The polar bear, Ursus maritimus, or the sea bear, is the only bear classified as a marine mammal.

New
evidence suggests that the bear we know today as the polar bear split from brown bear ancestors less
than 600,000 years ago. Unlike their brown bear cousins, which live on land, polar bears are
superbly adapted for survival on the frozen seas of the Far North.
Polar bears top the food chain in the Arctic, where they prey primarily on ringed seals. They reach these
seals from a platform of sea ice.
Adult male polar bears weigh from 775 to 1,200 pounds. A few weigh more than 1,200 pounds, but these
individuals would be exceptional. Females normally weigh 330 to 650 pounds. It's not uncommon for
female polar bears preparing to enter maternity dens in the fall to weigh over 600 pounds.
Females usually bear two cubs. Single cubs and triplets also occur depending on the health and condition
of the mother. Cubs stay with their moms for up to 2-1/2 years, learning how to hunt and survive in an
arctic environment.
Polar bears live in the circumpolar north in areas where they can hunt seals at openings in the sea ice
called leads. They are found in Canada (home to roughly 60% of the world's polar bears), the U.S.
(Alaska), Greenland, Russia, and Norway (the Svalbard archipelago). Scientists have identified 19
populations of polar bears living in four different sea ice regions in the Arctic.
Although popular art and children's books often show polar bears and penguins together, the two live at
opposite poles. Polar bears live in the Arctic. Penguins live in Antarctica.

Polar bears need a platform of sea ice to reach their prey: ringed and bearded seals. But not all sea ice is
equal: some sea ice lies over more productive hunting areasand some ice regions will melt sooner than
others in a warming Arctic.
Scientists have identified 19 populations of polar bears living in four different sea ice regions in the Arctic.
Why does it help to divide the Arctic into ice regions? For those polar bear populations that are littlestudied, scientists can make informed estimates on how they're faring based on the health and condition
of other populations in the same region.
Four Sea Ice Ecoregions:
1. Seasonal Ice Seasonal ice areas occur at the southern extreme of the polar bear's range and include
places like Canada's Hudson Bay, where the ice melts each summer and the bears must wait for freezeup in the fall until they can hunt again. Polar bears in these seasonal areas are the most endangered,
with longer and longer ice-free seasons testing the limits of their fat reserves.
2. Polar Basin Divergent Ice In these areas, sea ice forms along the shore but then retreats, especially
in summer. As the sea retreats farther and farther from shore in a warming Arctic, these polar bears are

faced with a choice of coming ashorefasting until the ice returns in the fallor swimming long,
exhausting distances to reach the remaining pack ice. Ice that's located far offshore, however, often
covers unproductive parts of the sea, so bears in these areas may successfully complete a marathon
swim, but still not find any seals to hunt. Polar bears that live in these areas are at great risk: from longer
and longer swims, prolonged fasting periods, and encounters with humans on shore.
3. Polar Basin Convergent Ice Sea ice formed in other parts of the Arcticcollects along the shore of
these habitats, providing polar bears with access to seals. Polar bears in these areas are faring well now,
but scientists predict that ice in these areas will disappear within 75 yearsand, with it, resident polar
bear populationsunless action is taken to reduce CO2.
4. Archipelago Ice Islands in the Canadian High Arctic and Greenland are far enough north that sea ice
remains along the coast even in summer, providing hunting for the bears. This eco-region is predicted to
be the last stronghold for polar bears, but it, too, is expected to melt within 100 years unless greenhouse
gas emissions are greatly reduced.
Polar Bear Population Distribution by Sea Ice Ecoregion
Ecoregion 1: Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, Foxe Basin, Southern Hudson Bay, Western Hudson Bay
Ecoregion 2: Barents Sea, Chukchi Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Southern Beaufort Sea
Ecoregion 3: Eastern Greenland, Northern Beaufort Sea, Queen Elizabeth Islands
Ecoregion 4: Gulf of Boothia, Kane Basin, Lancaster Sound, M'Clintock Channel, Norwegian Bay,
Viscount Melville Sound