Head turned slightly left, with a slight twist, ears at attention, and appearing in a leisurely gate. Beautiful carving with a wonderful smooth finish. A tourist at the Anchorage zoo scaled the barriers to gain a better photograph and wound up in the clutches of the polar bear. Alaskans still laugh when reminded of the event, and several artists have memorialized the bear in sculpture. This whale bone, ivory, and baleen bear by Cecil Seppilu, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska captures the moment.
Serpentine stone is flecked with light green and black.
Thick neck and shoulders with a massive pear shaped hind quarter suggest this carving depicts a male. The Polar bear is more slender in build than most other bears and with a longer head and neck, it is also the most carnivorous, feeding on seals and young walrus. Its feet have hairy pads to assist movement over ice and swimming in the water. It has good vision and a keen sense of smell. Ashevak Tonnillie of Cape Dorset carved this steatite polar bear.