Are polar bears man-eaters?
The polar bear is the world’s biggest land carnivore (along with the kodiak bear) and an adult male can weigh up to 680 kilograms (1,500 pounds). They’re an intelligent species with an appetite for meat that’s only rivalled by their insatiable curiosity. Like most bears, they have a highly developed sense of smell (capable of detecting a seal’s breath from beneath thick ice), will scavenge in bins and are opportunists with an extremely varied diet – including people, given the chance. Polar bears are the only species of bear that will actively hunt humans for food, though with the right precautions, they are easily deterred. These bears are at far greater risk from human hunters, despite global bans.