Photos of Endangered and Vulnerable Species from Around the Globe

Photo contest contestants capture rare images of threatened animals



polar bears


A Mother Polar Bear and Cubs Near Spitsbergen, Norway

Photo by Claire Waring (Kettering, UK); Photographed June 2012

The loss of sea ice habitat due to climate change is the biggest threat to polar bears today. Polar bears rely on the sea ice as a way to access seals, their primary food source.

The changing climate also forces polar bears to spend longer periods on land rather than in open water, leading to increased contact with Arctic communities, according to the WWF. Such interactions sometimes prove deadly for both humans and bears.

Status: Vulnerable


 

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