Polar bear
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large Arctic bear adapted to life on sea ice. It hunts seals as its main food source.
Sea ice: Sea ice is frozen ocean water that forms, grows, and melts seasonally or persists year-round. Polar bears travel and hunt on sea ice, where seals surface to breathe.
Still-hunting: Still-hunting is a predator's tactic of waiting motionless near prey routes or access points. Polar bears use it at seal breathing holes, waiting for seals to surface.
Polar bear tracking: Polar bear tracking uses observations, satellite collars, or other instruments to follow bears' locations and movements. Tracking reveals how bears use sea ice and respond to changing habitat.
Climate change in the Arctic: Climate change in the Arctic is the rapid warming and associated environmental transformation occurring across the polar region. Arctic warming is driving the sea-ice changes that affect access to seals.
Brown bear: The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a widely distributed bear species found across Eurasia and North America. It is the closest living relative of the polar bear and occupies a broader range of habitats.
Ringed seal: The ringed seal is a small Arctic seal that maintains breathing holes in sea ice and raises pups in snow lairs. It is a major prey species, especially when polar bears hunt near breathing holes and lairs.
Seal hunting: Seal hunting is the pursuit and capture of seals by predators, often at haul-outs, breathing holes, or ice edges. It describes the principal feeding behavior that links polar bears to sea ice.
Polar bear population monitoring: Polar bear population monitoring estimates abundance, survival, reproduction, and trends in defined subpopulations. Repeated surveys help determine whether local populations are declining or recovering.
Arctic sea-ice decline: Arctic sea-ice decline is the reduction in the extent, thickness, or seasonal duration of sea ice. Less seasonal ice shortens the period when many bears can hunt seals offshore.
American black bear: The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is a North American bear species with a varied diet and adaptable habitat use. Its mainly terrestrial, flexible ecology contrasts with the polar bear's dependence on marine ice.