At birth, polar bears are blind, nearly hairless and weigh just over a pound—about the same as a loaf of bread. But they spend their first few months snuggled inside a snowy den, fattening up on their mother’s milk.

Scientists captured polar bear cubs emerging earlier from their dens, linking it to climate change and environmental shifts.

The extremely rare footage was captured by remote cameras deployed in the Arctic mountains for nearly a decade.

The remote locations of polar bear dens makes footage of the bears emerging from hibernation rare – but a research project spanning nearly ten years is offering an in-depth look at how and when the vulnerable species leave the dens.

Polar bear cubs are incredibly cute - and amazingly elusive. Their mothers dig dens under the snow in remote areas. Protecting cubs is key to the species' survival. Under half of all polar bear cubs make it to adulthood.