‘Ice Bear’: Polar Bears Like You’ve Never Seen Them Before

Get immersed in the intimate lives of polar bears with National Geographic WILD and Ice Bear. Using stereoscopic 3D camera technology, the complexities of polar bear survival is brought to life as never before with an immersive 3D experience and point-of-view shots that will take you right in to the polar bear’s sensory and physical world.

Through the course of Ice Bear, we follow individual bears and entire families as they make the treacherous journey from the hunting grounds on the winter ice fields, to the highly contested summer pack ice of the Hudson Bay. In the winter, bears can use the ice platforms to hunt seals and fish which provide them with a rich source of protein. With the encroaching summer, the ice begins to melt, leaving the bears to fight for their patches of hunting ground. Opportunistic packs of hungry wolves and a shortage of available prey could mean a bear won’t survive the summer. But when bear meets bear, a whole new set of challenges arise.

Polar bears are not just deadly predators, they are also highly social mammals. It is their capacity to interpret, read facial expressions and body language that will determine their survival and ability to breed. Through vocalizing and expression of their unique character traits, each individual polar bear will have to learn to cooperate with each other. Personality goes a long way in the North and being socially awkward or overly enthusiastic will make the life of a polar bear just that little bit harder. Sadly, some bears must fail because of their social awkwardness or inept survival skill. Others are rejected, not because they are too shy, but because they are perhaps too enthusiastic. Ultimately only the bear most able to adapt to both the changing physical and social climates is will survive.


Can’t get enough polar bears? Check out the National Geographic WILD website to learn more about these beautiful and endangered creatures. And be sure to catch Ice Bear, tonight, August 5th at 8P et/pt on Nat Geo WILD.


  1. Chris
    Ocala Florida
    August 5, 2012, 8:11 pm

    I wish you could follow Ice Bear for a couple years and see what happens as he matures!

  2. Chris
    August 5, 2012, 8:12 pm

    Make a series out of Ice bear as he grows 😉

  3. Jesucitoist
    August 14, 2012, 10:37 pm

    I dont ever to criticte about that anymals anymore. The polar Bears need to life in a place that can to survive

  4. hauwa Yusuf
    January 3, 2013, 12:53 pm

    Are polar bears same with icebears

  5. hank
    April 5, 2013, 12:27 am

    follow ice bear

  6. Bronwyn Pavey
    April 7, 2015, 8:25 pm

    This is, by far, the most inaccurate documentary I have ever seen. Polar Bears frequently travel on land. I could provide a detailed list but whoever the scientific counsel was, should shutter. In addition, there are several times where the proximity of the camera is disturbing the animals. For NatGeo, I think this is embarrassing.