Warming Climate May Put Chill On Arctic Polar Bear Population:
The new research suggests that progressively earlier breakup of the Arctic sea ice, stimulated by climate warming, shortens the spring hunting season for female polar bears in Western Hudson Bay and is likely responsible for the continuing fall in the average weight of these bears. As females become lighter, their ability to reproduce and the survival of their young decline. Also, as the bears become thinner, they are more likely to push into human settlements for food, giving the impression that the population is increasing. The study will be published this week in the September issue of the Journal Arctic.
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I have pointed to the fact that mtDNA genetics has suggested that the polar bear is actually a derived lineage of brown bears.
This is from Seabeck, Washington, across the water from Seattle.
I read an interesting article in the Alaska Dispatch News which examined interactions between arctic grizzly bears and polar bears. They found that although polar bears are larger, they tend to leave food sources when grizzly bears are around.
From here: "Cronin et al.