Learning Resources LEARNING RESOURCES LER 0788 User Manual

Care Instructions

Wash exterior of animals by hand using warm water and soap.  Dry immediately.  
To prevent water from trapping inside the animals, do not immerse in water.

Animal Facts

Polar Bear

•  Polar bears are the largest land animals that hunt for food (largest land

carnivore)

•  When standing straight up on their hind legs, polar bears can be over 10

feet (305 cm) tall; when down on all four legs, polar bears are about 4 feet
(120 cm) tall measured at the shoulder

•  Polar bears are great swimmers and have webbed front paws to help them

swim; they can see very well under water

•  Five nations have natural polar bear populations: Russia, Denmark

(Greenland), Canada, Norway, and the United States (Alaska)

•  Adult female polar bears normally weigh 330 to 650 pounds (150 to 300

kg); adult male polar bears weigh from 775 to more than 1,700 pounds
(350 to 770 kg)

•  Polar bears are 6 to 10 feet long (2 to 3 meters)

•  Polar bear cubs stay with their moms for up to 2.5 years

•  Underneath its fur, the polar bear’s skin is black

•  The life span of a polar bear is about 15 to 18 years

Hippopotamus

•  To keep their bodies cool, hippos spend up to 16 hours a day in rivers and

lakes

•  Hippos are good swimmers and can hold their breath underwater for up  

to five minutes

•  The eyes and nostrils of hippos are located high on their heads; this  

allows them to see and breathe while mostly submerged in water

•  At sunset, hippos leave the water and travel over land to graze grass;

they may travel over 5 miles (8 kilometers) in a night and can eat over 80
pounds (35 kilograms) of grass

•  Hippos can run as fast as a grown man for very short distances

•  Grown hippos are about 9.5 to 14 feet (2.8 to 4.2 m) in length and weigh

about 5,000 to 8,000 pounds (2,270 to 3,630 kg)

•  A baby hippo is called a calf and weighs nearly 100 pounds (45 kg) at birth

•  A hippo can live up to 40 years in the wild