Among polar bears, hissing and snorting signify aggression, as does a lowered head. An attacking polar bear will charge forward with head down and ears laid back. Submissive polar bears always move downwind of dominant bears. When a male approaches a female with cubs, she defends her young by rushing at him with a lowered head. Angry polar bears communicate their displeasure with loud roars and growls.
Mother bears scold their cubs with a low growl or a soft cuff.
The polar bear's main prey is the ringed seal, the most numerous seal in the Arctic. Ringed seals live in the circumpolar region north to the Pole. Though most commonly found on land-fast or solid ice, they are sometimes seen on ice floes. Adult ringed seals reach an average length of 4.1 feet and weigh about 150 pounds. They are padded with a thick layer of blubber.