sound has a speed of about 340 m/s...

Words: 11922 - Pages: 48

Premium Essay

Dinosaurs in Alaska

...Dinosaurs In Alaska? When you hear a place about Alaska, we think of snow, polar bears, glaciers, and cold weather. When you think of dinosaurs, we think of tropical places and hot climates. You would probably doubt dinosaurs could have ever lived here in Alaska. But about 65 million years ago they not only lived here, they thrived! There are a lot of information about dinosaurs, but what this paper will cover is how dinosaurs directly relate to Alaska. After reading this paper, you will find out how dinosaur research started and how long ago dinosaurs lived in Alaska. Plus find out the type of dinosaurs that lived Alaska, and the type of climate and which parts of Alaska that they lived in. You will also find out what type of evidence they found, if dinosaurs are related to the oil industry, who is still studying dinosaurs, and how this topic is introduced to the public. How it all began Dinosaurs strolled the earth over 245 million years ago. So it would only be fair to go all the way back to the beginning and quickly summarize how it all happened. Earth’s history is categorized into two eras, and then categorized by periods. The two eras are Paleozoic era, and Mesozoic era. Paleozoic era - (560 to 276 million years ago): This is the period where the first fish, corals, shellfish, insects, spiders, and swamp forests appeared. Mesozoic era - (350 to 65 million years ago)We are most interested in this era. This era contained 3 periods: Triassic period, Jurassic...

Words: 3781 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Love

...[pic] AQA GCSE Science A Biology Summary Notes B 1 1.1 Keeping Healthy Balanced Diet A healthy diet contains the right balance of different foods. A healthy diet contains the right amount of energy. It will provide carbohydrates for energy. It will provide fat for energy and insulation. It will provide protein for growth and repair. It will provide vitamins and minerals to help our bodies function well. It will provide fibre to ensure food moves through our digestive systems efficiently. It will provide water, which is essential for all body processes. If a diet is unbalanced a person is malnourished. This can lead to being too thin or fat and to deficiency diseases. Balancing the energy If you use more calories than you eat you will lose weight. If you use less calories than eat you will gain weight. Doing exercise uses up lots of calories. The effect of exercise on health Regular exercise keeps you healthy. It maintains a good metabolic rate. It requires energy so uses lots of calories. If they are not used up they are stored possibly as fat. Metabolic rate The rate at which chemical reactions happen in the cells of your body. One major metabolic reaction is respiration. This releases energy from the food we eat. Inherited factors affect metabolic rate: Some people inherit genes that give them a higher or lower metabolic rate than others. The higher the proportion of muscle to fat in your body, the higher you...

Words: 6034 - Pages: 25

Free Essay

In Cold Blood

...N I N E In Cold Blood: The Tale of the Icefish In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. -Aristotle It was a long way just to go fishing. The us-foot converted wooden sealing boat Norveg/a put to sea out of Sandcford Harbor, Norway on September 14,1927. Its primary destination was perhaps the most remote piece of land on the planet. Tiny Bouvet Island, a speck in the vast Southern Ocean, lay more than six thousand miles from Norway, sixteen hundred miles from the tip of Africa, and more than three thousand miles from South America. In the mid-1920S, commercial invention whaling was booming. The Norwegian of factory ships allowed greater numbers of animals to be taken without relying on shore facilities. Finding new stocks of whales was a priorHCllRE 9.1 The Non'egia a/ Bouvet Island. Photo (rom F;1I1gstOg Forskning r Sydish,lVct by Bjame Aagaard, Volume "N)le Tider." Published bv Cyldelldai Norsk Foriag, Oslo. 1930. ity for the entrepreneurs 2, who went to sea, and establishing tory and w.llers was a priorit) for the countries government claims to terri- involved. The Norwegian wanted to stake a claim to this icc-covered volcanic rock with 167 168 PART IV EVOLUTION IN ACT CHAPTER ON FIGURE 9.2 DitlefRlIstad 011 the Norvegia foredeck. Photo from Fangst Og Forskning I Sydishavet h)' 13,Clme i\C1gclClrd,volume "Nye Tider." Published by Cyldendal Norsk Forlag, Oslo, 1930. 9 ...

