Polar Bears Dealing With Climate Change

The melting sea ice is also affecting the polar bear's main prey, seals, forcing the bears to turn to alternate, less nutritious food sources. Once sea ice forms in the winter, seals use the ice to create dens to give birth to their pups. In these months, polar bears use sea ice as their hunting grounds to find seal dens. Now that Seasonal Ice is forming later and melting earlier (IPCC, 2013), seals have less time to build dens and give birth. Consequently, polar bears have less time to hunt their preferred prey of seal pups. They must spend more time on land hunting other animals of less nutritional value. Organizations like Sea World Parks have reported male polar bears occasionally eating newly-born polar bear cubs because they cannot find other food to eat. Lack of nutritional food leads to a reduced body size. Polar bears are becoming thinner and weaker from not eating enough (Rode, Amstrup, & Regehr 2010). They have to swim longer distances to find ice to hunt upon, causing many cubs to die because they are not yet strong enough. In the Hudson Bay, the average polar bear weight has decreased by 15% and the population has decreased by 20% (National Wildlife Federation). In the summer when there is no ice, polar bears in the Hudson Bay go onto land to fast until the ice reforms. Now that ice is

Glacier retreat will greatly affect polar and aquatic ecosystems and animals. Most arctic life revolves around the sea and presence of sea ice. Without the presence of ice, most ecosystems will be recreated. Polar bears are one species in great danger. Polar bears use sea ice as a birthing and hunting ground, and also use it to travel from one place to another. As glaciers start to disappear, the mother polar bear has less access to food; therefore, the chance of survival for her and her young is very slim. The polar bears chance of reproduction becomes less as the glaciers retreat. As the top of the food chain, their decline will cause negative effects for each level below them (Review Diagram G). The only way for polar bears to survive, is by

The favorite food of the polar bear is the ringed seal, however if hungry enough, they will eat other breeds of seals including bearded, harp, hooded and harbor. Polar bears will also eat beluga whales and walrus (Field Guide 2002). At times, they will even eat eggs, crabs and kelp (Milius 1994). The polar bear is strong enough to lift a beluga whale, several times its own weight, out of the water for a meal

There are not many creatures in the world that have the ability to not only survive thirty-two degrees below zero temperatures, but live in this climate as well. Among penguins and seals, polar bears are apart of the group of creatures that live everyday life in these freezing conditions. However, polar bears were not always able to do this. According to the Public Broadcast Service (PBS) website, polar bears evolved from brown bears through microevolution. Microevolution, by definition, is “small-scale evolution that occurs from one generation to the next” (Larsen p. A15). Due to the discovery of fossils, it is believed that brown bears evolved into polar bears between 70,000 to 100,000 years ago. This evolution can be seen by the change of fur color from brown to white to blend in while hunting for food and by the growth of a thicker, warmer coat to protect against the cold temperatures (PBS). This all occurred because of an event called the “ice age”. However, in the year 2316, an event called “global warming” will cause a much different evolution. Global warming is a phrase used to describe the ongoing, subtle rise in temperature of the earth and it’s oceans. Because of the small efforts being made to slow down global warming, nearly all of the ice caps in the ocean will most likely be melted by the year 2316. With polar bears only being able to survive by living on polar

With the ever rising global temperatures, melting ice caps, and constant warnings about global warming, it is no wonder that the animals inhabiting the artic regions around the world are now suffering a decline in their habitat as well as their livelihood. Such is the case with the Polar Bears who may soon be gone in a scant few years.

The Polar bear lives in the artic and uses the area’s costal waters and ice sheets. They are well equipped to live in this environment because they have a thick coat which serves as an insulator. They mainly prey on seals but have also been known to consume dead whales. They can grow to be 7.25 to 8 feet tall and can weigh around 900 to 1,600 pounds. Polar bears are a keystone species, if their numbers decrease there is a possibility that the seal populations will increase which could be devastating for crustaceans and fish. They help keep populations in balance.

