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Far, far away, on a lonely island in northern Norway, the change in seasons announces the beginning of a fantastic journey!

From a thick blanket of snow left by the long winter, a little cub pops his head out. His name is Uffo, the polar bear cub. He opens his little cub eyes to bright rays of sunshine. Today will be the first day he sees the sunlight.

All winter long, Uffo and his mother stayed inside a maternity den. Mama Bear had dug the hole in the snow to protect herself and her baby from dangerous winter blizzards, but now spring is here. It is time for Uffo and Mama Bear to leave their hibernation and head toward the North Pole.

Once outside the den, Uffo immediately starts playing in the fluffy white snow. Uffo is just a cub, but he already wants to jump and run!

The Arctic can get as cold as -50 °F! Most animals cannot live in these freezing temperatures, but polar bears can. They love the cold! Their two layers of dense white fur allow them to keep their body heat. Their white fur also allows them to hide when hunting, blending into the snow. This characteristic has allowed polar bears to thrive in the Arctic for hundreds of thousands of years!

As the young cub plays around, Mama Bear starts to sweat a bit. She has never experienced this feeling before. Why is this happening now?

Over the years, temperatures have been going up and up in the Arctic. This is caused by climate change. This change in temperature has affected polar bears negatively. Polar bears are now moving in different patterns, and it is harder and harder for them to find food.

Mama Bear knows that she and her cub must hurry to reach the ice sea before it melts. She pulls Uffo away from his play. With all the speed and effort, Uffo and Mama Bear start heading toward the coast.

To avoid predators and male bears who could hurt little Uffo, they move to higher ground. The slope is really slippery, and Uffo falls over and over! For cubs like him, climbing can be really difficult. Fortunately, Mama Bear is there to help her son. Uffo needs to stay close to his mother so she can protect him.

After days of walking, Uffo and Mama Bear finally reach the ice sea. Finally at the coast, they just need to follow the ice bridge toward the North Pole where they can find their favorite food: seals!

Seals make up 95% of what polar bears eat. Seals are super fatty and help give polar bears what they need to survive the freezing Arctic winters.

As they head toward the North Pole, Mama Bear realizes it is time to teach Uffo how to swim. The water is very cold for little Uffo. For now, he can only swim for a short distance. As he gets older, he will be able to swim longer distances, just like his mother.

As the two polar bears walk, they feel something strange. The ice is starting to shake!

The two polar bears look around – a huge black boat made out metal is approaching! This gigantic boat is breaking through the ice sea, leaving a cloud of smoke behind. Frightened, the polar bears start to run away.

As the boat passes, it is possible to see some weird creatures on board. They do not have fur and walk only on two legs. Humans! With their machines and pollution, they are the ones responsible for the high temperatures.

After the humans leave, Uffo and Mama Bear realize that all the ice is broken! The two polar bears start rushing through the breaking ice floes, desperate to reach their destination.

Walking and waling, Uffo and his mother reach one edge and find that the rest of the ice bridge is gone. The ice sea melted. The two polar bears are stranded in the middle of the Arctic Ocean with nowhere else to go.

Mama Bear does not know what to do. She could swim all the way to the North Pole, but her little cub cannot make that journey.

Little Uffo finds himself trapped in the ocean with no food. This was not the typical life of polar bears before climate change started. Soon, all the ice will melt, and there will be nothing else Uffo can do.

Grade 3 Nature and Science (Stories) CCSS: CCRA.R.3, RI.3.3

Why were Uffo and his mother in a den in the snow?

They were caught in a snowstorm.
It helped them stay safe during the winter.
The ice melted and refroze around them.
They were escaping dangerous humans and other bears.

Question Info

Nature and Science (Stories) Question

Grade 3 Nature and Science (Stories) CCSS: CCRA.R.3, RI.3.3