Animal life

The Polar bear

The polar bear is a very big white bear. We call it the polar bear because it lives inside the Arctic Circle near the North Pole. There are no polar bears at the South Pole.

The polar bear lives in the snow and ice. At the North Pole, there is only snow, ice, and water. There is not any land.  People cannot see the polar bear in the snow very well because its coal is yellow-white. It has a very warm coat because the weather is cold north of the Arctic Circle.

The bear is three meters long, and it weighs 450 kilos. It can stand up on its back legs because it has very wide feet. It can use its front legs like arms. The polar bear can swim very well. It can swim 120 kilometers out into the water. It catches fish and sea animals for food. It goes into the see when it is afraid.

Some people want to kill the polar bear for its beautiful white coat. The government of the United States and Russia say that no one can kill polar bears now. They do not want all of these beautiful animals to die.

The Hippopotamus

The hippopotamus, or hippo, lives in the hot part of Africa. It is a mammal. That is, its babies are born alive, and they drink milk from the mother’s body.

The hippo is a large animal. It weighs four tons. Its stomach is seven meters long, and it eats only plants. It is a mammal, but it spends a lot of time in the water.

During the day, its sleeps beside a river or a lake. Sometimes it wakes up. Then it goes under water to get some plants for food. It can close its nose and stay under water for ten minutes. Its ears, eyes, and nose are high up on its head. It can stay with its body under the water and only its ears, eyes, and nose above the water. Then it can breathe the air.

At night, the hippo walks on the land and looks for food. It never goes very far from the water.

A baby hippo often stands on its mother’s back. The mother looks for food underwater. 

The baby rides on her back above the water.