Evolution is the procedure in which different kinds of living species are believed to have developed from earlier forms over many centuries. The two competing theories in evolution are Lamarckism and Darwinism. It is believed that Darwin’s theory of Natural selection best fits the polar bears evolution because the bears adapted to a life of hunting seals and surviving extreme cold. One of the most notable adaptations was that they developed the ability to survive on a fat-rich diet without apparent heart damage. Although Lamarck’s theory was discredited it still plays a large role in the theory of evolution.
Jean-Baptise Lamarck’s theory stated that an organism can pass on characteristics that it has developed …show more content…
You can see several adaptations in polar bears; most obvious is the polar bear’s colour, which can range from a light yellow to a very pure white. Appearing white like its surroundings provide a natural camouflage for the polar bear. Some other adaptations are that the polar bear has two layers of thick fur that cover it’s black skin to keep it warn in the freezing temperatures of the arctic, the polar bear has adapted to the extreme cold because their ears and tail have gradually shrunk which means there is less surface area for heat loss, their paws have gotten bigger to help the polar bear distribute their weight when walking across ice or snow. Also the polar bear has been able to adapt to eating the fatty skin of seals so that they don’t get heart problems from the prey. Polar bears have very good senses; studies show that polar bears can smell seals from up to 20 miles away which is 32.1869 kilometres. Polar bears began to split from brown thousands of years ago. Estimates of when this began to happen continue to change as geneticists look further into the polar bear genome. After beginning to split off from brown bears; the polar bear's ancestors began to go through series of evolutionary changes to ensure that it can survive in the Arctic. Recent studies suggest that polar bears split from brown bear ancestors 350,000-6 million years ago. Polar bears and brown bears are genetically