18
Mar
Polar bear’s origins still befuddles scientists
Despite earlier studies suggesting polar and brown bears diverged 150,000 years ago, new evidence suggests they split a long time ago.
18
Mar
Polar bear’s origins still befuddles scientists
Despite earlier studies suggesting polar and brown bears diverged 150,000 years ago, new evidence suggests they split a long time ago.
27
Feb
It’s International Polar Bear Day!
24
Feb
19
Feb
I could’ve written a book after interviewing these people, but I had to settle for a thousand words.
Living in the ‘Polar Bear Capital of the World’
Life is a bit quieter in Churchill, Manitoba these days. The tourists have left, and the polar bears have disappeared into the icy Hudson Bay to hunt for seals.
The “Polar Bear Capital of the World” is now essentially without polar bears. At least for a few months.
The bears will swim ashore in mid-July, but they won’t gather in great numbers until September. This is when bear season begins in Churchill, a town with fewer than 1,000 residents. By November, sometimes 60 polar bears can be seen on a given day.
Polar bears can grow as long as 10 feet and weigh up to 1,400 pounds, and the arrival of some of the world’s most powerful predators makes life in Churchill different from anywhere else on the planet.
If you live in Churchill, you don’t walk the streets at night during bear season. You keep your car doors unlocked — if a bear shows up, you’ll need shelter fast. And when you hear horns, you walk away and let the “bear catchers” do their job.
18
Jan
Polar bear struggles to walk on thin ice.
Breaks my heart.Polar bear cubs are drowning due to sea ice loss: “Biologists studying polar bears off the coast of Alaska have found that when cubs are forced to go on marathon swims with their mothers due to loss of sea ice, nearly half of them don’t survive to become yearlings.”
08
Dec
Polar bear cams showcase annual migration
The high-definition video feeds highlight the hardships the bears face due to global warming and sea ice loss.
21
Nov
What do polar bears eat and how is their food threatened?
The animals have adapted over tens of thousands of years to an environment that is growing increasingly fragile.
20
Nov
Polar bear cams showcase annual migration
The high-definition video feeds highlight the hardships the bears face due to global warming and sea ice loss.
16
Nov
Photo of the day: Pike the polar bear frolics in snow
A very happy Pike rolls around in the manmade snow inside his enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo. Given that the typical life expectancy of a wild polar bear is 15 years, Pike and Ulu are some of the oldest bears residing in an accredited U.S. zoo.
24
Jul
Climate change influenced polar bear and brown bear mating — and will again
As ice continues to melt at the North Pole, polar bears will likely spend more time among other bears, including during mating season.
via laurajmoss