Polar Bears In Utah? Watch Out For World’s Largest 4-Legged Predator

Happy National Polar Bear Day!

I love polar bears. I love their look. I love their fur. I love their ability to swim.

I guess I'm a bit of a polar bear fanboy. But of course, that may be because I've never met one face-to-face.

You see, the world's largest four-legged predator would just as soon eat me as it would look at me ... and these bad boys come in very large sizes, with male polar bears checking in at about 10-feet tall (when standing on hind legs) and approximately 1,700 pounds.

There are a couple of life-sized polar bear statues outside the polar bear exhibit at Utah's Hogle Zoo and the statues are so large, they just don't seem real.

And their reputation as hunters is legendary, chasing down seals in the water and running down other mammals on land.

But even with that knowledge, I can't help but love these big, fuzzy creatures.

So, here are a few polar bear facts (some of these courtesy of the Polar Bear Specialists Group):

• There are two polar bears living in Utah: Neva (a 520- pound female) and Nikita (a 1,200-pound male) at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City.
• There are approximately 26,000 polar bears left in the world, although that's just an estimate because a large portion of them live in rugged areas of Russia and East Greenland.
• The Latin name for polar bears is ursus maritimus -- translated meaning sea bear
• Surprisingly, polar bears are omnivores and also occasionally consume berries and grass.
• Polar bear fur is transparent and has no white pigment. The hollow hairs scatter and reflect light, making the bears appear white.
• Polar bears have been seen within about 100 miles of the North Pole, but no closer (whew, Santa is safe).
• The polar bear can hold its breath for more than a minute under water and can swim for miles. It can also run approximately 20 miles an hour for short distances.
• Scientists say the fact that polar bears are in the north, but not the south (like the Antarctic) is just a matter of luck and happenstance, although the PBSG site says, "Polar bears would really like the Antarctic. In the absence of polar bears, seals and penguins in the Antarctic are not afraid of predators (except leopard seals and killer whales). A polar bear would have a lot of fun and probably get very very fat!"

So Happy Polar Bear Day. May we always love them, and never meet them face-to-face.

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