Sea ice affects food source of polar bears

   

       Prior to the melting of the ice caps, polar bears hunted seals by the sea ice. Seals are the polar bears’ primary food supply, and are rather plentiful in the Arctic. They provide sufficient calories for a polar bear to consume, which in turn keeps the bears warm in cold climates. Though polar bears are great swimmers, they lack the ability to dive underwater, which is why they cannot hunt seals and other animals under the sea. Polar bear always use two ways to catch seals, one being patiently waiting near a seal’s breathing hole on the ice cap, and the other being directly submerging under the floating sea ice, then attacking resting seals until they are very near the shore (“Polar Bears”). As a result, ice caps are very important for polar bears to maintain their predatory lifestyles. Polar bears are always following the movements of the ice pack, and they can be found sometimes clustering together in a place where there is a lot of sea ice.