The Destruction Of The Polar Bear In Canada

Did you know that polar bears are the only bears that do not hibernate? Polar bears live In the cold, so there is no need. However, lately the bears icy habitat has not been as cold as it should be. Although these animals are incredible, climate change, ice thawing, and food sources declining is starting to affect this species in a very negative way.

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

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,

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.

White bears require a variety of physical characteristics to survive in the harsh environment of the Arctic. Large, wide paws with bumps allow them to distribute weight and grip more efficiently. Water resistant fur with a luminescent quality keep the bear warm and dry. Additionally, Sharp and powerful teeth have the ability to penetrate hard flesh. These special features allow not only the ability to thrive in a difficult environment, but also are important for communicating with other species and another bear.

Their feet are made for the ice and snow; they have rough leather pads so they don’t slip on ice, fur between toes and sharp claws as a weapon. They are plantigrade and left handed. Their toes are webbed so they can swim in water. Their fur is a yellowish white; the top lay is long and hollow to absorb heat and can float in the water. The undercoat covers their black skin that has four inches of blubber, which is an extra layer of warmth. This kind of coat makes it uncomfortable for polar bears to be in the heat. A polar bears sense of smell is the best sense they have, they mostly rely on it. It can smell a dead whale 15 miles away, can smell where a seal is hiding in six inches of ice, and can smell a human before they could even see them. Their eyes are small to block out the sun reflecting off the snow and their ears are small, close to their heads to keep warm.

The polar bear, the largest land carnivore in North America, one of the largest animals in the world and a favorite at zoos worldwide, has, over the years, adapted to its harsh Arctic environment. The appropriately named ‘ursus maritimum’ or sea bear usually lives between 15 and 18 years in the wild and spends most of its life on ice. It is the most recent of the eight bear species. The first polar bear was a brown bear subspecies, with brown bear dimensions and brown bear teeth. The polar bear evolution was rapid due to the small population and extreme pressure to survive. Even today, the polar bear continues to evolve to better adapt to the harsh realities of Arctic life.

Some scientists were convinced that polar bears in this situation will be able to switch to a less energetic mode, also called "walking hibernation" as other species of bears do to survive the

Scientists recognize the Brown bear as the correct common name for the species. Brown bears are found in Canada, the United States, and across northern Europe and Asia. Polar bears are Ursus maritimus and they are found along the northern coasts and the arctic waters north of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia. The overlap of the two species in North America is in the arctic region of northeastern Alaska and northwestern Canada. However, with the change in the climate, brown bears are expanding their range northward to new areas previously occupied by polar

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

Polar bears live in the Arctic near large portions of ice found in the Arctic Ocean. Due to global warming, these species are forced to remain on coastlines or get stranded on small pieces of

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).

 The polar bear has to be able to stay warm in the harsh winter cold. In fact sometimes because they have such thick fur they have to lay down on the snow to cool off so the harsh cold isnt even enough to keep them up to tempreture.

Artic Polar Bears have made many adaptations to live in the harsh climates of the Artic. These Polar Bears live in the northern areas of the world which is some of the harshest climates in the world.

Land without ice is a very difficult environment for polar bears. This was proven by Canadian photographer Paul Nicklen and Sea Legacy filmmakers when they arrived on Baffin Island in late summer. They came face to face with a shocking sight – a polar bear, starved and slowly dying.