How do polar bears survive in Svalbard?

Of these a little less than 300 were located in Svalbard – most of them close to the ice edge.» The polar bear is considered a marine mammal as it spends most of its life on the drifting sea ice. Their diet consists primarily of ringed seal, which is the most common seal species in the waters surrounding Svalbard.

What is the habitat of polar bear?

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

What habitat do polar bears eat?

Unlike other bear species, polar bears are almost exclusively meat eaters (carnivorous). They mainly eat ringed seals, but may also eat bearded seals. Polar bears hunt seals by waiting for them to come to the surface of sea ice to breathe.

Can you see polar bears in Svalbard?

There are several countries that stretch north into the Arctic Circle, but the Norwegian Svalbard Islands — just 1,050 km from the North Pole — are in the top three places on the planet to spot the polar bear. According to the Norwegian Polar Institute, the population of the Svalbard polar bear is now 3,500.

How old can polar bears get?

LIFE CYCLE: Polar bears can live up to 25 or 30 years in the wild. FEEDING: The top Arctic predators, polar bears primarily eat ringed seals but also hunt bearded seals, walrus, and beluga whales, and will scavenge on beached carrion such as whale, walrus, and seal carcasses found along the coast.

Where do polar bears live and sleep?

The bears typically curl up and dig shallow pits in the snow, sleeping with their backs to the wind. For comfort, the bear uses one of its outstretched paws as a pillow and allows snow to pile up around it to provide extra warmth and insulation.

Where are polar bears in December?

The best places to see polar bears in the wild

• Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Polar Bear walking in the arctic tundra near Churchill (Shutterstock)
• Wrangel Island, Russia. A polar bear on Wrangel Island (Shutterstock)
• Svalbard, Norway.
• Kaktovik, Alaska.
• Greenland.
• Franz Josef Land, Russia.
• Nunavut, Canada.