Summary ⁴

The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a hypercarnivorous 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). A boar (adult male) weighs around 350–700 kg (772–1,543 lb), while a sow (adult female) is about half that size. Polar bears are the largest land carnivores currently in exis

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Christopher Michel, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/19003121434/
2. (c) Stan van Remmerden, all rights reserved, uploaded by Stan van Remmerden
3. Stan van Remmerden, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), uploaded by Stan van Remmerden
4. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursus_maritimus

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• ASM Mammal Diversity Database
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• iNaturalist Mammal Working Group
• IUCN Bear Specialist Group
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Polar Bears International
• VertNet

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