 |
| Polar bear family, award-winning work of best nature photography by photographer Tin Man Lee. |
Polar bears are mammals that thrive in the icy northernmost regions of the globe. Photos, documentaries, advertisements or clips capturing funny and adorable moments of their daily lives have attracted the love of the public. In particular, the “lord” of this icy region also captures the “love” of photographers.
It is estimated that there are between 22,000 and 31,000 polar bears in the world. Recently, the impacts of climate change have seriously affected the habitat of this animal, pushing them to the brink of extinction.
 |
| Photographer Arnfinn Johansen’s work was highly appreciated at the Memorial María Luisa Photography Contest 2014 and the Nordic Nature Photo Contest 2015. Polar bears appear in 5 countries in this region, of which, 69% This animal lives in Northern Canada. The word “Arctic” (Arctic) comes from the word “arktos” (Greek for bear). |
 |
| The work was highly appreciated at the 2014 Monochrome Photography contest by photographer Arnfinn Johansen. Winter temperatures in the Arctic can drop to -45.6 ℃ for weeks at a time. However, polar bears can thrive in these icy conditions. |
 |
| They have thick fur and fat to withstand cold and harsh weather. Polar bear fur is not white. In essence, these hairs have a hollow, transparent core and will reflect the colors around the habitat. The white color commonly seen in this species of bear is the result of reflecting white light from the Sun. In addition, polar bears can also have other colors such as blue, yellow, even purple. In the photo is the work that won the best photography award at Windland Smith Rice in 2017 by photographer Ying Gu. |
 |
| Unlike other animals, polar bears do not have a set territory, which changes according to the seasons of both seals and ice. In recent times, polar bears can travel hundreds of kilometers to find their mate and territory. The above work by photographer Arnfinn Johansen was highly appreciated in the 2013 Memorial Maria Luisa competition. |
 |
| The work was highly appreciated in the Best Photography of Nature contest by photographer AndyRouse. Polar bears usually move at a speed of 4.9 km/h, they can speed up to 38.7 km/h for short hunts. Walking and running will consume a larger amount of energy than other animals. At rest, it uses 13 times less energy than when active. |
 |
| The winning work of Best Photographer of the Windland Smith Rice International Award in 2010 by photographer Eric Coomes. An adult male bear can weigh from 340 – 590kg, while a female can weigh from 150 – 295kg. With a layer of fat more than 10cm thick, they can function normally in cold water or in winter. |
 |
| The work won the 2005 Windland Smith Rice International Award for best nature photography by photographer Thorsten Milse. When born, a polar bear cub weighs as much as a guinea pig. |
 |
| The work won the Best Award of the 2014 Windland Smith Rice international competition by photographer Arnfinn Johansen. The scientific name of this bear is Ursus Maritimus, it is also known by the nicknames “lord of the arctic”, “old man in white fur”… |
 |
| The average lifespan of polar bears is 25 – 30 years. Excellent work won the Best Nature Photo Award by photographer Joshua Holko. |
 |
| Spring is mating season for polar bears, but female bears will become pregnant in the fall. By that time, the mother bear will have gained enough weight to provide enough nutrition for both herself and her fetus throughout the long winter. The photo above is a highly appreciated work in the nature photography contest by photographer Robert Sabin. |
 |
| The work won the Best Photographer of the Year 2016 award voted by Windland Smith Rice International Award by photographer Daisy Gilardini. In winter, mother bears will dig burrows to keep their cubs warm. |
 |
| The mother bear and cub will come out of the den in the spring, when they are healthy enough to make the journey to find food. Bear cubs usually live with their mothers until they are 28 months old, during which time they will learn the skills they need to survive. (Photo: Yves Adams) |
 |
| Mother bears often give birth to twins, it is very rare to see single births or triplets in polar bears. Bear cubs weigh only 0.5kg when born and must depend entirely on their mother to live, because during this time they cannot hear or see, and are extremely weak. (Best work of the natural photography contest by photographer Debra Gardise). |
 |
| Unlike other bears, polar bears do not hibernate. Thanks to their fur and thick layer of fat, keeping warm is not too big a problem for them. Instead, cooling the body is the bear’s top concern. The wonderful “coat” sometimes also causes a lot of trouble because it often causes the polar bear’s body temperature to increase too high. (Photo: Shayne McGuire). |
 |
| Photographer Diane McAllister captured this image of two polar bears fighting. During mating season, they will “fight” each other to win mates and food. |
 |
| Polar bears (like the one in this photo by photographer Joshua Holko), love to nap. They often do this to save energy. In the summer, they often sleep during the day on ice pillows, so that at night they can hunt seals, their favorite food. |
 |
| Living in harsh conditions, polar bears have been gifted with an extremely sensitive sense of smell. Within a radius of 32km, any seal that appears will be detected. They can even smell… the breath of their prey 800m away. Polar bears often communicate with each other through their noses. Photographer Jon Cornforth came into contact with a bear in this photo. |
 |
| Polar bears can eat an amount of food equal to 15-20% of their body weight. They often hunt seals in the Arctic, but only 2% of hunts are successful. Polar bears hunt by finding seal breathing holes in the ice and patiently waiting for prey to appear. In addition, polar bears will eat anything they can hunt, such as reindeer, seabirds, walruses or whales. (The work was highly appreciated in the 2017 Memorial María Luisa photography competition by photographer Arnfinn Johansen). |
 |
| Polar bears like to keep themselves clean and regularly groom themselves after eating. In the summer, they will go to the thawing area, where they will spend up to 15 minutes swimming and bathing. In winter, they will rub themselves into the snow to stay clean and cool their bodies after hunting. (First prize winning work in the 2016 Memorial María Luisa photography contest by photographer Arnfinn Johansen). |
 |
| 2013 National Geographic Photography Award winner Paul Souder captured a photo of a polar bear emerging from the water after its swim. Polar bears can swim at a speed of 10km/h. However, they often use floating ice to move, although they swim quite well. |
 |
| Polar bears are naturally curious creatures, not afraid of humans, as evidenced by this photo taken by photographer Roie Galitz. As the polar bear prowled around the tripod collection, the photographers fled.”The bear approached the cameras and tried to look through the lens, licking the back of the camera. Then it left Go, continue your journey”, Galitz said about the experience of taking the photo above. |
 |
| Climate change is causing Arctic ice to melt sooner, which is affecting the feeding and breeding habits of polar bears. (Photo: Florian Ledoux) |
 |
| When there is a lack of food sources, polar bears will go south, where humans live, to find food, causing more polar bear hunts to take place in 2010 – 2014, the period when ice formed. slow. (Photo: Florian Ledoux) |
 |
| Due to changes in sea ice formation, polar bears have been listed by the United States as one of the species threatened with extinction. According to scientists, the number of polar bears will decrease by one-third by 2050. (Photo: Jayanand Govindaraj) |
