The polar bear

The polar bear is the largest terrestrial predator in Greenland. Their incredible size and behavior have given them a reputation for being dangerous, which is fully understandable. Polar bears are predators and, like other bears, you do not want to get too close to them. Everyone has great respect for them, especially in areas in Greenland where there is a risk of encountering a one.

Many people probably think that the polar bear is widespread in Greenland, but they live primarily in the northern part of the country. However, you can sometimes experience them further to the south, where they may have been taken on an ice floe, which is broken off from the ice in the Arctic Ocean. As the polar bear usually lives in North and East Greenland, where not many people live, most Greenlanders have never seen one with their own eyes.

Read more about the National Park in the northern parts of Greenland.

The areas Greenland Travel arrange trips to, there normally aren’t any polar bears. Therefor you can go hiking without having to worry.

The world’s largest bear

The polar bear is the largest bear in the world. The females are smaller than the males, which also is the norm with other species of bear. Usually, the male weighs around 500 kilos, but some individuals have weighed up to a ton. They can grow to be approximately three meters from muzzle to tail. However, when they stand on their hindlegs they can be up to four meters tall.

How does the polar bear get its white fur?

Typically, you will see that the polar bears fur has shades of white, gray, and yellow. The color of their fur comes from the fact that it consists of hollow, transparent hair which makes the coat look white.

The coat is so thick that the cold Arctic water can’t penetrate it. This means that the polar bear keeps warm when swimming and staying in areas with heavy snowfall.

It also allows them to camouflage themselves in the snow-covered natural landscape, where they prefer to live.

Fun fact: The polar bears skin is black, but you don’t see it because the coat is so thick.

Where do polar bears live?

The polar bear lives in Svalbard (Norway), Greenland, Canada, Alaska (USA), and Russia.

Today, there are 19 polar bear populations in the Arctic. Four of these live in Greenland, and one of these populations also live in Canada at times.

Do polar bears hibernate in winter?

Unlike other bears, polar bears do not hibernate in winter but are active all year round. However, when a female gives birth to her cubs, she will make a cave that she stays in, while the cubs are small and still need her.

The polar bear capital of the world

Although we would love to say that the world’s polar bear capital is located in Greenland, we have to admit that you find it in Churchill, which is located in Manitoba in Canada. There, you will often see them while they wait for the water to freeze over so they can hunt for ring seals.

Read about other animals in Greenland