Polar bear

Polar bears have evolved to live in the frozen Arctic habitat and are the largest land predators on Earth. 

Polar bear’s scientific name, Ursus maritimus, means sea bear. This is an apt name for this Arctic animal, which spends much of its life in, around, or on the water – predominantly on the sea ice.

Why ARE polar bears so important?

As early as the 1890s, workers brought canary birds into coal mines to serve as early warning signals to toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide, that could harm people working in the mines. An individual species used as an indicator of ecosystem health has since been named sentinel species by scientists.

Polar bears are the sentinel species of the Arctic. They are the Arctic’s canary in a coal mine. 

As highly sensitive sentinel species, polar bears’ decline in health has been linked to the decline in sea ice pack where seals, polar bears’ main prey, are found.

The Arctic’s expanse and remoteness makes it an especially challenging ecosystem to study and monitor. Ship-based surveys are expensive and remote sensing data from satellites lack a three dimensional structure. Since polar bears move across Arctic tundra and sea ice, they can help scientists understand what is happening throughout the entire region – from climate change to pollution.

For example, if scientists find environmental toxins in polar bears’ blood, the Arctic’s top predator, they can deduce that these toxins can be found throughout the Arctic. In other words, polar bears are an important symbol of the overall health of the Arctic.