Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
can result in mass drownings. As unpleasant as the phenomenon may be, particularly
for the lemmings, there's no evidence to suggest that lemmings are prone to suicide.
Not all lemmings join the rush to near-certain death. The clever, more aggressive
individuals who remain in the hills to guard their territories grow fat and happy, liv-
ing through the winter under the snow and breeding the following year. Females as
young as 15 days can become pregnant and most individuals give birth to at least two
litters of five each year, thereby ensuring the survival of the species.
Polar Bears International (
www.polarbearsinternational.org
) is dedicated to the polar bear, with educa-
tional information, details on threats and campaigns to save it, and great photos.
Marine Mammals
Polar Bears
Isbjørn
(polar bears), the world's largest land carnivore, are found in Norway only in Sval-
bard, spending much of their time on pack or drift ice. Since the ban on hunting came into
force in 1973, their numbers have increased to between 3000 and 3500, although they re-
main extremely difficult to see unless you're on a cruise around Svalbard. Despite weigh-
ing up to 720kg and measuring up to 2.5m long, polar bears are swift and manoeuvrable,
thanks to the hair on the soles of their feet, which facilitates movement over ice and snow
and provides additional insulation.
A polar bear's diet consists mostly of seals, beached whales, fish and birds, and only
rarely do they eat reindeer or other land mammals (including humans). Polar-bear milk
contains 30% fat (the richest of any carnivorous land mammal), which allows newborn
cubs to grow quickly and survive extremely cold temperatures.
For more information on polar bears, see the boxed text on
Click here
.
US government scientists estimate that two-thirds of the world's polar bears (now between 20,000 and
25,000) will disappear by 2050 due to diminishing summer sea ice, and that the remainder could die out by
the end of the 21st century.
