If the paw could have been included I don't think it would have added as much to the photo as capturing the top of the head of the bear. The paws would have been distorted by the water due to their distance from the glass. Was this photo taken from the interior viewing area or the exterior. I'd like to know some more about the lighting when you took this shot. I've had notoriously bad luck taking photos of the polar bears when they are in the underwater viewing section of the enclosure.

Also... First!