However, evidence of hybrids between polar bears and brown bears, and of the recent evolutionary divergence of the two species, does not support the establishment of this separate genus, and the accepted scientific name is now therefore Ursus maritimus, as Phipps originally proposed. The polar bear was previously considered to be in its own genus, Thalarctos. In Norwegian, one of the primary languages of the Svalbard archipelago, the polar bear is referred to as isbjørn ('ice bear') or kvitbjørn ('white bear'). In Quebec, the polar bear is referred to by the french terms ours blanc ('white bear') or ours polaire ('polar bear'). In Russian, it is usually called бе́лый медве́дь ( bély medvéd', 'white bear'), though an older word still in use is ошку́й ( Oshkúj, which comes from the Komi oski, "bear"). In the Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages of Alyutor and Koryak, the name of the polar bear is umqa, while in the related Chukchi, it is umqə.
The Yupik also refer to the bear as nanuuk in Siberian Yupik. The Inuit refer to the animal as nanook ( transliterated as nanuq in the Inupiat language). He chose the scientific name Ursus maritimus, the Latin for "maritime bear", due to the animal's native habitat. Naming and etymologyĬonstantine John Phipps was the first to describe the polar bear as a distinct species in 1774 in his report about his 1773 expedition towards the North Pole.
It is sometimes referred to as the "nanook", based on the Inuit term nanuq. Historically, the polar bear has also been known as the "white bear". For thousands of years, the polar bear has been a key figure in the material, spiritual, and cultural life of circumpolar peoples, and polar bears remain important in their cultures. For decades, large-scale hunting raised international concern for the future of the species, but populations rebounded after controls and quotas began to take effect. īecause of expected habitat loss caused by climate change, the polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species. Because of their dependence on the sea ice, polar bears are classified as marine mammals. Polar bears hunt their preferred food of seals from the edge of sea ice, often living off fat reserves when no sea ice is present. Their scientific name means " maritime bear" and derives from this fact. Although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time on the sea ice. Although it is the sister species of the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrower ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice and open water, and for hunting seals, which make up most of its diet. A boar (adult male) weighs around 350–700 kg (770–1,540 lb), while a sow (adult female) is about half that size. It is the largest extant bear species, as well as the largest extant land carnivore. Its native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding seas and landmasses, which includes the northernmost regions of North America and Eurasia. National Geographic.The polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) is a hypercarnivorous species of bear. Endangered Species Act recovery plans: key findings and recommendations of the SCB Recovery Plan Project. (2005) The effectiveness of the endangered species act: a quantitative analysis. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore,Center for Biological Diversity (October, 2009) , Taylor, M.F.J., Suckling, K.F. Oxford University Press, Oxford, Nowak, R.M. Dorling Kindersley, London., Kastelein, R.A. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome., Burnie, D. Academic Press, London.,CITES (June, 2009) , Jefferson, T.A., Leatherwood, S. IUCN Red List (June, 2009) , Kastelein, R.
Retrieved November 23, 2014, from World Wildlife Foundation website: Retrieved November 23, 2014, from Polar Bears International website:
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