About
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a large carnivorous bear that lives on coastal areas and sea ice of the Arctic; it primarily preys on seals. Its thick fur and hollow guard hairs aid insulation and buoyancy, and it has a keen sense of smell that can detect scents at long distances. Outside the breeding season it is solitary; when a female becomes pregnant she denning and gives birth and nurses while hibernating in a maternal den. Declines in sea ice, pollution, and hunting threaten the species, and it is listed as a threatened/endangered species.
