Polar bears can swim for days, covering hundreds of miles of open water at a time, accoding to new GPS tracking data. These long swims appear to be a response to declining summer sea ice in the Arctic, the researchers suggest. Sea ice provides crucial habitat for polar bears, which hunt for prey, primarily seals, from it. read more
Swimming. Polar bears are strong swimmers; they swim across bays or wide leads without hesitation. They can swim for several hours at a time over long distances. They've been tracked swimming continuously for 100 km (62 mi.). Because they spend so much time in the water, polar bears are considered to be marine mammals. read more