Polar bears are Arctic predators adapted to frozen environments. Canada hosts approximately two-thirds of the world’s estimated 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears, with about 16,000 to 17,000 residing within its borders. Their distribution is closely tied to the presence of sea ice across Canada’s northern regions.
Canada’s Major Polar Bear Regions
Polar bears are found across Canada’s northern territories and provinces. Over 90 percent reside in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Nunavut forms a large part of their Canadian range, extending from the Arctic Basin south to Hudson Bay.
The Northwest Territories shares populations like the Southern Beaufort Sea and Northern Beaufort Sea with neighboring jurisdictions. To the west, Yukon also hosts bears from the Southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation. Eastward, Manitoba’s Hudson Bay shores, particularly around Churchill, are known for the Western Hudson Bay subpopulation.
Ontario is home to the Southern Hudson Bay subpopulation, which represents the world’s southernmost polar bear population. Quebec shares parts of the Southern Hudson Bay, Foxe Basin, and Davis Strait subpopulations. Further east, Newfoundland and Labrador mark the eastern extent of their range, primarily associated with the Davis Strait subpopulation.
Key Polar Bear Population Groups
Polar bears are organized into distinct subpopulations across the Arctic. Globally, there are 19 recognized subpopulations, and 13 of these are either entirely within or co-managed by Canada. These groups have distinct geographical ranges and movement patterns.
Notable Canadian subpopulations include the Western Hudson Bay group, found in Manitoba and Nunavut. The Southern Hudson Bay subpopulation extends across parts of Nunavut, Ontario, and Quebec, representing the southernmost breeding population. Other significant groups include those in Foxe Basin, spanning Nunavut and Quebec, and Baffin Bay, shared between Nunavut and Greenland.
The Davis Strait subpopulation is located off the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, and Greenland. In Canada’s western Arctic, the Southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation is shared by the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and the United States. The Northern Beaufort Sea group is found in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Additional Canadian subpopulations include Gulf of Boothia, Kane Basin, Lancaster Sound, M’Clintock Channel, Norwegian Bay, Viscount Melville Sound, and Arctic Basin, each with specific ranges.
Essential Habitat Requirements
Polar bear distribution is directly tied to their reliance on sea ice. Sea ice serves as a mobile platform for hunting seals, their primary food source. Bears typically wait near seal breathing holes or stalk them as they rest on the ice surface.
Beyond hunting, sea ice provides pathways for travel in search of prey and mates. The ice also functions as a location for mating, which occurs in spring. While most of their lives are spent on the sea ice, pregnant females require specific terrestrial habitats for denning. They construct maternity dens primarily in snowdrifts on land, often along coastal areas. These denning sites are important for the survival of newborn cubs during their first months.