The Polar Bear, a hyper-carnivorous bear which lives entirely within the Arctic Circle, is the largest extant bear species, as well as the largest extant land carnivore.
Species:
Ursus maritiminus
Common Name:
Polar Bear
Conservation Status:
Vulnerable (VU)
Subspecies:
none
Extinct Subpecies:
Ursus maritimus tyrannus
Range:
The polar bear′s native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses.
Habitat:
Although it is the sister species of the brown bear, it occupies a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice and open water, and for hunting seals, which make up most of its diet.
Description:
An adult male, called a boar, weighs around 770 to 1,540 pounds, while an adult female, called a sow, is about half that size.
After being born on land, this bear spends most all of their life on sea ice, which accounts for their scientific name having the meaning of maritime bear.
Polar bears hunt their preferred food of seals from the edge of sea ice, often living off fat reserves when no sea ice is present. Because of their dependence on the sea ice, polar bears are classified as marine mammals.
