Polar bears are the top predators in the Arctic, and the reduction of ice means the reduction of their favorite meal; the Ringed seal. They are very dependent on the ice caps floating in the sea. They use them as a platform for hunting and resting. Polar bears use them also for transportation to food sources and for mating. The ice reduction, which is caused by the rising temperature of the sea, means the decrease in seal population and it increases the amount of energy needed to catch them.
The more time needed to catch the seals and other food sources, and just trying to survive means the less they mate. The less they mate the lower the polar bear population becomes. Studies show that the decreases is happening now, in the Hudson Bay the population of the bears have decreased by 22 percent. Some scientist have found out that that if some polar bears haven't drowned from getting to food then they have become cannibalism.
Thats incredible that the population in the Hudson Bay has decreased by 22 percent.
ReplyDeleteWhy do polar bears have to mate on the ice burgs? Isn't there somewhere else they can get it on? Anyway, shouldn't we be more concerned about the seals seeing as they're the ones who are losing their habitat? And why are the seals become more scarce, what do they use the ice for?
ReplyDeleteI agree polar bears are affected by the change in ice glaciers, are there other animals in the arctic being affected by the change in climate?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katrina. Are the polar bears able to adapt to this change in a way that they can continue to mate?
ReplyDelete22% is an alarming number will the bears be able to adapt eventually? And what can we do to help stop this in the long run?
ReplyDeleteThe more the ice burgs continue to disappear the more the polar bears are going to be searching for food. You got to think of it this way, they need to have ice burgs to get from place to place to find food and if there were little to no ice burgs they would be searching more and more for food just to try to fight to survive. There would be no time to mate and the population of the polar bears will go down from starvation and even not being able to repopulate.
ReplyDeleteWow 22% is a big decrease! What is being done or can be done in order to help the bears survive? Also how are the seals adapting to this change? or are they?
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