The Polar Bear are found on the icy coasts that surrounds the North Poles and as far south as Hudson Bay. Around 60%of Polar Bears can be found in Canada with the remainings throughout Greenland, Alaska, Svalbard, and Russia where tend to be close to the ocean across the icy fields. The habitats are affected by human encroachment by hunting , and releasing chemical pollutants into the water.The Polar Bear eats Seals, Walrus, and Seabirds. Polar Bears can live up to 20-30 year. Polar Bears have a lot of fur and their fur is clear, white, or yellow. The Polar Bear is 6.5 ft-8.3ft. they can weigh up to 330lbs -1,322lbs and they can swim up to 25mph.

Polar Bears may not be able to survive to do constant climate change due to there being no sea ice. Sea ice helps polar bears hunt seals of which is the polar bears main food source. The more the polar bears are not hunting, the less likely it is for them to reproduce for cubs. If a female polar bear is not at a specific weight, she may not produce cubs or enough milk for her cub to thrive and may altogether abandon her cubs. Climate change is directly linked to the death and practical extinction of many animals.

In conclusion, it took many years for polar bears to adapt perfectly to their new arctic environment. However, they’re facing a new challenge and threat due to the melting of the arctic ice because of global warming. In response, the polar bears will eventually evolved to have thinner fur or the polar bears will be forced to adapt to the increasing temperatures of their habitat and may severely decrease the population. In the future, the cross breeding of polar bear and grizzle bears will help these species survive their changing environment.

Polar Bears in 2008 was listed by the US government on the list of endangered species. Thus, they became the first species recognized as endangered due to global warming.

Polar bears diets mainly rely on seals so the current changes in ice will affect the life cycle of the seals as well as it will play a big role in the life cycle of an adult polar bear. A large decrease in adult polar bears has been noticed and is believed to have been noticed and is believed to have been caused by the ice changes over the last few years as the decline in the seal population results in the polar bears being hungry during the winter which means they are not storing enough fat to produce energy to keep them alive all winter resulting in the polar bears unable to survive the cold winter months without their natural food source (Prowse et al,

Polar bears are one of the first animals that would go extinct if Global Warming continues or starts, depending on your opinion. They are not extinct quite yet, but are surely endangered. Hunters contribute to this issue often and it is illegal in many areas, but in some it is still legal. Some researchers have estimated to there being from 22,000 to 40,000 polar bears left which is why they need to be better protected and saved.

The polar bear lives up in the Arctic region where global warming and climate change are melting the ice caps that the bears thrive on. They use the ice as a platform from hunting and rest. The random pocket holes in the ice, where the seals pop up at, is where the polar bear catches its prey. With this reduction of ice, “the abundance of seals, and increases the amount of energy and time needed for hunting, leaving less energy for reproduction” (Endangered Species and Habitats).

Polar bears are one of the countless species who are endangered. They were one of the first animals affected by global warming and their population is heavily decreasing. Around 1980, the Arctic was as large as 8 million square kilometres. In 2011, studies show that the Arctic has reduced its size to 4.5 million square kilometers. In the future, will there be anything such as the Arctic? Scientist predict by 2040, only a fringe of ice will remain in Northeast Canada and Northern Greenland. This is known as the Last Ice Area. This matter is mostly taking part in Canada, since; Canada holds more than half the world’s polar bear population. Other affected countries include the U.S. (Alaska), Greenland,

Effects of Climate Change on Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) and the creation of “pizzly bears”. In 2008, Polar bears were listed as “vulnerable” by the IUCN and listed as “threatened” under the U.S Endangered Species Act (Stirling and Derocher 2012). As of 2014, they’re still labeled as vulnerable and threatened and are still declining (IUCN 2014 and U.S Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2014). Polar bears are protected from being hunted and harvested but the big problem for the polar bears is climate change rather than hunting the hunting of them (Bankes et al 2009).