Prince Leopold Island - Polar Bears

We were lucky to see this pair of large Polar Bear cubs, probably about two years old. I don't why but I didn't expect to see polar bears this soon into the trip and not this close up either. While we were safe in the zodiacs and with plenty of distance between with engines to call on just in case, there was something still a little unnerving about seeing such large and formidable predators in their natural environment. Polar bears are the largest land predators with adult males weighing 350-680 kg (770-1,500 lb) females are about half that.

Prince Leopold Island has over 100,000 nesting pairs of assorted birds, Black Guillemots, Glaucous Gulls, Thick-Billed Murres, Black-legged Kittiwakes and others that nest along the cliffs. While predators can't get to them on the cliff, they can scavenge at the base for causalities and so it can be a good place to spot other wildlife.

Air temp: +4ºC Latitude: 74º02'N Longitude: 89º52'W