Polar bears live north of the Arctic Circle along the shorelines of northern Canada, Alaska, Russia, and Greenland. Polar bears are different from other bears in that they rely solely on meat as their main source of food. They hunt and eat seals and walruses and will also eat whale carcasses, bird eggs, and fish. The polar bear diet is high in both protein and fat to enable it to maintain the thick layers of fat necessary to survive in sub-freezing Arctic temperatures. Male polar bears can weigh from 900 to 1,600 pounds and can grow to eight feet in length! Female polar bears are significantly smaller weighing from 330 to 550 pounds. Unlike other bear species, polar bears do not hibernate. Females do, however, den during pregnancy, which may last up to 265 days.

Polar Bears are hunted for their hides, fat, and flesh by indigenous Inuit people in Canada. Populations of these magnificent animals are thought to be declining, chiefly because of reduced pack ice in the Arctic Ocean due to climate change and global warming. Polar bears rely on this pack ice to migrate across the ocean as well as to hunt.