How does the polar bear get its food and what does it eat?

The polar bear is the most carnivorous member of the bear family; 95% of its diet consists of ringed and bearded seals.^[39] The Arctic is home to millions of seals, which become prey when they surface in holes in the ice in order to breathe, or when they haul out on the ice to rest.^[38] The polar bear's most common hunting method is called still-hunting:^[40] The bear uses its excellent sense of smell to locate a seal breathing hole, and crouches nearby in silence for a seal to appear.^[38] When the seal exhales, the bear smells its breath, reaches into the hole with a forepaw, and drags it out onto the ice.^[38] The polar bear kills the seal by biting its head to crush its skull.^[38] The polar bear also hunts by stalking seals resting on the ice: Upon spotting a seal, it walks to within 100 yards, and then crouches. If the seal does not notice, the bear creeps to within 30 or 40 feet of the seal and then suddenly rushes forth to attack.^[38] A third method of hunting seals is to raid the snow caves created by female seals which are about to give birth.

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