Haven't signed into your Scholastic account before?
Teachers, not yet a subscriber?
Subscribers receive access to the website and print magazine.
You are being redirecting to Scholastic's authentication page...
Announcements & Tutorials
Renew Now, Pay Later
Sharing Google Activities
2 min.
Setting Up Student View
Exploring Your Issue
Using Text to Speech
Join Our Facebook Group!
1 min.
Subscriber Only Resources
Access this article and hundreds more like it with a subscription to Science World magazine.
Article Options
Presentation View
Numbers in the News: Polar Bears
February 27th is International Polar Bear Day. Learn more about this iconic Arctic animal.
PAUL SOUDERS/GETTY IMAGES
26,000
The approximate number of polar bears in the wild
2050
By this year, global polar bear numbers are projected to have declined by about 30 percent due to threats like climate change, illegal hunting, and pollution.
VANNILASKY/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
15 to 18
The average number of years polar bears live
1,500
The weight in pounds of a large male polar bear
6.2
The distance in miles from which polar bears can smell prey, like seals—even when their prey is beneath ice
THINK ABOUT IT: Consider where polar bears live and what they eat. How might climate change be affecting these animals?
SOURCES: EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY, NASA