Want to make a bad situation worse? The legality of polar bear hunting varies among the Arctic countries. Endangered Species List as threatened. Just as monkeys and penguins are used to make something funnier or cuter, bears have a knack for scaring the crap out of everyone. Since 1979, sea ice cover in the Arctic has decreased by about 30 percent, meaning polar bears are being pushed ashore (and away from their prey) for longer periods of time. As the only pure white bear, everyone is familiar with the polar bear. 3 Minute Read. Polar bears are listed on the U.S. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) rival brown bears in size. It really is time for the doom and gloom about polar bears to stop. Polar bears are the planet’s biggest land-based carnivores – although they actually spend most of their lives around water and ice (their Latin name means ‘sea bear’). So they’re at particular risk from global warming, which is melting the Arctic sea ice they depend on. Add a bear! Interesting Facts About Polar Bears The polar bear may be the largest land carnivore and a cunning, dangerous and fearless hunter but those qualities aside it is a popular and much-loved animal. Climate-driven changes in these harsh lands at the ends of the Earth could have a worldwide impact. (Airs Sunday, September 13) NATURE's The Good, the Bad and the Grizzly looks at the grizzly bear's remarkable recovery and examines the controversy behind the conservation success story. If current ice melting… When they're not living on pack ice and shorelines, polar bears swim in open water, feeding on seals and walruses. On almost every measure, things are looking good for polar bears. Polar and brown bears are the largest extant land-based predators in the world, with a penchant for aggressive behavior, so it's easy to see why. Scientists are finding that they are well distributed throughout their range and adapting well to changes in sea ice. Tundra threats, explained. WWF supports the right of Indigenous Peoples to continue to sustainably hunt local animals. The international Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears allows for the taking of polar bears for use by local people using traditional methods and exercising traditional rights. The Department of Interior’s imminent decision on whether to place polar bears on the federally protected endangered species list has focused attention on a recent study that documents for the first time the way that Arctic sea ice affects the bears' survival, breeding, and population growth. Just as monkeys and penguins are guaranteed to make something funnier or cuter, bears have a knack for scaring the crap out of everyone. ... Polar bears have long captured our attention, but probably at no time in the past have they been more in the forefront of the public's attention than today. These bears are restricted to a circumpolar region in the Arctic, reaching south into northern Canada and Alaska. What's happening to the Polar Bears of the World. This will leave polar bears without a home and will affect the polar bear population greatly. Health indicators are good and they are benefiting from abundant prey. Polar bears are in trouble (but you can help!) Want to make a bad situation worse?Add a bear! Global climate change is bad news for polar bears.