Common name

Polar bear

Species name

Ursus maritimus

ARKive fact

Polar bears show some amazing adaptations to their Arctic life and are able to detect prey that are almost a kilometre away and up to a metre under the compacted snow using their heightened sense of smell.

Conservation status

Vulnerable

Distribution

Found throughout the circumpolar Arctic on ice-covered waters, from Canada to Norway, parts of the US, the former USSR and Greenland (Denmark).

Habitat

The preferred habitat is the annual ice near the coastlines of continents and islands, where there are large numbers of ringed seals, on which these bears feed.

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