Words: 4258 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Peak Oil

...Property 380 Issues and Trends Report on the Affect of Climate Change and Peak Oil on the Auckland Property Market September 19th 2011 Contents Part One: Background on Main Issues 1.1 An explanation of Climate Change and Peak Oil (presenting both sides including the ongoing Climate Change debate and Peak Oil debate). 1.2 An identification of some key consequences the world faces if these threats are left unmitigated (including economic, ecological and social consequences). 1.3 An explanation of how the two purported challenges are intertwined (beyond the fact that burning fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases). 1.4 A presentation of current present evidence (or ‘purported evidence’) of the early stages of these consequences which are currently unfolding. Part Two: S.W.O.T. Analysis on the post-peak Auckland property market An analysis of the associated Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats from the perspective of a property investor making direct investments, using a retail property product type. 2.1 Strengths 2.2 Weaknesses 2.3 Opportunities 2.4 Threats Section 1.1: Climate Change and Peak Oil Climate Change Human activities such as driving cars, burning coal and deforestation produce greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide). These gases gather in the atmosphere, wrap around the earth and consequently trap the...

Words: 4846 - Pages: 20

Free Essay

Sexualselection Attractiveness

...Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU Family, Consumer, and Human Development Faculty Publications 12-1-1995 Family, Consumer, and Human Development, Department of Sexual Selection, Physical Attractiveness, and Facial Neoteny: Cross-cultural Evidence and Implications [and Comments and Reply] Doug Jones C. Loring Brace William Jankowiak Kevin N. Laland Lisa E. Musselman See next page for additional authors Recommended Citation Musselman, L. E., Langlois, J. H., & Roggman, L. A. (1996). Comment on: Sexual selection, physical attractiveness, and facial neoteny: Cross-cultural evidence and implications, by Doug Jones. Current Anthropology, 37, 739-740. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Family, Consumer, and Human Development, Department of at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Family, Consumer, and Human Development Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@usu.edu. Authors Doug Jones, C. Loring Brace, William Jankowiak, Kevin N. Laland, Lisa E. Musselman, Judith H. Langlois, Lori A. Roggman, Daniel Pérusse, Barbara Schweder, and Donald Symons This article is available at DigitalCommons@USU: http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/fchd_facpub/602 Sexual Selection, Physical Attractiveness, and Facial Neoteny: Cross-cultural Evidence and Implications [and Comments and Reply] Author(s): Doug Jones, C. Loring Brace, William Jankowiak...

Words: 19763 - Pages: 80

Free Essay

Jdjdn

...Molecules, Biodiversity, Food and Health Biological Molecules Biological Molecules (a) describe how hydrogen bonding occurs between water molecules, and relate this, and other properties of water, to the roles of water in living organisms; Water is a polar molecule. This is because the oxygen atom pulls the shared electrons towards it, meaning that water is slightly negatively charged at the oxygen and positively charged at the hydrogen ends, so they can form hydrogen bonds with each other. This are continuing breaking and reforming, so the molecules can move around. Property of water Solvent Importance Metabolic processes in all organisms rely on chemicals being able to react together in solution Examples 70-95% of cytoplasm is water. Dissolved chemicals take part in processes such as respiration and photosynthesis in living organisms Liquid The movement of materials around organisms, both in cells and on a large scale in multicellular organisms requires a liquid transport medium Water molecules stick to each other creating surface tension at the water surface. Cohesion also makes long, thin water columns very strong and difficult to break Blood in animals and the vascular tissue in plants use water as a liquid transport medium Cohesion Freezing Water freezes, forming ice on the surface. Water beneath the surface becomes insulated and less likely to freeze Thermal stability Large bodies of water have fairly...

