Home › Mammalia › Ursidae › Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
SPECIES PROFILE
Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
Ursus
IUCN STATUS
Vulnerable
CONSERVATION STATUS
Vulnerable
CLASS
Mammalia
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Circumpolar Arctic; major Canadian populations in Western Hudson Bay, Southern Hudson Bay, Davis Strait, and Baffin Bay
DIET
Carnivore
HABITAT
Sea ice platform essential for hunting seals; uses terrestrial areas in summer when ice melts; dens in snowdrifts for winter births
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Mammalia
ORDER
Carnivora
FAMILY
Ursidae
GENUS
Ursus
📋 Description
SIZE
Males 400–600 kg; females 150–250 kg; the largest terrestrial carnivore
COLORATION
Creamy white to yellowish coat over black skin; hollow translucent guard hairs; large padded feet with non-retractile claws for ice traction
ADAPTATIONS
Hollow guard hairs trap heat; black skin absorbs solar radiation; thick fat layer up to 10 cm; can swim for days across open water
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Sea ice platform essential for hunting seals; uses terrestrial areas in summer when ice melts; dens in snowdrifts for winter births
DIET
Carnivore
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Circumpolar Arctic; major Canadian populations in Western Hudson Bay, Southern Hudson Bay, Davis Strait, and Baffin Bay
REPRODUCTION
Females den October to February; 1–3 cubs born in January; cubs emerge from the den in March; cub mortality is high in the first year
DIET DETAILS
Ringed and Bearded Seals caught at breathing holes or hauled out on ice; may fast for months during the ice-free season
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Sea ice loss from climate change shortening the hunting season; reduced body condition leading to lower cub survival; increased human-bear conflict
💡 Interesting Facts
1
Polar Bears are the world's largest land carnivore; they can smell a seal under 1 m of snow and detect prey from 1.5 km away.
2
Churchill's Polar Bear jail holds bears that wander into town; they are tranquilised and held before being released by helicopter onto the sea ice.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Churchill, MB, is the most accessible place in the world to safely observe Polar Bears in the wild
Wapusk National Park near Churchill, MB, is a major Polar Bear denning area and an active research site
Foxe Basin, NU, supports a large Polar Bear population that uses the sea ice for seal hunting
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Autumn. Churchill, Manitoba, is the Polar Bear Capital of the World; bears congregate on the Hudson Bay shore in October and November.
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
October and November in Churchill, MB; Tundra Buggy tours allow close encounters; late June for mothers with cubs near Wapusk National Park.
