Polar Bear Uses Seal Pup as Bait in Complex Arctic Hunt

But wildlife watchers in Billefjorden, Discoverwildlife, documented something far more calculated in the spring of 2026. Using telephoto lenses under AECO distance guidelines and local regulations, observers recorded a massive polar bear executing a complex bait-and-wait strategy to secure a double catch. Seeing one of the world’s most powerful predators mid-hunt is a shocking experience, but understanding its fiendish tactics makes it even more exhilarating.

The Bait-and-Wait Strategy in Billefjorden

The sequence began when the predator stalked a juvenile bearded seal and struck the pup. Not content with just one victim, the bear then started backing away from the seal. Instead of feeding immediately on its single victim, the bear backed away from the carcass. This strategy is thought to be an attempt to lure the mother—still underwater nearby—onto the ice to try to rescue her baby, giving the polar bear the opportunity to catch mum too. Realising the mother seal wasn’t going to risk trying to rescue her little one, the bear returned to its original target and pounced on the juvenile with its forepaws before dragging the pup along the ice to feed on its carcass.

The polar bear had been hunting for several hours and the tourists were in the right place at the right time to watch the astonishing moment unfold.

The bear spent real time reading the ice before committing, then used the pup deliberately to try to draw the mother in, says Michele D’Agostino, co-founder of small group expedition company Secret Atlas. That’s not instinct alone, D’Agostino adds. That’s a bear that has learned how bearded seals behave and is working the situation, D’Agostino noted, calling it the kind of detail you only get from being on the ice long enough, and quietly enough, to witness the entire hunting sequence unfold rather than just the final capture.

Sea Ice Physics and Anti-Icing Sebum

Polar bears use sea ice as a platform for feeding and mating. Therefore, moving across ice safely and efficiently is a skill they have developed. These bears are found throughout the circumpolar region and have very large annual home ranges. They range throughout the Arctic region surrounding the North Pole. To thrive in this environment, polar bears need feeding areas, mating areas, and denning areas. All of these involve sea ice.

Sea ice is essentially frozen seawater that floats on the ocean surface. In late winter, Arctic sea ice covers, on average, 5.8 million square miles. Getting across sea ice is most efficiently done if the bear flattens its body. This makes it less likely that they will fall through the ice or slip off. Polar bears have been described as sliding across ice since the first recorded account by Inuk hunter and artist Jakob Danielsen in the early 1800s.

This sliding motion raises an obvious physical question: if you’ve ever put your hand down on a block of ice, you’ll know how your skin tends to stick to it. So, why doesn’t that happen to polar bears? Polar bears do not stick to the ice surface. While human skin instantly adheres to a block of ice, polar bear fur does not adhere to the ice surface. The bears need their thick fur and blubber to stop them from getting cold as their abdomens touch the ice. However, that fur does not adhere to the ice surface. Furthermore, polar bears dive into the water when they hunt prey (predominantly seals). When they get back out of the water, their fur is exposed to the cold environment, which could cause ice to accumulate quickly. Yet it doesn’t!

A study found that polar bear sebum plays a crucial role in the anti-icing properties of their fur. It means that they can slide across ice with ease and without suffering from an accumulation of ice on their coat. It also allows them to lie motionless beside a breathing hole on sea ice, waiting for seals to surface. Sebum consists of water-repelling waxes, glycerols, and other lipids, which contribute to its ice-phobic properties. However, scientists believe there may be additional components that have not yet been discovered.