Polar bears cannot swim for very long – Fact Check

Swim duration and distance ranged ... over the course of the study. We show that adult female polar bears and their cubs are capable of swimming long distances during periods when extensive areas of open water are present....

Some bears undertook notable long-distance-swims. Dive depths up to 13.9 m were recorded, with dives ≥5 m being common. The considerable swimming and diving capacities of polar bears might provide them with tools to exploit aquatic environments ...

Writing in the Canadian Journal of Zoology, the scientists found that in the case of 50 long-distance swims, the bears traveled an average of 96 miles, swimming from one to 10 days; one bear swam 220 miles. While such stamina will become increasingly important for polar bears as a warming climate ...

While the demonstrated long-distance swimming ability is likely a good thing for polar bears, scientists were concerned about the animals expending too much energy in their efforts to travel across open water, the USGS statement said.

The technology to track long-distance bear swims accurately was not available in the past, Oakley told Reuters. "The GPS technology, which is relatively new, is what allowed us to really do the actual in-depth analysis of this," she said. But polar bears probably lacked the opportunity or need to make such long swims in that part of the Arctic in the past.

The scientists, who are studying bears around the Beaufort sea, north of Alaska, recorded a polar bear swimming for more nine days and covering a distance of 687km (426 miles).

Polar bears can swim incredible distances. The longest recorded swim was 426 miles (687 km) over 9 days.

Geographic position, internal ... nine days, travelling 687 km. These data proved that polar bears are able to swim for much longer distances than previously thought....

Melting sea ice is forcing polar bears to swim long distances — up to nine days in one case. Such long treks may be more than the bears can handle.