During her entire time in the den—four to eight months—the mother doesn't eat or drink. Are you wild about whales? 2012). Mother polar bears nurse their cubs for as long as 30 months. Scientists are now using this heat to detect bears with forward-looking infrared technology (FLIR). Female brown bear usually give birth to two cubs during their hibernation. The most frequent litter size is two, followed by litters of one. Males are larger than females, and can weigh 400-600 kg. fundraising@pbears.org Den elevations range from sea ice level to 548 m (1,800 ft.) above sea level. Female polar bears with new cubs emerge from the winter den at the time when ringed seals are giving birth to their young in lairs; successful hunting of ringed seals at this time is critical for the mother polar bears that have fasted for months in the den (Freitas et al. Polar bears mate during April and May. When a male polar bear crosses the tracks of a female in mating season he will turn to follow in her wake, ... she’ll give birth, and nurse her cubs before the next seal season. For general questions regarding Polar Bears International and our work, please contact us at A female polar bear is less than half the size of a male polar bear. When her cubs are about 30 months old, a female polar bear is ready to breed again. Cubs begin eating solid food as soon as their mother makes her first kill on the sea ice (about three to four months of age). and are about 30 cm (12 in.) During this time the cubs still spend about 85% of their time in the den, sleeping there at night. High body temperature is needed to meet the demands of pregnancy, birth, and nursing. Polar bears are one of the most well-known icons of the environmental movement. The pregnant mothers significantly increase their body mass prior to hibernation, and this increase is further reflected in the weight of the offspring. Polar bear families generally emerge from their dens in March or April when cubs are strong enough to survive outside and ready to make the trek to sea ice. After mating, the female maintains the fertilized eggs, but they don’t begin to grow until six months later, if at all. Even then, they only spend about 4% of their time hunting. The average fat content of polar bear milk is 33%, similar to the milkfat of other marine mammals. As we explore their movements and seasonal cycles we will discover what polar bears are doing each season of the year and how they are adapting to their environment. When ready, the mother polar bear leads her cubs to sea ice. Female polar bears often give birth to twins. The pregnant mother digs a den with her paws consisting of two chambers. A Scottish zoo has welcomed the birth of the first polar bear cub born in the UK for 25 years. The gestation period (pregnancy length) is up to 250 days for black bears and the mother bear shows some remarkable behavior. Males are larger than females, and can weigh 400-600 kg. For example, female black-bears go into hibernation during the cold winter months in order to give birth to their offspring. Polar bears maintain a ventilation hole through the chamber ceiling to provide fresh air. The total gestation period is about eight months. Yes. This is becoming less frequent as that ecosystem changes. Polar bear cubs learn to hunt by watching their mother. Males attain maximum size during their 10 th birthday. Therefore, if you don’t see a bear in the under water viewing area, don’t be disappointed. Mating season occurs in the spring, but embryos do not begin to develop until the female enters her den. Browse our extensive collection of zoological career infobooks including animal training, animal rescue and rehabilitation and zoo careers. 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