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WWF-Canon Polar Bear Tracker

Follow polar bears "live" as we track them on their journeys in the Arctic.

Support polar bears on Facebook

Look after a virtual polar bear on Facebook, learn about its Arctic home and invite your friends to join your polar bear family.

Umky Patrol in Russia

JOIN THE UMKY PATROL
'Umky Patrol' or Polar Bear Patrol, is a project in which polar bear researchers, inhabitants of the Arctic coast and environmental organisations work to preserve the natural habitat and the harmonious existence of humans and wildlife.

Polar bear

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Polar Bear growling Churchill, Canada

Majestic creature of the far north, the polar bear is the world's largest terrestrial carnivore.

Its Latin name, Ursus maritimus, means 'sea bear', an apt name for this amazing species which spends much of its life in, around, or on the water - predominantly on the sea ice.

Polar bears are excellent swimmers, but their preferred habitat is on top of the ice that covers the arctic seas much of the year. That is where they mate, hunt and rear their young.

Latest blog from our bear expert...

  • common name

    Polar bear

  • scientific name

    Ursus maritimus

  • weight

    352 - 680 kg

  • length

    2 - 3 m

  • population

    20-25,000 polar bears worldwide

  • status

    vulnerable

Latest news

Why is the polar bear so important?

Large carnivores - those that are at the apex  or top of the food chain - are particularly sensitive indicators of the health of an ecosystem... in this case, the Arctic.

And of all of the wildlife species in the Arctic, the polar bear is perhaps the most fitting icon for this ecoregion.

Its amazing adaptations to life in the rugged Arctic environment and dependence on sea ice make them so impressive, and yet so vulnerable.

This is why polar bears help us gain an understanding of what is happening throughout the Arctic, as a polar bear at risk may signal something is wrong elsewhere in the arctic marine ecosystem.

All recent indicators show that sea ice in the Arctic is melting at an alarming rate, a problem that needs to be addressed immediately if polar bears, and other species unique to the region, are to survive.

Reviewing the latest information available the PBSG concluded that 1 of 19 subpopulations is currently increasing, 3 are stable and 8 are declining.  For the remaining 7 subpopulations available data were insufficient to provide an assessment of current trend.  The total number of polar bears is still thought to be between 20,000 and 25,000.

Polar Bear Specialist Group. July 2009

What WWF is doing for polar bears

WWF works to:
  1. Negotiate with governments, industry, and individuals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.
  2. Promote sustainable consumptive and non-consumptive use of polar bears that directly affect the species, such as hunting, poaching, industrial take, illegal trade, and unsustainable tourism.
  3. Protect critical habitat including important movement corridors, and denning habitat.
  4. Prevent or remove direct threats from industrial activity such as oil and gas development, and arctic shipping.
  5. Fund field research by the world's foremost experts on polar bears to find out how global warming will affect the long-term condition of polar bear.

The actions we take include providing support for and communication of key science that will help us build resilience; engaging with indigenous and local communities to reduce human-wildlife conflicts and work towards sustainable development opportunities; and drafting and spearheading management solutions that address the major threats of climate change and industrialisation of the Arctic.

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