    the polar bear (ursus maritimus) is a carnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the arctic circle, encompassing the arctic ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. it is a large bear, approximately the same size as the omnivorous kodiak bear (ursus arctos middendorffi). (overview page) a boar (adult male) weighs around , while a sow (adult female) is about half that size. although it is the sister species of the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet. although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time at sea. their scientific name means "maritime bear", and derives from this fact. polar bears hunt their preferred food of seals from the edge of sea ice, often living off fat reserves when no sea ice is present. the polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species, with eight of the nineteen polar bear subpopulations in decli
Animals_described_in_1774 Fauna_of_Siberia Fauna_of_the_Arctic Holarctic_fauna IUCN_Red_List_vulnerable_species Inuit_culture Mammals_of_Asia Mammals_of_Canada Mammals_of_Europe Mammals_of_Greenland Mammals_of_the_United_States Megafauna_of_Eurasia Megafauna_of_North_America Megafauna_of_North_Asia Polar_bears Vulnerable_animals Vulnerable_fauna_of_the_United_States