Arctic/Pacific Loon vs Polar bear

Gavia arctica compared with Ursus maritimus

Key Differences

• Arctic/Pacific Loon is Least Concern while Polar bear is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arctic/Pacific Loon	Polar bear
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class	Aves (นก)	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)
Order	Gaviiformes (Gaviiformes)	Carnivora (สัตว์กินเนื้อ)
Family	Gaviidae	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Gavia	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Gavia arctica	Ursus maritimus

Evolutionary Relationship

Arctic/Pacific Loon and Polar bear share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)

Conservation Status

Arctic/Pacific Loon

LC — Least Concern

Polar bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~26.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arctic/Pacific Loon	Polar bear
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	25 years
Average Length	—	2.4 m
Average Weight	—	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Arctic/Pacific Loon

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.

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.

Arctic/Pacific Loon

The Arctic/Pacific Loon (Gavia arctica) is a species in the genus Gavia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway