Ursus maritimus

Photograph by Dan Moore.
Photography contest, Honorable Mention.

Polar bear
Ursus maritimus – polar bear. Mr. Moore writes, "This magnificant animal was photographed on an ice floe in the Davis Strait of Canada's Nunavut Territory. He was all by himself, which is typical in the polar region. Their primary food is the seal, which is what this guy was waiting for to emerge from the sea. The reduction in sea ice is the problem these days – as the ice melts earlier than in the past, the bears must go to the land, and hunting is limited. We did see several females with cubs on land to keep away from the males but food is really limited in their cases."