Polar bears are apex predators. This means they are incredibly skilled in hunting other animals. However, they remain unhunted. Not only are polar bears incredibly large and strong, but they are also very intelligent creatures.
Polar bears are carnivorous creatures and hunt mostly for seals and fish. Some might wonder if polar bears hunt for and eat penguins. The simple answer is no. There are many reasons for this, but one of the most prominent is geography.
We will explore these reasons throughout the article.
Why Don’t Polar Bears Eat Penguins?
As stated above, polar bears have many reasons for not preying on penguins. Let’s look into these further.
Geography
One of the main reasons polar bears do not eat penguins is because they simply cannot. Polar bears are found in the northern hemisphere, while penguins reside in Antarctica, all around the southern hemisphere.
Because of this, you will not be able to find any penguins in the Arctic region. Being from different parts of the world entirely, the two can’t cross paths meaning there is no way a polar bear could prey on an animal, not in its ecosystem.
Dietary Needs
Polar bears hunt for animals that can fulfill their dietary needs. This is because polar bears have fasting days without eating for a long while. Without a fulfilling diet, they wouldn’t have anything to retain and store within their bodies.
For this reason, polar bears mainly hunt for seals. Seals contain fatty components in their blubber, keeping polar bears full during the late summers and early fall. Penguins do not have enough fat to satisfy a polar bear’s nutrition needs, meaning they wouldn’t qualify for a hearty meal.
What Do Polar Bears Eat
A polar bear’s diet consists of different kinds of sea animals and other foods. Here is a list of the most common foods in a polar bear’s diet.
Seals
Seals make up a polar bear’s primary diet. This is because a seal’s blubber provides a polar bear with the amount of fat it needs to keep its diet sustainable.
In order to attack, polar bears wait for the seals to come up to the openings they’ve previously made in the ice for breathing purposes.
These openings have been made all over a large area so they’re the perfect hunting spot for polar bears. The way a bear is able to locate a seal is by their strong sense of smell.
This is a process that requires a lot of patience as it can be days before a seal makes an appearance out of the ice. Once a seal raises its head out of the opening, the polar bear freezes.
This is when its hunting skills come into view in their entirety. Once it has established the perfect amount of distance required, it quickly charges towards the seal, pounces, and immediately kills the seal before it has a chance to make its escape.
Whales
When diet is scarce, polar bears lean towards other animals to fulfill their need for sustenance. One of these animals is the beluga whale.
Much like the case with a seal, the polar bear waits for hours at the top of giant boulders for whales to come into their path. Then, much like a predator, the bear pounces and kills the whale immediately.
Walrus
In the case of walruses, polar bears mainly get access to them when young and weaker walruses are left behind during a stampede. The polar bears then attack and kill the walruses by weaponizing their herding instincts.
It is said that if all animals that are part of a polar bear’s diet are unavailable, they will perhaps even go for human garbage as a form of sustenance.
Would Polar Bears Eat Penguins if They Could?
Since no penguins live in the Arctic region and no polar bears are found in Antarctica, the chances of each of these animals crossing paths is unlikely. This is because geography simply does not allow it.
However, if we are to think of a hypothetical where penguins and polar bears both reside in the same region, the resulting mess will be catastrophic.
Now let’s consider what would happen if both animals lived in the same region. Even if penguins resided in the same area as polar bears, they would not be the bear’s primary target. This, however, does not mean that the polar bear wouldn’t hunt penguins.
As we’ve established, polar bears are apex predators. This means that they have the capabilities to hunt down any animal they desire. This also means no animal can hunt them.
Therefore, if polar bears and penguins were found within the same ecosystem, it is very likely that the bear would hunt penguins. While it is clear that a penguin would not sufficiently satisfy a polar bear’s appetite, it would still provide some level of sustenance for the animal.
Conclusion
Polar bears and penguins reside in different geographical locations. This means that they can’t cross paths. Therefore, polar bears do not hunt, kill, or eat polar bears.
Their diet consists mainly of seals, fish, whales, and walruses. However, if placed within the same ecosystem, polar bears being apex predators, would definitely resort to hunting and feeding on penguins.
Even though penguins do not provide them with the amount of fiber and protein as a seal would, they’d still be able to enjoy them as a form of sustenance to get through one season and move on to the next.
