What is the first marine mammal added to the list of endangered species attributed primarily to climate change? As climate change melts the ice, two-thirds of polar bears are expected to disappear by 2050. This dramatic decline in polar bear numbers is occurring in our lifetime, or in a tiny fraction of the time that polar bears they explored the vast Arctic. seas (National Wildlife Federation, 2014). Unfortunately it is the polar bear (Defenders of Wildlife, 2013). Climate change endangers species, to the point that animals have become one of the icons that environmentalists use to illustrate the threat posed by climate change (The Huffington Post, 2014). It is not possible to protect a species from the impacts of climate change without addressing the issue of climate change itself (Defenders of Wildlife, 2013). Large carnivores are extreme indicators of ecosystem health (WWF, n.d.). “As Arctic sea ice melts, polar bears lose their primary hunting ground, not to mention their most abundant and nutritious prey. It remains to be seen whether they will be able to adapt to changing conditions and survive” (The Huffington Post, 2014). An endangered polar bear is often a sign that something is wrong in the Arctic marine ecosystem! An at-risk polar bear is often a sign that something is wrong somewhere in the Arctic marine ecosystem (WWF, n.d.)! The Arctic Ocean and connected sea ice are home to the largest and most predatory bear family. Every bear alive today evolved 22 million years ago from a common ancestor known as Ursavus of Asia. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) descend from a group of brown bears (Ursus arctos) more than 200,000 years ago, which isolated themselves from other brown bears......middle of paper......phytoplankton to fish, the sea ice is an integral part of the Arctic marine ecosystem” (Derocher, 2014).Bear Planet. (2012). Polar bears and global warming. http://www.bearplanet.org/polarbear.shtml.Wildlife Defenders. (2013). Polar bears and climate change. Retrieved from http://www.defenders.org/polar-bear/climate-changeWorks CitedNational wildlife federation—global warming and polar bears—2014--http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/ Global Warming/Effects on Wildlife and Habitat/Polar Bears.aspxSiegal, K. (2014). A key reason to reduce global warming pollution now: the extraordinary polar bear. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kassie-siegel/polar-bears-climate_b_1095121.htmlWWF. (ND). Threats to polar bears. Retrieved from http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/wildlife/polar_bear/threats/