Baby Polar Bear? Where? How old? How exciting!! There
they were. Triton the baby polar bear was eight months old and, of
course, adorable. Triton had been born November 4th, 1997 at the
Roger Williams Zoo in Rhode Island. The mother bear Trixie will be
twelve years old in December, 1998. Watching the two interact was
such fun. Triton playfully attacked Trixie, tumbling over her, rolling on
his back over his mother, to land on all fours to get into more mischief.
When Triton was born, he was about 2 lbs., about the size of a
chipmunk. He gained approximately 10 lbs a month and at 8 months he
now weighs 80 to 90 lbs. He will nurse for 2 years and then go his
own way, being ready to be the solitaire polar bear he was meant to
be. In the meantime, the bears each eat large quantities of
food: 15 lbs of carrots, fish, fruit, polar biscuits, and other good
nourishment.
Triton's father is not allowed in with the mother and cub. Being
solitary, the father would see the cub as a threat and would protect his
territory. The zoo keeps Norton (father bear) confined until four
O'clock. Then Norton has the whole show for the evening when the
switch is made. Norton is ten years old. The Polar Bear
is the largest of the bear family. Even larger than Grizzlies, which
surprised me. The bear in the wild has a radius of forty
miles, traveling in search of food. They have black fur under their
off white clear hollow hair, which attracts the sunlight, trapping the
warm air against their bodies. With lots of fur between the pads of
their feet, the polar bear gets better traction on ice and snow.
Copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010, 2011 Dee Cyboron
All Rights Reserved
You may not use photographs. If you would like to use photographs,
please e-mail zookingdoms for permission first.
