Polar bears are very closely related to brown bears, but have numerous key adaptations that help them survive in extreme arctic conditions. They have two layers of fur to help them keep warm and dry.

You probably know polar bears as the big white animals roaming the Arctic, but there’s a lot about them that doesn’t make it ...

As recently as 70,000 years ago, polar bears developed key features to help them survive in extreme arctic conditions. A team of molecular biologists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark ...

The polar bear’s ability to survive on this without developing heart disease may be one of their most amazing adaptations (Part of this adaptation is a liver that can store so much vitamin A ...

White fur, blubbery skin, sharp claws. Polar bears seem perfectly adapted to their frigid habitat up north. Now, researchers have discovered the bears have another unexpected Arctic adaptation ...

Animal adaptations in cold climates. A polar bear lives in a cold habitat and has thick fur to keep warm. Like many other animals that live in cold polar regions, such as Arctic hares, ...

Polar bear paw pads are also ringed with fur and are smaller than those of other bears, the team reports, adaptations that might let the Arctic animals conserve body heat as they trod upon ice.

While global polar bear numbers are estimated between 22,000 and 31,000, the impact of climate change isn’t uniform. Some subpopulations, like those in western Hudson Bay, are in steep decline.