Polar bear: icon on ice
Impressively powerful predators, but they’re at risk from man-made global warming.
Polar bear species:
Affected by: Climate change , Extractives , Human wildlife conflict
Polar bears are the planet’s biggest land-based carnivores – although they actually spend most of their lives around water and ice (their Latin name means ‘sea bear’). So they’re at particular risk from global warming, which is melting the Arctic sea ice they depend on.
Polar bears generally live and hunt alone, though they can be quite social too. They mainly eat seals – using their remarkable sense of smell they can detect a seal in the water beneath a metre of compacted snow, and from almost a kilometre away.
Adults are strong swimmers – they can swim for several hours to get from one piece of ice to another. Their thick white coat and a layer of fat keep them warm and camouflaged in their harsh Arctic environment.
It’s hard to imagine such impressive, powerful predators being vulnerable, but man-made climate change is making life tough for them – so their fate could be in our hands. We mustn’t let them down.
Rod Downie Polar programme manager"I will never forget my 'first' polar bear. Today, it still drives me to do all we can to secure a future for these true icons on ice. Working for WWF has given me the amazing opportunity to work alongside leading polar bear scientists and Inuit who have generously shared their wealth of traditional knowledge."
Where polar bears live
Polar bears range across the Arctic Ocean, in parts of Canada, Alaska, Russia, Greenland and Norway (Svalbard). They can walk or swim long distances to find food or to breed – sometimes roaming across vast areas up to 600,000 sq km.
Why polar bears are so important
Polar bears have a strong cultural significance for Arctic people, and beyond, polar bears are top predators in their food web. Which means they play a vital role in the balance of their ecosystem.
By helping protect the polar bear, we’re helping to make sure the Arctic food chain stays healthy, for the benefit of wildlife and people in and beyond the Arctic. The Arctic provides fish for millions of people, including here in the UK.
Challenges affecting polar bears
The Arctic is warming about twice as fast as the global average, causing the ice that polar bears depend on to melt away. Loss of sea ice also threatens the bear’s main prey, seals, which need the ice to raise their young.
More about climate change
Challenges affecting polar bears
Oil and gas exploration, shipping and increased industrial development can all affect the delicate balance of the Arctic environment. An oil spill, for example, could have devastating effects in such remote and special places.
More about oil, gas and mining
Challenges affecting polar bears
With less sea ice, polar bears are forced to stay longer on land. This is increasingly bringing them into contact with local people in Arctic villages and towns, leading to bears and people being injured or killed in self-defense.
More about human-wildlife conflict