11 Reasons Why You Never Want to Encounter a Polar Bear
Want to know the best way to survive a polar bear encounter? — there isn’t one. Behold 11 reasons why you never want to come face to face with a polar bear!
1. They’re Massive
While an adult average female weighs in at about 570 pounds, when pregnant she can reach weights as heavy as 1,100 pounds, and that’s probably due to the fact that she always carries a growing set of twin cubs inside her.
The males typically weigh around 1000 pounds with paws that measure approximately 12 inches across, just large enough to help them tread on the super slick ice.
2. They’re Impressive
The longest recorded nonstop swim endured by one of these powerful beasts was 426 miles over 9 straight days. To put that into a geographical perspective, that’s the same distance between Washington D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts.
3. You Won’t Have to Fear Them Forever
If the world continues on its path, we won’t have to fear the polar bear much longer. And it’s not just because their average lifespan in the wild ranges from about 15 to 18 years; rather, they are depleting at an unfortunate rate. Data everywhere designates that polar bears as a species are in jeopardy, whether it be from marine pollution to climate change.
4. They Eat Everything
While their preferred menu item is a blubbery seal, in reality, a polar bear will gobble up anything that crosses its path, such as birds, beluga whales, walruses, and oxen. Since polar bears spend 50% of their time hunting for food, they tend to only catch one out of the ten seals they hunt.
5. They Have a Deadly Sense of Smell
Their nose is a powerhouse, for a polar bear can smell human flesh from miles away. Despite the animal’s brute force and hefty size, it’s been known to be a very agile predator on land in the sea.
6. They’re Threatening
If a polar bear has been forced out of its natural habitat and onto land, outside of their accustomed hunting grounds, they’re very likely confused, panicked, starving and utterly desperate.
It’s safe to say that a human encounter when these creatures are in such a pathetic state will most definitely end in human bloodshed.
7. Tour Companies Are Part of the Problem
Tour companies may be responsible for more frequent attacks on humans by polar bears. This assumption arises from tour companies who are responsible for exposing people to the bears, as any kind of up-close interaction only serves to lower the bears’ fear of humans. When tour companies offer access to wild animals, they put humans in danger of mother nature’s wild ways.
8. They Will Most Likely Attack
When a polar bear is seen snorting and hissing while thrusting its massive head forward, it’s a sign of aggression. This is a clear indicator that the bear is most likely ready to attack. When the beast puts its ears back behind it, it’s time to run.
As more and more polar bears and humans are starting to share the same living areas, attacks will be more frequent, and more people will die from an encounter with the world’s largest bear.
9. They Seem More Aggressive Lately
With more deaths of humans by polar bear, studies would indicate that the aggression of these predators towards people is increasing. This isn’t really the case, it just so happens that humans happen to be encountering them up close more and more, due in part to their natural habitats depleting rapidly.
10. They’re Ruthless
They’re not a leading threat to mankind in any way, with less than 20 people killed in the last twenty years in Canada. In 2018, a young man was killed in Sentry Island when he put himself between the bear and his two young children.
11. They are True Apex Predators
Polar bears are dangerous because there are skilled apex predators— that means they are at the very top of the food chain. Cute as they are, the polar bear is easily the great white shark of the north.
These beasts can far outrun a human and even knock off one’s head with a swift swing of its massive pawed fist. The largest land carnivore on the planet, a polar bear’s attitude stems from the fact that their inhospitable environment makes it so that food is scarce and very hard to get.
An animal that tops the food chain has very little to fear, and they will ravage any available food source they come across— especially adults, children, and domestic animals.
