{"id":199773,"date":"2025-10-09T09:19:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T09:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/199773\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T09:19:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T09:19:11","slug":"polar-bear-fights-black-bear-over-carcass-in-epic-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/199773\/","title":{"rendered":"Polar Bear Fights Black Bear Over Carcass in Epic Battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

At nearly 1,800 pounds, polar bears are roughly three times the size of a black bear<\/p>\n

Published October 8, 2025 11:32AM<\/p>\n

In a violent Arctic game of tug-of-war, several polar bears in northern Canada had to fend off an overly eager\u2014and outnumbered\u2014black bear vying for a meal.\u00a0And the entire ordeal was captured on video.<\/p>\n

Photographer John Shedwick<\/a> filmed the brawl while at sea aboard the luxury Seabourn Cruise Line<\/a> expedition voyage. The cruise was sailing through the Torngat Mountains National Park and Nachvak Fjord in northern Labrador<\/a>, Canada, located on the northeastern tip of North America.<\/p>\n

Shedwick described\u00a0the moment as \u201csomething out of a Renaissance painting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a photographer, you panic, are my settings dialed in? Am I in position? And once you know you are, instinct takes over and you simply marvel at the drama,\u201d Shedwick told\u00a0Outside via email.<\/p>\n

Several polar bears\u2014what appear to be a sow and her cubs\u2014are shown in the video as they feed on a carcass. At first, another adult polar bear tries to get in on the prize before being attacked by the original bears. Then, a black bear creeps in through the brush and begins tugging, pulling, and sinking its two-inch teeth into the carcass.<\/p>\n

\"ThereThere are an estimated 15,000 polar bears in Canada (Photo: John Shedwick\/Seabourn Cruise Line)<\/p>\n

The attempted thievery prompts an angry response from one of the polar bears. With blood dripping down its white fur in dramatic form, the enormous polar bear ultimately succeeds in brushing off the black bear.<\/p>\n

The winner should come as no surprise. Black bears top out around 600 pounds, and\u00a0an adult polar bear weighs\u00a0up to three times that.<\/p>\n

\u201cEncounters like this remind us why we explore,\u201d Robin West, Searbourn vice president of expedition operations and planning, told Outside. \u201cIn the remote wilderness of the Torngat Mountains, few people on Earth have witnessed such a rare interaction between a polar bear and a black bear. Our expeditions are designed to bring guests closer to these moments, always with deep respect for the wildlife and the environments that make them possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Polar bears living along the coast of Labrador primarily feed on seals and, as such, are most often found on sea ice. They visit land for only short periods, but can be forced ashore for several months or more when sea ice is unavailable. Though the exact number of individual bears in this region is unknown, the Government and Newfoundland and Labrador estimate <\/a>there may be several hundred alive. Canada\u2019s Department of Environment and Conservation<\/a> estimates that there are around 15,000 polar bears across the Arctic nation.<\/p>\n

Parks Canada describes<\/a> the subarctic Torngat Mountains as having \u201ca saw-tooth skyline of jagged peaks and glacier-carved fjords plunges towards iceberg-dotted indigo waters as polar bears and caribou roam amid some of Earth\u2019s oldest rocks.\u201d We\u2019d add it\u2019s also the proverbial Madison Square Garden of polar bear versus black bear prize fights to that description.<\/p>\n

\"AtAt nearly 1,800 pounds, a polar bear can grow to be three times the size of a large adult black bear (Photo: John Shedwick\/Seabourn Cruise Line)
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