Words: 11483 - Pages: 46

Premium Essay

Bdhs

...Social Change and Modernity Edited By Hans Haferkamp and Neil J. Smelser UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley Los Angeles Oxford © 1992 The Regents of the University of California INTRODUCTION Hans Haferkamp and Neil J. Smelser Haferkamp is grateful to Angelika Schade for her fruitful comments and her helpful assistance in editing this volume and to Geoff Hunter for translating the first German version of parts of the Introduction; Smelser has profited from the research assistance and critical analyses given by Joppke. 1. Social Change and Modernity Those who organized the conference on which this volume is based—including the editors— decided to use the terms "social change" and "modernity" as the organizing concepts for this project. Because these terms enjoy wide usage in contemporary sociology and are general and inclusive, they seem preferable to more specific terms such as "evolution" "progress," "differentiation," or even "development," many of which evoke more specific mechanisms, processes, and directions of change. Likewise, we have excluded historically specific terms such as "late capitalism" and "industrial society" even though these concepts figure prominently in many of the contributions to this volume. The conference strategy called for a general statement of a metaframework for the study of social change within which a variety of more specific theories could be identified. 2. Theories of Social Change Change is such an evident feature of...

Words: 171529 - Pages: 687

Free Essay

8. Successful Leaders Have a Clear Sense of Purpose. What Is Your Statement of Purpose

...RICHARD DAWKINS-The Selfish Gene. Ebook v1.0. 'Who should read this book? Everyone interested in the universe and their place in it.' Jeffrey R. Baylis, Animal Behaviour Our genes made us. We animals exist for their preservation and are nothing more than their throwaway survival machines. The world of the selfish gene is one of savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit. But what of the acts of apparent altruism found in nature-the bees who commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, or the birds who risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk? Do they contravene the fundamental law of gene selfishness? By no means: Dawkins shows that the selfish gene is also the subtle gene. And he holds out the hope that our species-alone on earth-has the power to rebel against the designs of the selfish gene. This book is a call to arms. It is both manual and manifesto, and it grips like a thriller. The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins's brilliant first book and still his most famous, is an international bestseller in thirteen languages. For this new edition there are two major new chapters. 'learned, witty, and very well written...exhilaratingly good.' Sir Peter Medawar, Spectator Richard Dawkins is a Lecturer in Zoology at Oxford University and a Fellow of Mew College, and the author of The Blind Watchmaker. Preface to 1976 edition This book should be read almost as though it were science fiction. It is designed to appeal to the imagination. But it is not science...

Words: 118698 - Pages: 475

Premium Essay

Campbell Essential Biology

...6 Cellular Respiration: Obtaining Energy from Food Muscles in action. Sprinters, like all athletes, depend on cellular respiration to power their muscles. CHAPTER CONTENTS Energy Flow and Chemical Cycling in the Biosphere 92 Cellular Respiration: Aerobic Harvest of Food Energy 94 Fermentation: Anaerobic Harvest of Food Energy 101 CHAPTER THREAD Aerobic versus Anaerobic Lifestyles BIOLOGY AND SOCIETY Marathoners versus Sprinters THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE What Causes Muscle Burn? EVOLUTION CONNECTION Life before and after Oxygen 91 102 103 Aerobic versus Anaerobic Lifestyles BIOLOGY AND SOCIETY Marathoners versus Sprinters Track-and-field athletes usually have a favorite event in which they excel. Some runners specialize in sprints of 100 or 200 meters. Others excel at longer races of 1,500, 5,000, or even 10,000 m. It is unusual to find a runner who competes equally well in both 100-m and 10,000-m races; most runners are more comfortable running races of particular lengths. It turns out that there is a biological basis for such preferences. The muscles that move our legs contain two main types of muscle fibers: slow-twitch and fast-twitch. Slow-twitch muscle fibers can contract many times over a longer period but don’t generate a lot of quick power for the body. They perform better in endurance exercises requiring slow, steady muscle activity, such as marathons. Fast-twitch muscle fibers can contract more quickly and powerfully than slow-twitch fibers but also...

