Pinniped

• Polar bears and brown bears can produce a hybrid offspring • Polar bears evolved from brown bears • The timing of when polar bears first appeared is vital because it determines when they have experienced warm periods with little sea ice historically • Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) – relationships based on differences in a group of genes • The polar bear genome discovered alterations in genes related to the development of the heart, cardiovascular function and lipid metabolism – this is why…

The Arctic Angel Out of all of the animals on Earth today, none of them can amount to being as fascinating and adorable as the Harp Seal. The Harp Seal is an aquatic mammal that is related to the Sea Lion and Walrus (¨Harp Seal¨). These seals live in the Northern Hemisphere, in and around the Arctic Sea, as well as in the North Atlantic Ocean (¨Harp Seal¨). There are many interesting facts about Harp Seals, ranging from reproduction, behaviours, appearance, and even their unique lifespan. Two…

From the last seven years, there has been cases on seals dying all over the world, and scientists from Scotland are up to finding out what causes these deaths. Most of the of the seals that the scientists of Scotland have examined have a spiral-like or corkscrew type of injury on their body-mostly the females. This prevents the population of the seals to elaborate, which can cause the seals to go in grave danger of extinction. A colony of harbor seals that live by the in the inlet of Edinburgh…

The Evolution of Polar Bears Laysa De La Torre Polar bears have a very interesting history as they are evolved from brown bears. It is very weird how they don’t hibernate but interesting to hear what happens when they don’t hibernate. Polar bears are actually very interesting even if you may not like them, you will soon be interested after reading this. Polar bears hair is white because, the air spaces in…

Many people think polar bears and black bears are the same but that is not true. Polar bears and black bears have many differences and some similarities. A polar bears weight is about 330 to 1500 pounds and a black bear can weigh 90 to 600 pounds. Their height is also different, a polar bear can be from 7 to 8.4 feet and a black bear can be 5 to 6 feet. Polar bears are found in circumpolar north in areas where they hunt their prey and black bears live in North America in the forest. Polar bears…

Sea Levels Rising Hurting Our Animals Polar bears are on the threatened species list because of global warming and sea levels rising. Millions of species aquatic and land animals are dying. Most under the sea ecosystems are severely affected by global warming which causes sea levels rising. For example, mangrove ecosystems require constant sea levels to survive. Sea levels are rising and affecting polar bears, sea turtles, and coral reefs. Polar bears are in jeopardy, becoming extinct…

Have you ever seen a polar bear? Not many people have. The population now is around 20 to 25 thousand. In the 70’s the population hit the all-time low, the ice they live on is melting due to global warming. The population will continue to drop so long as we don’t do anything about it, and soon, no one will get to see the snow white bear. In 2012, about 1.32 million square miles, which is right around 24%, of the Arctic Ocean was froze over. That is low considering that it dropped about 3% since…

Most of the bears live in the poles including the polar bears, the main species of my paper. Most of north lands are covered by ice and snow which restraints behavior of animals at some extent. Also, the white color of the polar bears can be helpful to hide from predator. The polar bears (Ursus maritimus) eat mainly ringed and bearded seals located on the border of the Canadian arctic. Those seals are killed by polar bears during breathing holes depending on the availability of seals in the…

According to the 2014 Arctic Report Card, there have been significant changes in sea ice extent. Specifically, the report addresses the slow but significant seasonal decline in sea ice cover. Arctic sea ice is of utmost importance for ecosystems to thrive. Post et al. (2013) discuss this further, stating “the sea-ice biome influences the abundance, distribution, seasonality, and interactions of marine and terrestrial species.” This is especially true for polar bear populations in the Arctic, as…

Nikki Anderson GRIZZLY BEAR Ursus arctos horribilis Habitat- Grizzly bears are found in many different habitats, from dense forests to subalpine meadows, open plains and arctic tundra. In North America, grizzly bears are found in western Canada, Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and a potentially a small population in Washington. Historically, they could be found from Alaska to Mexico and from California to Ohio. The grizzly bear was once…