2 THE ANIMAL WORLD IS FULL OF PREDATORS Predators are the hunters that find catch and eat other animals their prey in order to survive Every environment has its chain of hunters The smaller slower less able predators become part of the prey for the bigger faster more cunning hunters But everywhere there are just a few kinds of predators at the top of the food chain These are the top predators In and around the ice covered waters of the Arctic one of those top predators is the polar bear
4 Why are polar bears top predators For one thing the adults are big enough to hunt and kill their habitat's big prey such as walruses By the time a polar bear is fully grown it can be as much as 9 feet 2.7 meter long 5 feet 1.5 meter tall on all fours and more than 10 feet 3 meter tall standing on its hind legs A male can weigh as much as 1200 pounds 544 kg A female is a little smaller and usually only weighs half as much But she is still powerful An adult's paws are dinner plate sized about 12 inches 30 cm wide Besides being clawed weapons such big feet act like snowshoes perfect for hunting during the Arctic winter When this hunter swims through open water its big feet act like paddles
WOW A polar bear can run as fast as 25 miles 40 km per hour in short bursts 5
