Grolar Bear Research Project
By: Morgan Cure
Polar Bears:
Diet-
Breeding Habits-
The Polar Bears breeding habits vary between the sexes. Males reach maturity at about six years of age, but do not successfully mate until about eight to ten years. Females on the other hand reach maturity at four to six years of age. Their breeding season starts around March and ends in June, but it occurs mostly during April and May. The way they find mates is by congregating in good seal-hunting habits. Competition between males for females is intense, and can cause "broken canines and scars on the head, neck, and shoulders,” but rarely are fatal. The males fight until the strongest wins meaning the opponent either stays until he can not fight anymore or runs off.
Hibernation Times-
How Man’s Actions and Global Warning Are Affecting Polar Bears Numbers-
"At the 2009 meeting of the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group, scientists reported that of the 19 sub populations* of polar bears:
· 8 are declining.
· 3 are stable.
· 1 is increasing.
By comparison, in 2005:
· 5 were declining.
· 5 were stable.
· 2 were increasing.
*Insufficient data to determine the fate of the other 7 populations"
And
"Results from long-term studies show:
· Canada's Western Hudson Bay population: 22% decline since the early 1980's, directly related to earlier ice break-up on Hudson Bay.
· Southern Beaufort Sea population along the northern coast of Alaska and western Canada: decline in cub survival rates and in the weight and skull size of adult males; similar observations made in Western Hudson Bay prior to its population drop.
· Baffin Bay population, shared by Greenland and Canada: at risk from both significant sea ice loss and substantial over-harvesting.
· Chukchi Sea population, shared by Russia and the United States: declining due to illegal harvest in Russia and one of the highest rates of sea ice loss in the Arctic."
~~~~~
Another reason the Polar Bears numbers are decreasing is because ice loss. As of 2012, sea ice losses were up to 49% below what they were from 1979-2000. The PBSG has some great ideas on how to help protect the animals. You can find out more at their website which is located in the link section below.
Grizzly Bears:
Diet-
The diet of a Grizzly Bears diet is a very diverse one. They are Omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals. The bear spends most of its time awake scavenging for food such as forbs, roots, tubers, grasses, berries and other vegetation, and insects, but are also very adaptable. If needed, they can also eat small rodents, fish, carrion, and even eat garbage and human food. In the links box below, the first link will take you to a website that has a list of what food the Grizzly Bear eats and when.
Breeding Habits-
The Grizzly Bear mating season is between June and July. They reach maturity at five years of age. The male picks his mate, mates with her for a month and leaves to a solitary life. Females on the other hand either find or dig a den and hibernate. While she is hibernating, her babies mature and when they are born (Around January to March) they have a nice habitat to grow in.
Hibernation Times-
The Grizzly Bears hibernation time stars in October and end in May (at the latest). During hibernation, Grizzlies can do amazing things. They, unlike most mammals, they do not eat, drink, defecate, or even urinate during hibernation; instead, they conserve and recycle what resources they gathered during the year. For months, the bear does not drink anything, which is an amazing feat, considering how much water they use while exhaling. They can also drop their body temperature of 100 degrees to 90 depending on the den temperature. Also, their heart rate drops from 50 beats per minute to around 10 BPM to conserve as much as physically possible. To learn more, there is a link in the description box below that has great information.
How Man’s Actions and Global Warning Are Affecting Grizzly Bears Numbers-
The Grizzly Bear population has been decreasing mainly because of the effects of Global Warming. Global Warming has caused many problems such a causing them to den later in the fall and causes more deaths because of the time of year the hunters and Grizzlies are out inter lap. It is also killing off one of their main food sources, forcing them to find food elsewhere, such as trash cans. This is making them conditioned to humans, and rangers have to put them down because of it.
Grolar Bear:
What are They?
The Grolar Bear is a hybrid between a Polar Bear and a Grizzly Bear. The hybrid was created because of global warming. These bears have had to move into each other’s territory, so they were bound to mate with each other at some point and it happened. There are multiple names for this new bear such as Pizzly, Grolar bear, and Polizzly, and even Nanulak, but they have not decided on a solid name yet.
Region Where Polar Bears are Located
Region Where Grizzly Bears are Located
Sites Used:
Polar Bear-
- http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/polar.htm
- http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/polar-bear/diet.htm
- http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/polar-bear/reproduction.htm
- http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/about-polar-bears/essentials/hibernating-and-denning
- http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/science/polar-bear-status-report