Question

Polar bears are most closely related to
1)sea otters and seals-because they live and feed in the ocean as well
2)brown(grizzly) bears and black bears-because they share a common ancestor

Answer 1

Polar bears are most closely related to brown (grizzly) bears and black bears because they share a common ancestor. All three species belong to the family Ursidae, and genetic studies have shown that polar bears and brown bears diverged from a common ancestor relatively recently in evolutionary terms. Sea otters and seals, on the other hand, belong to different families and are not closely related to polar bears.