Ursus maritimus (species)
Hierarchy classification:
Alternative term/s
- ice bears
- polar bear
- polar bears
- sea bears
- white bears
Anotations
Scope note:
Members of a species of large, solitary, strictly carnivorous bear found throughout the Arctic region, having a stocky build, long neck, relatively small head, short rounded ears, a short tail, insulating blubber, black skin, and fur comprising dense underfur with an outer layer of guard hairs that appear white or biege but are actually transparent. The polar bear travels long distances over vast desolate expanses, generally on drifting oceanic ice floes, searching for seals, its primary prey. It is endangered by loss of habitat resulting from global warming. According to both fossil and genetic evidence, the polar bear diverged from the arctic brown bear around 200,000 years ago, when it is probable that a population of brown bears became isolated during a period of glaciation in the Pleistocene.