Channel: What Lurks Below

Category: Education

Tags: killer whale factsendangered animalspolar bear lifespankiller whalespolar bear huntingkiller whalepolar bear attackkiller whale attack humanwhat lurks belowkiller whale encounterwild animal fightwild animals head to headoceans explainedanimal attacks humanpolar bearwhat lurks underneathkiller whale attackpolar bear encounterpolar bears explainedanimals fightpolar bear attackswildlife predatorswild life fight

Description: Polar Bear vs. Killer Whale! Who will win if they go head to head! These wild animals are both strong predators, but who is stronger if they go head to head? How do they attack? What is their lifespan? Are they endangered? Will the Polar Bear or Killer Whale come out on top?! SUBSCRIBE for the latest videos: goo.gl/7xzjzR Killer whales can be found in all oceans and most seas of the world. They prefer high latitudes and coastal areas over pelagic environments. They tend to concentrate in areas such as the coasts of Iceland, Norway, the Valdes Peninsula of Argentina, the Crozet Islands, New Zealand, and parts of the west coast of North America, from California to Alaska.    As for the polar bear, its range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas, and surrounding landmasses. Even though it is formally categorized as a marine mammal, it is the only living member of this group that with powerful, large limbs and feet that allow them to cover miles on foot and run on land. In addition to the arctic circle, they can sometimes be found in countries such as Newfoundland, Greenland, Russia, Alaska, and Denmark.    There are 19 discrete subpopulations of polar bears on Earth. As of 2017, one of these subpopulations is in decline, two are increasing, seven are stable, and nine have insufficient data. Putting a number to these estimates, between 22,000 and 31,000 polar bears exist on Earth today.  Moving on to killer whales, estimates are uncertain. But even so, recent consensus suggests a minimum of 50,000. This is broken down by region as 25,000 in the Antarctic, 8,500 in the tropical Pacific, 2,250–2,700 off the cooler northeast Pacific, 500–1,500 off Norway, and 2321 in Japan.  Killer whales don't have any formal conservation status. This is because conservation groups worldwide have come to the conclusion that there simply isn't enough data to classify them. But it's safe to say that considering prey depletion, pollution, fishing, and the hunting of these creatures; they're not in the greatest of spots.  Killer whales are apex predators and have no natural enemies. They hunt in groups like wolf packs. They eat a wide variety of prey, including fish, cephalopods, mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles. There are about 30 different species of fish they prey on.  Polar bears can eat between 10 to 20 percent of their body weight at a time. These creatures tend to average weights of 770 pounds to 1500 pounds. That's one and a half times as heavy as a grand piano. They need at least 4.4 pounds of fat to survive every day. A ringed seal weighing 121 pounds could provide up to eight days of energy for a polar bear. Killer whales can weigh as much as 13,000 pounds. That's at least half the length of a bus and at least a quarter its weight. They need between 150 to 300 pounds of food per day as they expand a lot of energy while they swim.  Killer whales have an average lifespan of 50 to 80 years. Some have been known to live up to 105 years. Their life expectancy in captivity is typically more than their life expectancy in the wild. Female killer whales heat sexual maturity at the age of 20. They are one of the few non-human animals who are known to undergo menopause and live for decades after they are done breeding. Polar bears rarely live beyond 25 years. The oldest wild and captive polar bears on record died at 32 years and 43 years, respectively. They typically die when they become too old and sluggish to hunt. Since they are mammals, they take care of their young. Pregnant females eat large amounts of food, gaining at least 440 pounds and often more than doubling their body weight.  Starting with polar bears, these creatures are extremely great predators. They make use of their sharp teeth and sharp claws to get the job done. They have powerful jaws which can generate a bite force of 1200 PSI. Their bites are well adapted for dealing with prey with thick hides or heavy feathers. They are said to be the only mammal that actively hunts humans. They have a total of 42 teeth.  Killer whales are excellent hunters as well. They make use of adaptations such as echolocation to locate prey accurately. Although they have a mouth full of teeth, this is not for chewing. Instead, they use their conical mouth like an appendage and use it to grab food.  Both of these creatures are apex predators. As you may recall, this means no animals are above them in the food chain, and they have no natural threats. But it must be said they sometimes get into spats with other creatures. Most noticeably man, in the case of polar bears and great white sharks in the case of killer whales.  In spite of the fact that both creatures are apex predators, Polar bears have less to worry about than Killer Whales do. Polar bears need only worry about man. Killer Whales have the Great White Shark to think about as well. As such, Polar bears win the round.