Christina Franco North Pole Solo 2010

Whilst on her journey Christina will most likely encounter polar bears, an animal which looks cute and cuddly but is, in fact, deadly – especially for a lone human on the ice.

Here are just a few polar bear facts…

The world’s largest predator, the polar bear can weigh up to 680kg and measure up to 3m in length (with females around half that size). However the largest recorded bear, shot in Alaska in 1960, weighed in at 1,002kg. Christina, on the other hand, will only weigh one tenth of an average polar bear even after gaining all the weight she intends to and will only stand half as tall.

The polar bear’s feet are huge, measuring an incredible 12” across, allowing them to distribute their weight evenly on ice and propel them through the water when swimming. You may have heard that ‘all polar bears are left handed’ – this has never been proved.

Kept warm by 10cm of blubber, polar bears would overheat at temperatures higher than 10C. Their dense underfur is covered by transparent guard hairs which appear a white colour. So effective is this insulation that a polar bear cannot be seen on an infrared camera.

While they may be known for their plodding walk, polar bears can in fact run at speeds of up to 30mph while their swimming abilities make Michael Phelps look lazy. Known to swim as far as 200m from land they can swim at around 6mph.

Setting off on her expedition in March, Christina will be leaving the den at the very same time as new polar bear families. Mothers give birth, normally to two cubs, in January and hibernate for around two to three months. During her entire time in the maternity den a mother won’t eat or drink – when she leaves she’ll be very, very hungry and on the lookout for seals…and to a polar bear who has probably never encountered humans Christina will look exactly like a seal when she is in the water, making her extremely vulnerable to attack in the water.

Polar bears will feed on their mother’s milk for around twenty months. During this time males ready to mate will attack and kill cubs believing that the mother won’t go in to heat while caring for her young.

From a distance Christina will only recognise an approaching polar bear by its black nose against the snow – despite popular belief the bears don’t cover their noses when hunting (thank goodness).

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