© WWF-US/Elisabeth Kruger
Polar bear habitat
Hundreds of thousands of years of evolution have prepared polar bears for life on sea ice. It is an essential habitat and they use it for hunting, mating, and denning.
Where do polar bears live?
Polar bears live in the far north in the Arctic; not in Antarctica in the south. Polar bears can be found in the countries Canada; Greenland; Svalbard, Norway; Russia; and Alaska, USA. There are no polar bears living in Iceland. However, on rare occasions, polar bears have swum from Greenland across the Denmark Strait to Iceland.
© Steve Morello / WWF
Polar bears have adapted to live with sea ice
Polar bears have evolved to live with the sea ice. It provides a platform for polar bears to hunt, live, breed, and in some cases, create maternal dens.
Sea ice is also important for seals, polar bears’ main source of prey. For seals, sea ice is important as a place to rest and give birth. Less sea has an impact on Arctic seal populations, which in turn makes food scarce for polar bears.
Polar bears are spending more time on land
As polar bears’ Arctic sea ice habitat declines, some polar bears are spending more time on land. This means that polar bears:
- Have a greater chance of encountering humans and a great chance of conflict and harm – for both polar bears and people.
- Could be nutritionally stressed, as terrestrial food sources do not compare to seals in terms of the nutritional that polar bears need.
© naturepl.com / Steven Kazlowski / WWF
What needs to be done to protect polar bears' habitat?
To ensure that polar bears will have the habitats they need to survive, it is important that parts of the Arctic are conserved.
WWF is advocating for the protection of the Last Ice Area. The Last Ice Area will be essential as an enduring home for polar bears and other Arctic marine species that need sea ice to survive. This is because sea ice will last longer in this refugia than in the rest of the Arctic.
WWF is also advocating for an Arctic Ocean Network of Priority Areas for Conservation, ArcNet. By establishing a network of marine protected and conserved areas across the region, ArcNet will help strengthen the resilience of Arctic biodiversity.
© WWF-US / Elisabeth Kruger
Tracking polar bears
Since 2013, WWF has been collaborating with researchers to showcase polar bear movements across the Arctic. It shows the incredible distances some bears travel as well as the relationship between polar bears and sea ice.
While only polar bears tracks are available on the tracker right now, we hope to showcase other Arctic animals in the future.
For now, enjoy exploring stories, wildlife cameras, and watching where and how far these bears can travel.
