The discovery provides a glimmer of hope for the iconic white bears
A secret population of polar bears in Greenland has been discovered in a seemingly impossible habitat — one that, for most of the year, lacks the floating platforms of sea ice the beasts use to hunt. The unusual group, which scientists previously thought was part of another nearby population, has been hiding in plain sight for hundreds of years.
Researchers analyzed 36 years’ worth of tracking data from bears tagged with GPS collars and found that bears from southeast Greenland did not pass above a latitude of 64 degrees north, and bears from the northeast did not pass the same line in the other direction. Genetic sampling from individual bears confirmed that the southeastern bears were distinct from their northeastern neighbors.
Polar bears are listed as vulnerable to extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, and there are around 36,000 individuals left in the wild. But some studies have suggested that the species could vanish by the end of the century due to the effects of climate change.
The fjords that are home to the southeastern polar bears lie at the southern edge of the Arctic Circle and, as a result, the region is sea ice-free for more than 250 days a year. These sea ice conditions mimic those predicted for the rest of the Arctic by the end of the 21st century, based on previous studies, which should make the fjords unlivable for polar bears, the researchers said. But the southeastern bears seem to be managing surprisingly well without the sea ice.
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A Secret Polar Bear Population Has Been Found in an 'Impossible' LocationA secret population of polar bears in Greenland has been discovered in a seemingly impossible habitat – one that, for most of the year, lacks the floating platforms of sea ice the beasts use to hunt. The unusual group, which scientists previously t
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