What Are Polar Bears Related to & Where Do They Live?

A marine mammal, polar bears go by the scientific name "Ursus maritimus," meaning "sea bear," due to the amount of time they spend in the water swimming amongst ice floes. The oldest polar bear fossil is more than 130,000 years old. Scientists believe that 200,000 years ago the species diverged from its close relative, the brown bear. Polar bears also are related to various other bear species.

  1. Ursinae Family

    • Kodiak bears are common on Alaska's Kodiak Island.

      Polar bears are related to members of the Ursinae family, which includes black and brown bears. Black bears are the most common bear in the U.S. They live in forests, mountains and swamps. They often have brown or reddish fur. Brown bears used to live throughout Europe, but their numbers have dwindled. Some remain in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. Kodiak bears and grizzlies also are members of the brown bear family.

    Tremarctinae Family

    • Spectacled bears live in South American jungles, deserts and mountains.

      Tremarctinae bears, also called spectacled bears, are relatives of polar bears. They get their name from the markings around their eyes, which resemble glasses. Spectacled bears are small, weighing as little as 140 pounds, with dark fur in shades of brown, black and red. The bears are native to South America and have thin fur, thanks to the warm climates in which they live. Armed with long claws, spectacled bears are excellent climbers and can live up to 25 years.

    Ailuropodinae Family

    • The short breeding season of the panda hinders conservation efforts.

      Though it may be hard to believe, polar bears are related to the giant panda, the only surviving member of the Ailuropodinae family. The giant panda is native to China, where it lives in cold, damp forests in the western half of the country. Pandas spend 12 hours a day feeding on bamboo, according to the San Diego Zoo, consuming up to 84 pounds at a time. An endangered species, giant pandas have suffered habitat destruction; approximately 1,600 of the bears remain.

    Habitat

    • Roughly 22,000 to 27,000 polar bears remain, as of 2011.

      Polar bears dwell in the frigid Arctic region, which includes northern Alaska, Russia, Canada and Greenland. The bears live on patches of sea ice from which they breed, live and hunt, surviving by eating seal. When the ice moves north each summer, the bears must follow to stay close to their food source or face being stranded on land to live off their body fat. Global warming causes the ice to melt and retreat faster, destroying the habitat and threatening the bears' survival.