Words: 24897 - Pages: 100

Free Essay

Bio 2f03

...Biology 2F03: Lecture 1 Chapter 2: Life on Land • • • • • • • • Labs start on the Sept 17 Why horses and cattle help restore Guanacaste forest of Costa Rica? o This forest was in decline for thousands of years, when Indians colonized central America, it caused its decline. o Its regenerated when the Europeans came with the cattle o The trees only produce a new plant after processes: the fallen fruit has to be eaten by a larger animal (mule, or horse or cow) à it has to pass through the body and ends up in a pile of fertilizer only then it can regenerate and produce a tree o Why did it evolve to be depended to this process? § There must be animals there in the past, in the past it was a camel (llama, alpaca). When the Indians came from asia (50000 years ago) these animals went extinct and the tree lost its major dispersal system What is the most obvious foundation of life on land? o Is landà soil Climate defines biomes, the ‘shapes’ of vegetation o Defines the major types of land on earth o Temperature and precipitation to be specific Soils in turn greatly affect the aspects (roots, water, nutrient) à rentention, root attachment, etc. Soil typically form layers (horizontal) retaining a range of physical and chemical layers: o Classification of soil: O= organic, A, B, C Soil horizons: description o O: organic, litter on top, fine litter deeper (gets broken down, hence fine), pollen, dead organisms o A: mineral soil, some organic matter...

Words: 18026 - Pages: 73

Free Essay

Inc1 C451 Comprehensive Study Notes

...How is the scientific method used to solve problems? Scientific method used to solve problems by keen observations, rational analysis, and experimentation. Observation: Closely observe the physical world around you. How is the scientific method used to solve problems? Scientific method used to solve problems by keen observations, rational analysis, and experimentation. Observation: Closely observe the physical world around you. Question: Recognize a question or a problem. Hypothesis: An educated guess or a reasonable explanation. When the hypothesis can be tested by experiment, it qualifies as a scientific hypothesis Prediction: Consequences that can be observed if the hypothesis is correct. The consequences should be absent if the hypothesis is not correct. Conclusion: Formulate the simplest general rule that organizes the hypothesis, predicted effects, and experimental findings. What is the principle of falsifiability? For a hypothesis to be considered scientific it must be testable?it must, in principle, be capable of being proven wrong. Fact: A phenomenon about which competent observers can agree. Theory: A synthesis of a large body of information that encompasses well-tested hypotheses about certain aspects of the natural world. Law: A general hypothesis or statement about the relationship of natural quantities that has been tested over and over again and has not been contradicted. Also known as a principle. Evidence: which...

Words: 33649 - Pages: 135

Premium Essay

Amazon.Com - Inc. 2004

...CONTENT Exercise 1. 2 Exercise 2. 5 Exercise 3. 8 Exercise 4. 11 Exercise 5. 15 Exercise 6. 18 Exercise 7. 21 Exercise 8. 25 Exercise 9. 28 Exercise 10. 31 Exercise 11. 34 Exercise 12. 37 Exercise 13. 40 Exercise 14. 43 Exercise 15. 46 Exercise 16. 49 Exercise 17. 53 Exercise 18. 57 Exercise 19. 61 Exercise 20. 65 Exercise 21. 68 Exercise 22. 72 Exercise 23. 76 Exercise 24. 80 说明: 题目来源: Exercise 1-24:所有题目都来自官方真题 其中: Exercise 1-14:我们将OG和PP2中的题目编排为前14个Exercise, 每个Exercise都是按照GRE考试中阅读部分的出题习惯编排,即每个Exercise 10个题目,形式为(1长+2短+1逻辑 or 4短+1逻辑)。 Exercise 15-24:我们将近年来考试中出现的文章和老GRE中极为接近现行出题风格的文章编排为后10个Exercise,每个Exercise 13个题目左右,形式为(1长+1短+2逻辑)。 练习方法: 建议大家第一遍做能够限时练习,按照考试的要求每个Exercise的大致难度和应该用的时间都标在了前面。没做完6个exercise可以做一个回顾总结,将文章反复做一遍,总结单词,长难句,文章的出题规律,句子之间的关系。 答案显示方法: 如果你打印出来练习:参考答案见P 页 如果你在电脑上练习:windows 系统:Ctrl+Shift+8;Mac系统:Command+8 Exercise 1. 20min While most scholarship on women’s employment in the United States recognizes that the Second World War (1939–1945) dramatically changed the role of women in the workforce, these studies also acknowledge that few women remained in manufacturing jobs once men returned from the war. But in agriculture, unlike other industries where women were viewed as temporary workers, women’s employment did not end with the war. Instead, the expansion of agriculture and a steady decrease in the number of male farmworkers combined to cause the industry to hire more women in the postwar years...

Words: 36604 - Pages: 147