Polar Bears: A Walk on the Wild Side
Posted at 1:25 pm October 6, 2009 by JoAnne Simerson
Saturday, October 10, the San Diego Zoo is holding the 4th annual Walk on the Wild Side presented by USA Fed Credit Union event. This year the funds raised will go toward our work with our conservation partner Polar Bears International. Thank you to all the teams that have signed up to walk and to everyone who has pledged a donation! Chinook, Kalluk, and Tatqiq wish your feet well.
This is a great opportunity to talk about polar bear feet. First and foremost: they are large! Some males’ feet can grow to 12 inches (30 centimeters) wide. The front feet are round and the back feet are elongated. They have five toes on each foot, and each toe has a cleat-shaped, non-retractable claw. The bottoms of their feet have fur growing around each pad. This fur grows very long as the bear ages. I have seen some bears in the wild with fabulous furry slippers from the long fur that surrounds each foot. The pads of a polar bear foot have many tiny soft bumps called papillae. These help to create friction when walking on the ice so as to decrease slipping.
One of the only places on a polar bear’s body that it loses body heat is the feet. A polar bear’s body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsuis). Polar bears walk across flat ice, and the heat from their paws causes the ice to melt ever so slightly. If the snow is blowing, you can see where the snow then refreezes to the paw print. This makes for beautiful photos of polar bear prints across the flat ice.
What do polar bear prints tell you about the bear? The size can tell how large the bear is, potentially the age, and if you’re seeing a mother and cub. Cubs often walk in their mother’s prints, mimicking everything she does to learn about their world. Following polar bear prints can also tell you if a bear was walking or running. If a polar bear is walking at a normal pace, the back foot is placed where the front foot had been. If a polar bear picks up its pace, the hind foot is placed further away from the front foot, and all four prints can then be seen. The prints of a walking polar bear appear only as two feet. This is one of the reasons so many native stories talk about polar bears as being human and walking upright.
Polar bear feet also hold a key to polar bear communication (see post, Polar Bears: Is it the Perfume?). The foot of the polar bear has apocrine glands just as our skin does. The scent coming from these glands may give important information for safety, identification, or timing of breeding between bears. You can imagine the critical aspect of this if the scent path of polar bears disappears with the ice. We know our Kalluk is always enthralled by the scent of Chinook’s foot path around breeding season. This is often the first behavioral clue we see that things are changing. He presses his nose against her print, spreads his nostrils, and slurps and inhales all at the same time. If he is inside, the sound travels throughout the building, putting human’s noisy soup-slurping to shame!
As you walk around town, keep in mind the furry feet of our polar bear friends. Continue doing all you can to conserve. Walk a little more to reduce your footprint. And thank you for supporting our efforts to learn more about polar bears and save their habitat. See you Saturday!
JoAnne Simerson is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, Polar Bear Happenings.
Note: To participate in the Walk on the Wild Side, sponsor a participant, or make a donation, click here…
Watch the Zoo’s polar bears daily on Polar Cam.
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October 6th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
This is so cool! I can only imagine Kalluk’s sounds when he is checking out Chinook’s footprints. Wow, their feet are huge! I have also noticed that the photos of bears in the wild, compared to our lovely SDZ trio, have much furrier looking feet. Longer and thicker fur. It must be so awesome to see polar bear prints in the ice! Thank you for this wonderful lesson!
October 6th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
JoAnne, thank you very much for this valuable lesson. I wish I can be there to join the “Walk on the Wild Side.” And, Debbie, you made me smile about your comment on Kalluk:-).
October 7th, 2009 at 5:26 am
When will we know if our little girl will have a baby? Do you all have a special place for her like you do for the Panda’s? Considering the SIZE difference in a panda vs a Polar bear… would the walls of the den have to be stronger to keep her out while you check the baby over? Has there ever been a baby Polar bear born in the US at a zoo? I know lots of questions but they are just so pretty!!!
Moderator’s note: We can’t say for sure if Chinook is expecting, but we are preparing a den and yard for her and cub(s) just in case. Yes, there have been polar bears born in U.S. zoos.
October 7th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Some of our newspapers yesterday had a wonderful picture of a polar bear that had discovered a cruise ship trapped in the ice and gone to investigate. She could smell food and put her head through the porthole of one of the tourists who just happened to be a photographer and got a fantastic photograph of her. Unfortunately, he only had cauliflower soup and the polar bear decided she didn’t really want to stay for dinner after all. That picture is going on my fridge.
