“In the realm of the white whale it’s easy for even a sea bear to feel out of place,” wrote cinematographer and drone pilot Martin Gregus Jr. in an Instagram post. The post shares a video of a polar bear swimming in the Arctic surrounded by a pod of belugas. The belugas remain just out of reach, and some note that the absence of any sea ice in the footage paints a sober picture.
Gregus shared two separate clips of the polar bear and belugas to his Instagram page, each one showing an aerial view of a polar bear paddling calmly along as multiple belugas circle. The polar bear doesn’t seem to be in hunting mode, but the belugas give it a fairly wide berth, just in case.
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However, as Gregus notes in his caption, the belugas have the upper hand in this situation. “It’s almost like the whales know that in this moment they are the boss,” he wrote.
Though polar bears do hunt belugas, these whales are a tough catch relative to other types of prey. Researchers hypothesize that as sea ice recedes across the Arctic, polar bears’ ability to hunt while swimming will become increasingly important to their survival.
In the comments section of Gregus’ videos, many people note the absence of sea ice and lament the bears’ plight.
“Like watching extinction happen in real time. The polar bear will starve [it’s] another one of the great [extinctions] that’s happening right now,” wrote one person.
See Gregus’ videos of a polar bear swimming among belugas, which he calls “hauntingly beautiful”, here:
Here’s the second video:
Header stock image by Paul Souders/Getty Images