Species Spotlight: Polar Bear

Portrait of a polar bear (Ursus maritimus). Svalbard, Norway.

Questions and Answers

How much time do polar bears spend hunting?
Polar bears spend over 50% of their time hunting for food. They store up energy when sea ice and food are plentiful so that when food sources are scarce (usually during the summer and autumn), they can survive on fat reserves.

Why do polar bears need sea ice?
Polar bears rely heavily on sea ice for traveling, hunting, resting, mating and, in some areas, maternal dens. But they are losing their sea ice habitat because of a warming climate—the primary threat to polar bears throughout the Arctic.

What does the polar bear’s scientific name mean?
Their scientific name means ‘sea bear’. Polar bears are the planet’s biggest land-based carnivores – although they spend most of their lives around water and ice.

Habitat

Polar bear populations live on the annual Arctic sea ice in northern Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia.
Diet

Between late April and mid-July, polar bears hunt seals, such as ringed and bearded seals, on the sea ice.
Threats

Global warming is shrinking their ice habitat.
Interesting Fact

Although polar bear fur appears white, it is actually clear. The hairs are hollow and contain no pigment. Reflection of the sun’s light makes them look white.