1 chapter on the hunt A polar bear prowls across the ice Even though he weighs as much as two vending machines he is quiet above the ice However underneath the ice it's a different story To a ringed seal a polar bear's footsteps sound like thunder The ice cracks a little with each heavy step When a polar bear is on the move a seal knows to stay out of sight Polar bears usually hunt on sea ice How loud are their ice footsteps above
This polar bear is looking for a hole in the ice Seals need to surface to breathe approximately every fifteen minutes They cut large holes in the ice with the claws on their flippers They use the holes to pop up for air The polar bear finds one of these holes It waits for the best time to strike The bear waits for hours But no seal comes u al comes up for air at this spot A POLAR BEAR WAITS BY A HOLE FOR A SEAL TO SURFACE 5
Ringed seals come up to the ice to rest after a dive A New Strategy The bear is hungry and he has not eaten in a week He tries a new strategy He catches sight of a ringed seal in the distance The seal has surfaced to sleep and bask in the sun The bear drops down to his belly He crawls slowly toward the seal stalking it The seal raises its head every so often to look for predators When the seal does this the bear freezes Since the bear's coat blends in in with the ice and snow the seal does not see
The bear is 20 feet 6 meters away He is ready for the final strike With a mighty lunge he races across the ice Out of the water the seal cannot make a quick escape Using his powerful jaws the bear catches the seal Seals are a high energy bears food source for polar
