Polar Bear
The Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) is a bear native largely within the Arctic circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak bear, which is approximately the same size. An adult male weighs around 350–680 kg (770–1,500 lb), while an adult female is about half that size. Although it is closely related to the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrow ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet. Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time at sea (hence their scientific name meaning "Maritime Bear") and can hunt consistently only from sea ice, so spend much of the year on the frozen sea.
A fight between 2 Polar Bears
Why is the polar bear so important ???
Large carnivores - those that are at the apex or top of the food chain - are particularly sensitive indicators of the health of an ecosystem… in this case, the Arctic.
And of all of the wildlife species in the Arctic, the polar bear is perhaps the most fitting icon for this ecoregion.
Its amazing adaptations to life in the rugged Arctic environment and dependence on sea ice make them so impressive, and yet so vulnerable.
This is why polar bears help us gain an understanding of what is happening throughout the Arctic, as a polar bear at risk may signal something is wrong elsewhere in the arctic marine ecosystem.
All recent indicators show that sea ice in the Arctic is melting at an alarming rate, a problem that needs to be addressed immediately if polar bears, and other species unique to the region, are to survive.
