An Icy Food Chain
You might picture sea ice as a vast, chunky expanse of white. That’s the view from above. But seen from below, sea ice is coated with a greenish-brown mat made up of many algae species. If you’re now picturing massive jaws chowing down on a crunchy icy meal covered in green slime, no, that’s not […]
Amazing Animals …Polar Bears
They can overheat. While it seems hard to believe, given the nature of the climate they live in, polar bears can in fact overheat. Since they have two thick layers of fur and a thick layer of body fat, they have more of a chance of overheating—especially when they run—than they do of freezing, according […]
Goodbye Polar Bears
Crying wolf is a risky strategy, even when the wolf is, quite demonstrably, at the door. People may still say you are imagining the wolf, or that it hasn’t come for them, or that it’s a friendly wolf, or that it will go away, if we just ignore it. In calling his book on […]
Polar Bear Endangered Species
Globally polar bear populations continue to decline. The United States is home to two distinct populations, of which, both are in decline. The Beaufort Sea population decline from an estimated 1,800 individuals in the 1980’s and 1990’s to 1,500 individuals in 2006. Population numbers for the Chukchi Sea area are incomplete. Persistent Organic Pollutants […]
Polar Bears Could Become Extinct Faster Than Was Feared, Study Suggests
Polar bears could be sliding towards extinction faster than previously feared, with the animals facing an increasing struggle to find enough food to survive as climate change steadily transforms their environment. New research has unearthed fresh insights into polar bear habits, revealing that the Arctic predators have far higher metabolisms than previously thought. This […]
Starving Polar Bear Iceless Land
When photographer Paul Nicklen and filmmakers from conservation group Sea Legacy arrived on Somerset Island—near the larger Baffin Island—in the Canadian Arctic in late summer, they came across a heartbreaking sight: a starving polar bear on its deathbed. Nicklen is no stranger to bears. From the time he was a child growing up in Canada’s […]
Save the Polar Bear
Conservation groups are fighting tooth and nail against Donald Trump’s administration in an effort to stop proposed revisions to the implementation of the Endangered Species Act from taking effect. Wildlife organisations responded with outcry after federal agencies announced plans to “modernise” and “streamline” the legislation, which protects species on the brink of extinction, and other […]
Climate Change at the Poles
At the ends of the Earth, life thrives despite extreme conditions. In the Arctic and Southern Oceans, organisms have evolved adaptations to cope with year-round cold and six months of darkness. But the tough critters living in these harsh climates belie the delicate balance that holds the ecosystem together—a balance that human activities are disrupting […]
More for Polar Bear Babies
Birth Seasons Polar bear cubs are born November through January in a den. Mother and cubs emerge from their den in late March or April. Frequency of Birth Most adult females give birth once every three years. In populations with access to abundant food, birth occurs once every two years. The most frequent litter […]
Polar bears could face extinction faster than thought
Polar bears are starving and could face extinction faster than previously thought, according to a new study. Published Thursday in the journal Science, the study was conducted by researchers who fixed collars on nine bears and recorded their activity levels for up to 11 days. They found that the Arctic creatures were suffering an extreme shortage […]