Unwanted Guest

Norway (by Mike Reyfman)

The polar bear is an opportunistic hunter, always alert to other food sources—including vegetation, geese, and even bird eggs if available. These terrestrial foods do not provide enough calories to sustain them, however. But other arctic marine mammals, including whales, walruses, and narwhals, do provide adequate nutrition for hungry polar bears. Beluga whales or narwhals that become trapped in a savsatt—a small opening in pack ice—become easy prey for the bears. And whale carcasses on the shore offer a bonanza.

Read more about the polar bear’s diet via Polar Bears International.