Symbols of the Arctic, polar bears have to be one of the most exciting animals to ponder. Living in an almost exclusively marine environment, they travel from ice floe to ice floe and are sometimes found swimming as far as a hundred or more miles from the nearest land. It's a cold, harsh environment, yet they are extremely well adapted.
Expedition Leader Bud Lehnhausen spotted this polar bear from quite a distance (years of experience there!) as we were cruising along the Nordaustland ice cap. The ice cap itself, seen in the background, is the second largest in Europe and we were cruising its extremely dramatic tidewater face, which runs for about 110 miles. Waterfalls of 80 to 100 feet and enormous caves made for some truly exotic scenery, but the polar bear will probably remain the most memorable event of the evening.
This photo was taken slightly after midnight!
