Twenty years ago, no biologist conducting research in the Arctic would have used words like "emaciated" or "frail" to describe polar bears.
In the common perception, polar bears were always the robust sovereigns of the Arctic.
They had no natural predators in this land and could roam the ice caps carefree, their massive bodies making the earth tremble beneath them.
When swimming in the ocean, their robust forelimb paws acted like flippers, allowing them to glide through the water with ease.
Some polar bears could even migrate between land masses hundreds of kilometers apart via the ocean, spending most of their lives drifting on sea ice, only coming ashore during breeding seasons.
The sea ice also provided polar bears with a stable food source—seals.
When seals came up onto the ice to breathe and rest, they were likely to end up as a meal for polar bears. In addition to seals, polar bears occasionally feasted on the carcasses of whales.
