Scientists from the United States Geological Survey have just released the first video footage taken from the point of view of polar bears living in the Arctic Sea. Video cameras attached to radio collars were put on four female polar bears in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and the scientists caught footage of the bears swimming between ice patches, chasing a seal, and meeting a potential mate.

What's daily life like for a polar bear?

Scientists from the United States Geological Survey have just released the first video footage taken from the point of view of polar bears living in the Arctic Sea.

Video cameras attached to radio collars were put on four female polar bears in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and the scientists caught footage of the bears swimming between ice patches, chasing a seal, and meeting a potential mate.

Doctor Todd Atwood, research leader for the United States Geological Survey Polar Bear Research Program is quoted as saying: “We deployed two video cameras in 2013, but did not get any footage because the batteries weren’t able to handle the Arctic temperatures. We used different cameras this year, and we are thrilled to see that the new cameras worked.”

The polar bears wore the video camera collars for around eight to ten days.

That allowed scientists to observe a variety of behavior that might help them understand how the polar bears are being affected by the loss of sea ice in the Arctic region.

“Really it is a matter of survival for a lot of these polar bears because many are drowning because of the melting ice.” [CNN]

The research team is also drafting the Polar Bear Conservation Management Plan, which will lay out some guidelines for protecting the animals that are being threatened by habitat loss.