We didn't encounter any polar bears on the rest of our trip, but later, safely back on the cruise ship, I did manage to see my first Ursus maritimus in the wild.

The polar bear stayed with the ship for nearly an hour, and finally stood up and peered into the ship's lower portholes while balancing its massive PAWS on either side of the Windows.

A friendly polar bear loving nothing more than an audience and climbing out of his snowy bed to give a cruise ship a wave was caught on camera by a photographer, the Daily Mail of London reported.