Terrifying photo of polar bear mother and cub resting in the mud in the summer heat

The stark photo shows a mother polar bear and her three cubs resting on bare ground and moss, their fur brown with mud.

This image is on the shortlist for this year’s Nuveen People’s Choice Award for Wildlife Photographer of the Year. The award is a competition in which the public votes for their favorite image from a selection of 24 images selected by the Natural History Museum and a panel of photography and wildlife experts.

Photographer Christopher Petkau captured a sleeping polar bear on Canada’s Hudson Bay coast as it heads north toward the North Pole. In the summer heat, the family took a break for a nap, the mother and one of her cubs falling asleep while the other two cubs rested their heads on the mother’s furry back and watched.

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This touching new photo is a reminder that polar bears are at risk as global warming shrinks their sea ice habitat, forcing them to look elsewhere for new food sources. Unlike other bears, polar bears (Ursus maritimus) do not hibernate. Previously, most polar bears lived year-round on the ice, with ringed seals (Pusa hispida) and bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) as their favorite prey. But as sea ice decreases year after year, polar bears have to search for more terrestrial prey, such as reindeer.

Another image of a polar bear has also been shortlisted for this year’s People’s Choice Award. A bear cub was captured during a hunting trip in Svalbard, Norway, which ended in tragedy when the cub and its mother came close to human habitation. The mother bear was found dead a short time later, and police shot the cub because it was aggressive.

Voting for the Nuveen People’s Choice Award is open online until March 18th and anyone can choose the People’s Choice Award winner.

The winner and four runners-up will be announced on March 25th.

“Whether showcasing fascinating behavior or telling powerful stories, this year’s selection of images is truly exceptional, and we can’t wait to see which ones will be chosen as public favorites,” Natural History Museum Director Douglas Garr said in a statement shared with Live Science.

The winning image will be displayed alongside 100 images from last year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest in the museum’s exhibition, which runs until July 2026. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum.

You can view the shortlisted images here.