Polar Bear swimming Beaufort Sea, Alaska.
A polar bear surfaces from the Beaufort Sea just off the coast of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Only the bear's head and upper chest are visible above the waterline, its fur soaked and clinging flat against its body. The bear is looking directly into the camera, nose slightly raised, water dripping from its chin and ears.
Polar bears are classified as marine mammals for good reason. They are powerful swimmers and regularly cover long distances through open water between barrier islands and pack ice. This photo captures that marine side of their lives in a way that land based portraits rarely do. The wet fur, the calm grey water filling the entire background, and the bear's steady eye contact all reinforce the reality that these animals are as comfortable in the ocean as they are on solid ground.
The Beaufort Sea along the ANWR coast is a critical corridor for polar bears moving between land and sea ice throughout the fall season. As freeze up approaches, bears gather along the barrier islands and swim between them, waiting for the ice to form. Seeing a polar bear swimming in the Beaufort Sea like this is a reminder that these bears depend on both the ocean and the ice, and that the connection between the two defines their entire way of life.
Photo © copyright by Carl Donohue.