A polar bear plunging (© Sergei Gladyshev/500px)

【January 1 2016】Welcome to 2016. If you need a bit of bracing trivia to shake off last night’s celebrating, we are here to help. A polar bear can stay submerged for up to three minutes, a nifty trick when sneaking up on prey perched on ice at the water’s edge. For a large bear, it’s also a remarkably skilled long-distance swimmer, able to swim for several days if necessary. As polar ice shrinks, scientists have had more opportunities to observe the polar bear’s swimming abilities.Explore breathtaking Gallery from the HuluTrip homepage over the past 5 years..