Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) standing on its hind legs on melting sea ice. The polar bear is a solitary animal, meeting only to mate. It inhabits the

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Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) standing on its hind legs on melting sea ice. The polar bear is a solitary animal, meeting only to mate. It inhabits the ice floes and coastal waters of the Arctic region. It is an excellent swimmer, sometimes swimming many kilometres between ice floes. It is one of the largest land carnivores, reaching a length of metres and weighing up to 800 kilograms. It is a fierce hunter, feeding on seals, fish and birds. It has also been known to attack and kill humans. Photographed in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

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Size: 6459px × 4342px
Photo credit: © DOUG ALLAN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1, animal, archipelago, arctic, bear, carnivore, carnivorous, floe, freezing, frozen, ice, island, islands, mammal, maritimus, melting, nature, norway, norwegian, polar, predator, predatory, snow, solitary, standing, surveying, svalbard, thalarctos, ursus, wildlife, zoology