Know Before You Go
Polar Bear Trivia
Can you name the five countries where polar bears live in the wild? Any idea how much a polar bear weighs or how fast they can run? Take our polar bear quiz below to put your knowledge to the test, then share it with your family and friends to see who knows the most about the King of the Arctic! When you're finished, scroll down to reveal the correct answers and explanations.
Answer Explanations:
Polar bears inhabit five countries that ring the Arctic Circle. Which of these is NOT a place you can visit to see polar bears in the wild?
Correct Answer: Iceland
Explanation: The five countries where polar bears are found in the wild include Norway, Canada, United States, Russia and Greenland.
The largest polar bear ever recorded measured more than 12 feet tall. About how much did this big fella weigh?
Correct Answer: 2,210 pounds
Explanation: The largest polar bear ever recorded weighed in at 2,210 pounds, which is the same as a 2016 Chevrolet Spark subcompact car!
Photo Credit—Eric Rock
How many knees and elbows does a polar bear have?
Correct Answer: two knees and two elbows
Explanation: Polar bears have a knee on each of their hind legs and an elbow on each of their front legs, a characteristic shared by all quadrupeds (animals that have four feet used for walking).
Photo Credit—Ralph Lee Hopkins
What does the word “polynya” mean?
Correct Answer: An area of ocean within pack ice that remains ice-free throughout the winter
Explanation: A polynya is a geographical term for a section of open, unfrozen sea within the ice pack. Polar bears have been known to swim as far as 40 miles across polynyas to access sea ice. (A “Pollyanna” is an excessively cheerful or optimistic person...which describes our naturalists when they spot a wild polar bear.)
Photo Credit—Ralph Lee Hopkins
How fast can a polar bear run?
Correct Answer: 25 mph (top speed of an African elephant)
Explanation: Despite their large size, polar bears can sprint as fast as 25 miles per hour, but only for short distances. (How fast does a walrus have to move to evade a polar bear? Faster than any of its walrus friends.)
Photo Credit—Brad Josephs
Which of these is NOT another name for a polar bear?
Correct Answer: Tasiilaq
Explanation: Nanuq is Inuit, beliy medved is Russian, and isbjorn is Norwegian for polar bear. Tasiilaq is a tiny town in Greenland near Natural Habitat's Base Camp Greenland.
Photo Credit—Brad Josephs
What is the average length of time a polar bear goes without food during the ice-free season?
Correct Answer: 3 to 4 months
Explanation: Throughout the summer and fall, polar bears subsist mainly on stored fat reserves while they slowly lose weight. The hungry bears then regain the lost weight during their winter seal hunts.
Photo Credit—Eric Rock
How large are polar bear cubs when they are first born?
Correct Answer: The size of a guinea pig
Explanation: At birth, polar bear cubs are blind, helpless and not much bigger than guinea pigs, each weighing about 20 ounces.
Photo Credit—Ralph Lee Hopkins
Polar bears’ Latin name, Ursus maritimus, means “sea bear.” How long can a polar bear stay submerged underwater?
Correct Answer: 3 minutes
Explanation: In August 2014, the longest polar bear dive was observed by Natural Habitat Adventures guide Rinie van Meurs during an expedition in Svalbard. The dive lasted 3 minutes and 10 seconds and was caught on video by one of van Meurs' passengers. The previous record dive lasted about 72 seconds in 1970. Van Meurs' observation was published as an official record in the Journal of Polar Bear Biology.
Photo Credit—Bejamin Hagerstand
What color are polar bears’ hairs?
Correct Answer: Transparent
Explanation: Believe it or not, each individual polar bear hair is transparent and pigment-free. Polar bears’ overall coat color only appears white to the human eye because it reflects and scatters visible light.
Photo Credit—Henry Holdsworth