Jumbo-sized July: Polar Bear

       The polar bear, or Ursus maritimus, is the largest terrestrial carnivore in the world. The largest species of bears, they can reach lengths of up to nine feet. Polar bears mainly eat seals, but have been known to eat walruses and beluga whales. They are native to the arctic, and certain arctic regions nearby. The polar bear is solitary for the majority of its adulthood. To reach the seals that they prey upon under the ice, the polar bear uses a peculiar tactic. It uses it's excellent sense of smell to locate a seal den, then it smashes it's paws downward to crush the thick layer of ice and reach the seal. The polar bear is classified as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and it is known that only about 20,000 of these bears are still alive. Their main threat is global warming, which is harshly reducing their range. Although there are many conservation efforts in action, some scientists believe that polar bears could go extinct by 2050.