Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) lives in sea Ice across Arctic Tundra and Sea. It feeds on seals and fish. Its conservation status is Vulnerable.
Fascinating facts about the Polar Bear
- Adult male polar bears can tip the scales at up to 800 kg, while a pregnant female may swell to 500 kg, a 50 % seasonal weight swing that lets them store enough fat to survive months without food. Their 5-10 cm thick blubber not only insulates but also fuels long fasting periods, a crucial adaptation.
- A polar bear can sprint up to 40 km/h on ice, yet typically ambushes seals by waiting at breathing holes. This high-energy diet drives their massive home ranges, which can stretch from 3,500 km² to 38,000 km² in a year, illustrating how a single prey type fuels an Arctic apex predator's vast movements.
- Genetic studies show that up to 21.5 % of the genome of extinct Irish brown bears came from polar bears, while 9 % of the genome of Alaskan ABC brown bears derives from polar bears. This gene flow, occurring until about 200,000 years ago, reveals that polar bears are not a recent offshoot of brown bears but a long-standing sister lineage that has repeatedly exchanged adaptive traits.
- The IUCN lists polar bears as vulnerable, with only 22,000-31,000 individuals left worldwide. Climate-driven loss of sea ice cuts their access to seal hunting grounds, pushing bears onto land where human-bear conflicts rise and starvation rates climb, underscoring how a warming Arctic directly threatens the species' survival.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeArctic Tundra and Sea
HabitatSea Ice
DietSeals and fish
About the Polar Bear
In the frozen expanse of the Arctic, the polar bear reigns as a majestic sovereign, its snow-encrusted fur blending seamlessly with the shimmering landscape as it pads silently across the ice. With each deliberate step, it embodies a paradox of power and elegance, its massive paws barely making a sound as it navigates the fragile ecosystem with a gentle reverence. As it moves, the polar bear's very presence seems to embody the harsh beauty of its realm, a reminder of the awe-inspiring wonders that thrive in one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth.
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Polar Bear photographed on Feravox
Seen on screen
Blue Planet II, episode 1: One OceanFrozen Planet II, episode 1: Frozen WorldsFrozen Planet II, episode 2: Frozen OceanFrozen Planet II, episode 6: Our Frozen PlanetSeven Worlds, One Planet, episode 2: AsiaSeven Worlds, One Planet, episode 6: North AmericaMammals, episode 4: ColdOur Planet, episode 1: One Planet
