Polar bear vs Upland cotton

Ursus maritimus compared with Gossypium hirsutum

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Polar bear	Upland cotton
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Malvales (Malvales)
Family	Ursidae (Bears)	Malvaceae
Genus	Ursus (Bears)	Gossypium
Species	Ursus maritimus	Gossypium hirsutum

Conservation Status

Polar bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~26.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Upland cotton

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Polar bear	Upland cotton
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	25 years	—
Average Length	2.4 m	—
Average Weight	450.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Polar bear

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Upland cotton

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 12 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (12 countries), Asia (6 countries), Europe (4 countries), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, Samoa, Tonga), and South America (Brazil, Colombia). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Polar bear

The largest land carnivore on Earth, polar bears can exceed 700 kg and are found across Arctic sea ice from Canada to Russia. Highly specialized marine mammals that rely on sea ice to hunt ringed and bearded seals. Excellent swimmers capable of covering vast distances in open water. Listed as Vulnerable, with populations under severe pressure from rapid Arctic sea ice loss due to climate change.