The discovery offers hope for the preservation of the species, despite the melting of Arctic ice.

The research is reported by The Guardian and Reuters.

It used to be thought that polar bears could not survive without the sea ice they needed to hunt.

"What we know about polar bears is that the presence of sea ice for about a hundred days a year is too little for them to survive," said lead author Dr Christine Leydry.

The population discovered by scientists survives thanks to an additional ice platform - pieces of freshwater glaciers have broken off and are moving along the fjords in the sea.

Researchers note that such conditions are similar to those that may develop in the Arctic by the end of the century.

The researchers also found that the population, which consists of several hundred polar bears, is the most genetically isolated in the Arctic.

Greenland bears have been cut off from their relatives for at least several hundred years.

“They reproduce more slowly, they are smaller in size.

But importantly, they survive, "said study co-author Beth Shapiro.

According to scientists, their discovery may help to understand how polar bears have experienced previous periods of warming over the 500,000 years since they evolved from brown bears.

However, scientists note that the study does not remove the problem of melting polar ice, which could lead to the almost complete extinction of polar bears by 2100.

"Obviously, if we can't slow down global warming, polar bears are on the verge of extinction," said Dr. Shapiro.

  • There are no more than 31,000 polar bears left on Earth.

    They need sea ice for hunting, recreation, mating and maternal dens.

    Due to global warming, the area of ​​Arctic ice is declining, which puts polar bears at risk of extinction.