Polar bear cub, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada Feb 27, 2025

Polar bears are native to the Arctic and can be found in Alaska, Russia, Greenland and Svalbard. They"re also found in Canada—like the cub in today"s image, photographed in Churchill, Manitoba. Polar bears spend over half of their time hunting for seals on the sea ice, although they usually catch just one or two for every 10 that they try to catch. Their reliance on sea ice for hunting means that they are highly vulnerable to climate change. Their fur isn"t truly white; it"s translucent, reflecting visible light and allowing them to blend seamlessly into their snowy environment. Sea ice is rapidly disappearing as the planet heats up, and polar bears are at risk of malnutrition and starvation as their hunting grounds vanish. Shrinking ice sheets also mean that these bears have to swim farther to find food, which depletes their energy reserves. Protecting polar bears means protecting their home—let"s work together to slow the effects of climate change and safeguard their future.

© Eric Baccega/NPL/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

Feb 27, 2024Polar bear cubs
Feb 27, 2026Polar bear cub, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 21, 2025Sea otters, Alaska
Apr 1, 2026Japanese tree frog in a pink morning glory
Nov 14, 2024Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Liguria, Italy
Dec 8, 2024Moorea, French Polynesia
Mar 25, 2025European goldfinches
Jan 24, 2025Strokkur geyser in Iceland
Oct 2, 2025Oxbow Bend on the Snake River, Wyoming, United States
Jan 8, 2026Yellow-chevroned parakeets
Oct 6, 2025Anshun Bridge, Chengdu, China
Oct 13, 2025Waterfall at Wimbachklamm Gorge, Bavaria, Germany
Dec 5, 2023Castles in the Bavarian Alps
May 22, 2024Tasmanian snow gum, Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Jun 29, 2025Blue lagoon of Pulau Ay, Banda Islands, Indonesia
June 15, 2026Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, United States
June 1, 2026Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Jul 27, 2025Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Mar 10, 2026Bláhver, Hveravellir, Iceland
Nov 8, 2025Bandon Beach in Bandon, Oregon, United States
May 16, 2025Great green macaw, Mexico
Jan 9, 2025Sossusvlei sand dunes, Namib desert, Namibia
Sep 1, 2023Turkey tail mushroom
Oct 1, 2023Lake Bled, Slovenia
Jan 14, 2024Whooper swans
Feb 19, 2024Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain
Jan 1, 2026Arctic fox
Nov 3, 2024Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Yucatán, Mexico
May 19, 2025Mount Hamilton, San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
Apr 27, 2026The glass dome of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan, Italy
Dec 30, 2025Whooper swans
Mar 24, 2024Silvereyes, South Korea