Polar Bear swimming to a Sperm Whale Carcass. We had watched this male polar bear establish his superiority over another bear trying to reach this sperm whale carcass in the pack ice north of Svalbard. He now swam back to the carcass. He spent some time licking fat from the sea surface before clambering onto the carcass to continue feeding. He then returned to licking matter from the water. To watch a polar bear swimming to a sperm whale carcass was a great experience. Clearly it would be sometime before the bears would be able to open fully the carcass. Once this happens it would be a magnet for many bears in the neighbourhood.
Filming this was a challenge. Our ship was drifting in the current and there was a significant swell. This made for a rather unstable platform for filming. This was exacerbated by the distance between the ship and the bear.
Key words: Arctic, Svalbard, Norway, expedition, voyage, pack ice, ice, floe, sea, swell, wildlife, nature, animals, Polar Bear, Ice bear, bear, male, sperm whale, carcass, feeding,