Thanks for the info on Polar Bears’ feet JoAnne, I was reading your measurements and checking my much loved picture of Chinook’s feet to make sure that everything you say is true. Yes, I can even see the hairs between her toes and on the bottom of her feet!
October 8th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Wow…what is going on at the plunge, this morning? I see lots of people and ladders and someone sitting in a chair, like a director of a movie!
Moderator’s note: Yes, improvements continue to be made to the bears’ exhibit space. Today and tomorrow the bears have access to the new management yard while work is done on the main exhibit.
October 8th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Our zoo here in kc is currently building a new polar bear exhibit and plunge and such. It will be ready summer of 2010. I was wondering if our zoo people contacted your zoo people for any ideas or pointers on how to make a great polar bear “plunge’ like yours. We have not had polar bears here in such a long time it will be awesome to have them back!!! WAY BACK WHEN and before people got stupid in feeding the animals junk and trash for funnies, we used to feed all the animals different snacks at the KC Zoo. The bears loved crackers!!!!
October 8th, 2009 at 11:09 am
How fun that the bears have access to the new yard! Will there ever be cams in there for us to watch them and is there water for them to play in? How do they like the new yard? This curious mind wants to know! I bet Kalluk is doing a great deal of sniffing, snorting, slurping and taking charge of the situation, while Chinook is probably finding the best places for getting dirty and sunning herself, and Tatqiq is checking out all the nooks and crannies to stash her toys in!
October 8th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Hey, Joanne. Gotta have a second cam in the other yard. Can we raise funds for that?
October 9th, 2009 at 8:57 am
web cam having loading issues this am?
Moderator’s note: It seems fine at this end…
October 9th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
cant tell who it is but someone loves their crushed up blue pool for sleeping in the corner with. Sort of like a woogie or their blankie.
October 9th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Chinook was acting unusual on Friday, October 9th, at around 5 p.m. Could not tell if she was smelling something, or if she was in labor.
Is there a date range when you expect her to give birth, if it’s not a false pregnancy?
Are you prepared to care for a cub, if for some reason Chinook can’t?
Moderator’s note: I don’t know if this will help, but keepers say Chinook is off exhibit until further notice. She has access to the new yard, which cannot be seen by Polar Cam. Perhaps it was another bear you saw this evening?
October 9th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
She wouldn’t give birth until, at the earliest, late November. I believe about eight pre-birth weeks in the den are about the norm.
October 10th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Rita #10, that would be Kalluk with his battered to death kiddie pool! He really needs a new one.
October 10th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Oh my! Am I the only one getting a bit more excited by the news that Chinook is off exhibit until further notice? Fingers crossed that this is a VERY positive sign! Now, for the long wait…late November? Oh boy! I’m already pacing in the virtual waiting room! Good thing El Cinco de Bai-o is getting more active and I have lots to look forward to and watch there!
October 11th, 2009 at 10:02 am
If Chinook is off exhibit, who on earth is this very dirty bear that the cam is presently focused in on? Who picked up her habit of rolling about in the dirt?
October 11th, 2009 at 11:52 am
A bear is looking skywards for anything interesting flying over. Is this Tatqiq eyeing up the birds?
October 11th, 2009 at 11:59 am
I’m wondering is the fact that Chinook is off-exhibit means that she’s showing signs of wanting to use the den or if it means that they’re trying to encourage her to do so. Or maybe both. A couple of days ago, I was watching very placid bear outside in the night, and I thought it was Chinook. Do cooler temperatures encourage denning behaviors?
October 11th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
How many kiddie pools are there? I know that you said that each has their own special way of lying on a pool. I thought they were using the same one, just ‘breaking it in’ differently. But the one I saw last week was in pieces and the one out today appears to be squashed but still largely intact. So, I am now realizing that each bear must have their own pool which goes out with them on exhibit. Is that correct? Whatever the case, Tatqiq(?) is enjoying sleeping inside it, playing with seaweed? Using it as a necklace/scarf once again.
Moderator’s note: As I understand it, each bear has a kiddie pool.
October 12th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Thank you for the info! I was wondering though if there were any updates on any cubbies???? I hope so!
