Polar Bears are huge! And the ones in these photos haven’t eaten since Spring. I wonder what it would be like to see them when they first come off the ice.
Here’s another set of photos from my trip to the arctic. I hope you enjoy the pictures, learn a little about them, and do what you can to help them survive.
Most of the time, Polar Bears couldn’t care less about us. As we arrived close enough to see these bears, they were sparing. Looks frightening, but they’re playing. They spar for a few minutes, sleep for a few hours, then get up and spar for a few more minutes. In a few weeks, when they’re on the ice hunting and eating, it’s possible that these two bears will meet and instead of sparing, they will fight. Some scientists think they may be learning who the alphas are to avoid fighting when they are on the ice. A fight on the ice often means death for one bear.
And then there are the bears that take time out to see what we’re up to. This bear circled us for a while. Look carefully and see the many footprints in the snow.
Some bears are more curious than others. The one circling our rover peeked into the windows. He’s incredibly close, but still lower than the window.
Smelling is how Polar Bears “see” what’s going on. Perhaps this one smells our tea and would like some. We didn’t offer him any tea, coffee, coco, or even a cola. It’s amazing how quiet and still people can be in order to see what a fellow creature is up to.
I’ll share more next week about some of the other animals I observed in the arctic.
The story of these cubs and their mother is interesting; however, that’s for another post.
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Your photos are amazing, LK. I love the expression of the bear smelling the air. They’re magnificent creatures. Thanks for sharing your adventures in the Artic. 🙂