Polar Bears, the mascots of winter CocaCola commercials and Klondike Bars, the cute teddy bears featured on Christmas cards and cuddly plush toys are disappearing. 60% could disappear by the year 2050. Polar Bears are at the top of the food chain and rival their nearest relative, brown bears as the largest land predator. Losing this predator would have a profound effect on the Artic land and marine habitats.
Facts you may not know about the Polar Bear
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How Much Do You Know About Polar Bears?
Artic temperatures have risen twice the rate of the global average. That means that the ice melts earlier in the spring and freezes later in the year. Polar bears swim well but are not fast enough to catch their primary prey; ringed seals and bearded seals. They are definitely not fast enough to catch prey on land that is large enough to sustain their nutritional needs. To catch the seals, they use their keen sense of smell to identify the seals’ air holes in the ice and they sit and wait for their prey to come to them.
Polar Bears on the Melting Ice
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Save the Polar Bears
The sea ice is disappearing at a rate of 11.5% per decade. As the ice disappears, the bears must swim further to find ice. Many bears, especially mothers with cubs are facing malnutrition and starvation. In poor health, they risk drowning as they search for ice floes to rest on and use to try and catch food. Polar bears average a litter of two cubs every three years and the cubs stay with their mother for 2.5 years. This slow reproduction rate also affects their survivability as a species. With malnutrition, it is less likely that a mother polar bear will have live births or bear healthy weight cubs.
photo courtesy of Kassie Siegel and the Center for Biological Diversity
Polar Bears on Thin Ice
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How will Polar Bears Survive Without the Ice that is their Main Hunting Grounds?
Global warming and the loss of Arctic ice are the primary threats to these majestic predators. Without the ice, their primary method to catch prey becomes ineffective and their nutritional needs go unmet. Without ecological intervention, these beautiful and fierce bears will disappear. Let’s hope this generation and future generations make the changes necessary to save the Arctic and save the polar bear.
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