I slowly circle the slaughtered seal and nudge my comrade. We haven’t seen each other in years but our friendship still lingers. As I gently touch my nose with the other bear’s nose, he moves aside to make space for me. I look down and start to chew on the ringed seal, my favorite. For us, communication is key. Just by touching nose to nose, I gave a friendly gesture to the other polar bear asking for food, and of course, I was successful. We are known to create very strong bonds with each other, even if we don’t come in contact for long periods. We care for and have respect for one another. 

My mind gradually drifts back to the delicious meal. I envision how helpless and terrified the seal must have felt when it saw the bear coming towards it with its head down, going up against the strongest land carnivore on the planet. From the moment we are born, we are taught how to specialize in hunting for food. Even to this day, I remember the skills I learned from play fighting with my older brother. The skills needed to defend ourselves from the infrequent enemies we may come to face in the future. My mother, always protecting me from danger and warning me with chuffing and braying sounds. But that was a long time ago, ever since I turned five, I took my own journey into the vast Arctic. 

It only makes sense to vote for Polar Bears, as they are way more prepared for the outside world than Orcas. It’s embarrassing to know that some people might actually vote for the Orca, even when they know that the Polar Bear will be the clear winner. If Orcas are separated from their mothers they face an emotional crisis where their lives become traumatic and out of control.  Polar Bears on the other hand, are capable of living on their own at the age of five. They are ready to go out in the Arctic because of the great mentorship and skills they receive from their parents. Polar Bears are smart, and they can communicate easily by simply hissing or growling with their companions. This shows how dominant of a species Polar Bears are when compared to Orcas.

Orcas are a very social species, they tend to be found in pods consisting from 5-30 whales, the largest pod consists of up to 35 orcas found Southeast of Alaska called the L-Pod. These pods are directed by older female orcas, they identify the greatest spots for hunting their prey, “babysit” the mothers calves while they hunt and set a role model for the younger calves. They are known as the “Grandmother” of the pod because of their vast knowledge and skills. When belonging to the same pod orcas work as a group to achieve their goal, most of the time it's hunting.  Mother orcas teach their calves hunting techniques and how to survive in the wild. As the mothers become older they could become the leader of the group. The father is just there to reproduce and leave soon as their calf is born, fathers are from other pods and so that is the reason for them leaving, however male orcas do raise offspring in their pod. Orcas use distinctive calls and clicks to their pod when they spot their prey, some groups have their own distinctive clicks and serve as a family trait. Overall Orcas are very social animals and work together to survive in the wild. One thing that Orcas know is that voting for the polar bear would be the biggest regret of your life.