Released 2010-11-01

Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus

This is a polar bear's favorite place to be: where the pack ice meets the ocean and lots of leads cross the landscape, for this is where it will find its favorite food: seals. This bear was actively hunting, moving from hole to hole, when it saw us and looked up. Though exaggerated by the low sun, the shadow of the bear's head depicts its long neck, an adaptation which assists in its hunt for seals. An elongated neck allows the polar bear to reach into seal breathing holes with its mouth if necessary (though it usually swats seals out with its strong forelimbs). Also visible is the furred underside of a paw; unlike other bear species, polar bears essentially wear perpetual gloves. An important adaptation for the frigid environment in which they live, furred paws both help to keep the animal warm and assist, along with small papillae on the pads, in gripping the snow and ice for controlled traction. Given that polar bear paws can be as much as twelve inches in diameter, that gives them quite the natural snowshoe.

This is a limited edition photograph with a total of 1000 photos printed across all sizes, as noted

"Nature is art brought to life: often beautiful and inspiring, always fragile and in need of loving care" -- Jodi Gaylord

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Any use of these pictures without written permission is expressly forbidden.