This is the record-breaking bear who swam for nine days straight, a total of 426 miles without stopping. Because of the lack of ice in the arctic, mother bears are being forced to swim greater distances to reach land. The heartbreaking edge of this story is that this mother bear had a cub that began the journey with her, but the cub died somewhere along the way. This is occurring more and more frequently, because the cubs are not yet ready to swim such massive distances. Ice levels in the far north are continuing to drop, and it looks like it will only get worse in years to come. We can only hope that the polar bear somehow learns a method of survival unknown to it today.
