February 27 is International Polar Bear Day, an observance created to bring attention to the important role these alpha predators play in the Arctic ecosystem. Though polar bears aren"t endangered—their current conservation status is "vulnerable"—these magnificent beasts have become a sort of mascot for the race to slow the melting of Arctic sea ice. The Arctic ice is crucial to the bears" survival, as they hunt the ringed seals that bob up through holes in the ice. As Arctic ice decreases, the polar bears" hunting ground does too.
Three cheers for polar bears!
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Summer’s in home stretch
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Azaleas blooming on Hwangmaesan Mountain, South Korea
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Golling Waterfall, Salzburg, Austria
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World Teachers Day
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Midnight sun
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Protecting endangered giants
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Spring blooms in the Netherlands
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Class, please take out a No. 2 pencil…
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Welcome to the Year of the Pig
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Can you see the family resemblance?
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Love on ice
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It’s Penguin Awareness Day
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World Book Day
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Sea fireflies at the seashore
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Guiding ships to safety
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Red-leaf hunting in Japan
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Road to Sa Calobra, Majorca, Spain
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Rocky mountain pi
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The Colosseum of Rome, Italy
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A monastery in the mountain
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Avatars of the Wolf Moon
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Happy Mother’s Day
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A unique elephant encounter in Nantes
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Steyr River, Austria
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Splügen Pass, Switzerland
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An inland ocean
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Let s get lost
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National Park Week: Olympic National Park, Washington
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National Lighthouse Day
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World Chocolate Day