There is no doubt that polar bears are charismatic and smart. They capture the imagination of people all over the world. What trends have researchers found in polar bear survival?
It would appear that certain populations may be in decline on the basis of some measurable criteria.
- The length time of the freeze of the sea water seems to be reducing. At this point, it is for about one week at the beginning and the end of the winter freeze as compared to 30 years ago. One of the implications of this is that bears have less time to hunt and to build body fat to see them through the long summer fasting period. This also applies to breeding females who will give birth to cubs in their dens and who will need to ensure those cubs put on about 11.5 kg in three months.
- A female bear need to carry almost 200kg of fat to see her and her cub through pregnancy an hibernation
- The size of litters seems to be smaller. Triplets have become a rarity. Fewer cubs are surviving.
- The total number of bears is down 20%.
The good news is that scientists are learning more and more about polar bears every year and using that knowledge to advocate for the bears and to put in place means to preserve these animals which have captured our imagination for so long.
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A grizzly paw and mine.
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| A polar bear paw and mine. |
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Hello big boy!
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Give us a cuddle.
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