The Green Planet We can Have

Polar Bears

Polar bears live in the north pole. They are endangered because of global warming. (That section is at the end of the book). If you don't know what global warming is, it's basically a huge environmental problem that causes the earth to get hotter and ice to melt.

This is really, really bad for polar bears.

Polar bears use the ice to walk on and to catch food. Sure, they can swim, just like humans. But imagine if you're swimming in the middle of the ocean, and you can't stop swimming, or you'll drown. And there is no ice to climb up on and take a rest from swimming.

This is what's happening to polar bears.

And their dying because of this.

To help, you can drive less, because driving heats up the earth (You'll learn more about that once I publish the section on global warming). Or you can drive electric cars which heat up the earth, but definitely don't cause as big of an impact as gas cars. By taking little steps, we can save polar bears from extinction.

But let's not just focus on how polar bears are endangered. Let's think about their appearance.

Polar bears are the largest bears on earth. They have black skin. So then how do they appear as white? Polar bears have thick white hair around their black skin. The black skin keeps them warm and their white fur helps them blend into their surroundings. They also have webbed paws to help them swim.

Did you know? A wolf pack and a polar bear sometimes come in contact with each other. They are pretty evenly matched, though a wolf pack is known for winning from the encounter more times.

This 400 to 1,200 pound bear eats seals and also whale carcasses. Polar bears live from 25-30 years. And remember: polar bears live on the northern hemisphere, not the southern one.

Let's help these amazing mammals by slowing down global warming!