The Brown bear of North America and Eurasia is the ancestor of the Polar bear. Naturally, Polar bears now live in countries that surround the Arctic Circle: US (Alaska), Norway, Russia, Canada and Greenland. Contrary to the popular belief, Polar bears do not live in Antarctica, but only in the Arctic, as there was no way they could reach the south pole. Bears could not handle the tropical temperatures on the way down there, and there is no mean of getting there by land anyway.