Asked by: Max Barber, London
Polar bears rely on sea ice to be able to hunt seals. The ice is shrinking from Antarctica just as rapidly as it is from the North Pole, and in fact tends to be thinner there anyway, so that doesn’t really help. In theory, polar bears could probably adapt to hunting penguins on land, but this would have a devastating effect on penguin communities, some species of which are already endangered or vulnerable.
Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun science facts.