October 12th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Please remind me which bear likes to do backstrokes across the pool. I thought it was Chnook, but she is off exhibit indefinitely. At 9:40 AM on Monday, there is a bear thoroughly enjoying their backstrokes across the plunge and it must not be Chinook. It is fun to watch because they look up sniff, and then dive backwards and push off hard with their back paws on the rock edge of the plunge.
October 12th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Well, it looks like Chinook is on exhibit to me. She is out there doing her lovely laps, again! I haven’t seen her do this in ages!
October 12th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Can’t tell my bears apart yet, but someone is having a terrific time playing with the big blue? ball today. So fun to see the fun!!
October 13th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
one of the bears- not sure who seems very agitated and pacing back and forth in front of the water fall and back to the corners right now… are they working in that area today to agitate them so? like a caged tiger- back and forth
Moderator’s note: I was there at that time. The bears pace when they anticipate something is “up.” In this case, JoAnne was getting ready to bring them inside so she could place food out for them. Then they came right back out and enjoyed their afternoon snack!
October 14th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Ok We all love our bears! Bears are GREAT!!! We all know the beyond wonderful staff at THE Zoo takes wonderful care of them.. and puts up with all “we bear junkies” So… Question from the junkies… If you can do a ultrasound on a panda to see if she is expecting… Can you do one on a polar bear? Do you have one planned? Don’t they have twins as often or more often than one? Will this be your first (if she is expecting that is) at the Zoo? When will she have it if she is? Bai can’t be the only bear mommy! Granted you also have a Kola mommy.. Ok so never mind you have lots of bear babies.. but.. Polar bear babies are SO CUTE!!! OVER ALL.. When will we know if she is or if she isn’t?
Moderator’s note: Ultrasounds on a polar bear? We can and we have! Read Polar Bear Happenings and Polar Bears, What Little We Know for more information about polar bear reproduction, and watch for a new polar bear blog with more information to appear in the next few days.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I was looking in on my bears today around 12:06pm sdz time. And I believe it was Kalluk that was hanging out over on the far left edge of the plunge. He was smelling and looking up at were Chinook is at. I know this because you were able to see a blue ball floating in the pool. Well my computer froze for a second and now Kalluk is gone.
But what I have pondering about lately is if any of the bears have been showing any signs of sadness or depression since they have been seperated? Of course I know that you are doing everything possible to make sure all the bears are in good health during this transition. But I just can’t help to worry. I wonder if this will effect Chinooks pregnancy and if and when the time comes for the bears to be reunited will they all be accepting of each other or will our trio be seperated. It’s 12:21pm and Kalluk is back in sight. It breaks my heart to see him like this. But I do hope we get news of Chinooks pregnancy, since I knwo this will make it all worth it.
Thank you to everyone for always keeping us updated.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Kalluk may miss her, but I believe it would be natural for Chinook to want to withdraw if she was contemplating denning up. Alas, there are no daddies in the polar bear world. The mother is very protective of her young, even from their own father, and perhaps to a lesser degree, from other females.
October 14th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
I love the close-ups of them sleeping — although being late in the working day — it always makes me want to rest my head on my desk and take a little siesta myself. What a sweet face — no doubt dreaming about the warm weather coming our way — and the lovely pool just waiting for a swim tomorrow. Lucky bear!
October 14th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
I wonder which bear is currently on the camera right now. It is 5:08 PST, and s/he is curiously investigating something near the dry tree trunk. So far it has been nothing but the same action repeated over and over again. Maybe it is digging for a treat?
October 14th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
HMMM, I think the moderator is keeping a secret! I’m sooo excited!!! Yaaay, more babies. I hope two anyway?
Boy, the first time I was unemployed, it was the OJ trial. The second time it was the Scott Peterson trial.
This time, It’s nothing but PURE JOY, Thank God! I’m loving it! Watching Bai w/her baby boy/chubbette is the sweetest thing. It’s really filled that void. I knew it was big, having lost my husband 2.5 yrs ago, and having two boys (23 & 16) who aren’t exactly cuddly anymore. I didn’t know how big that void was, then I realized how good I was beginning to feel, and it keeps getting better, it feels GREAT. So more babies, is better!
Moderator’s note: No secrets here! But so glad to hear our animal cams provide such enjoyment.