where does the name polar bear come from
It means maritime bear
Polar bear
Constantine John Phipps was the first to describe the polar bear as a distinct species in 1774. He chose the scientific name "Ursus maritimus", the Latin for 'maritime bear', due to the animal's native habitat. The Inuit refer to the animal as "nan
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Polar bear [SEP] Naming and etymology
Constantine John Phipps was the first to describe the polar bear as a distinct species in 1774. He chose the scientific name "Ursus maritimus", the Latin for 'maritime bear', due to the animal's native habitat. The Inuit refer to the animal as "nanook" (transliterated as "nanuq" in the Inupiat language). The Yupik also refer to the bear as "nanuuk" in Siberian Yupik. The bear is "umka" in the Chukchi language. In Russian, it is usually called бе́лый медве́дь ("bélyj medvédj", the white bear), though an older word still in use is ошку́й ("Oshkúj", which comes from the Komi "oski", "bear").