AnimalsThe polar bear lives on the sea ice of the Arctic and hunts seals. Its fur looks white, but each hair is clear and hollow, and the skin beneath is black. A thick layer of fat keeps it warm. Melting sea ice is the main threat to its future.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Ursus maritimus
- Group
- Mammals
- Diet
- Carnivore (eats other animals)
- Lives in
- The Arctic
- Habitat
- Sea ice and Arctic coasts
- A young one is called
- cub
- A group is called
- no special name
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Mammalia
- Order Carnivora
- Family Ursidae
- Genus Ursus
- Species Ursus maritimus
Other members of the family Ursidae on this site: brown bear, giant panda, sloth bear.
More distant relatives in the order Carnivora: cheetah, dog, domestic cat, jaguar, leopard, lion, red fox, red panda, snow leopard, spotted hyena, tiger, walrus.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The polar bear is listed as Vulnerable. The species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.