Partially webbed feet assist in swimming, which polar bears can do for long distances. Like other bears, the polar bear relies on a keen sense of smell to sniff out prey. Its large body size helps it conserve heat, while its long neck helps it view its open habitat, both while on land and while swimming. Polar bears put their sharp claws to good use when grabbing prey and loping across the slippery ice. Male polar bears are much larger than females.
Adult males grow eight to almost nine feet long, while females grow to about six feet long.
Males weigh 800 to 1,400 pounds, whereas females are about half the male's weight, at from 440 to 650 pounds. On two legs, a large male polar bear may stand ten feet or, rarely, taller. Polar bears range across the frozen top of the Northern Hemisphere. They are found in the northernmost reaches of Alaska, Canada, Russia, on Norway's far-flung Svalbard Islands, and along the coasts of Greenland. They reach their southern limit in Canada's Hudson Bay.