Polar Bear
Long neck, small ears, paddle-like feet, and dense water-shedding fur reveal a bear evolved to hunt seals across moving Arctic ice.
Artwork inspired by Sydney Laurence
Polar bears are marine mammals in ecology as well as law: sea ice is the platform from which they travel, mate, and hunt ringed seals. Alaska shares two populations with neighboring Arctic countries, and bears may move enormous distances as winds and currents rearrange the ice beneath them.
Wild viewing requires professional local guidance and strict separation. A polar bear is not a distant white version of a zoo animal; it is a powerful predator whose behavior can change quickly. Declining sea ice lengthens some periods on land and intensifies the importance of community safety, food control, and respect for Alaska Native knowledge and subsistence governance.
- Key habitat
- Sea ice over productive water
- U.S. populations
- Southern Beaufort and Chukchi
- Best shape
- Long neck and small ears
Quick guide
- Use expert guidance
- Do not improvise an Arctic bear-viewing trip.
- Read the ice
- Leads, pressure ridges, and seal habitat explain where bears travel.
Recognize and observe
- Use expert guidance
- Do not improvise an Arctic bear-viewing trip.
- Read the ice
- Leads, pressure ridges, and seal habitat explain where bears travel.
- Never create food cues
- Secure all attractants and follow community rules.
- Keep culture present
- Understand conservation alongside Alaska Native stewardship and subsistence.
Good to know
White-looking fur is translucent, and black skin lies beneath it. More important than color is the animal’s dependence on sea ice as living habitat.
Notice these
- Sea ice over productive water
- Southern Beaufort and Chukchi
- Long neck and small ears