Daniel Valverde Fernández
Shaking Off the Snow
Polar bear in a blizzard, Canada, 2022
Category - Polar Wonders
This photograph was taken on the coast of Hudson Bay, in Wapusk National Park, Canada, in the middle of a blizzard. Here, in early November, large numbers of polar bears (Ursus maritimus), gather to hunt seals while waiting for the sea to freeze over. They need to store enough fat reserves for the breeding period in spring and then for the summer season. However, because of global warming, not only is the sea ice losing its extent and thickness, but its freezing period in winter is also decreasing, putting these large carnivores in danger. The species is now considered "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
CATEGORY WINNER
600 mm f/4 Lens - 1/8000 sec at f/5.6 ISO 2000