Retreating Arctic sea ice shifting polar bear denning behaviors

Thu, July 12, 2007 
Posted in Alaska News, Top Stories

Photo provided by Tony Fischbach, a Wildlife Biologist at the Walrus Research Program / Alaska Science Center / U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage, AlaskaA new study shows polar bears in northern Alaska are denning on land a lot more than they used to. Male polar bears don’t hibernate, but pregnant females hole up in the winter to give birth to cubs in a protected environment. The report points to rapid sea ice retreat in the Arctic as the likely cause of the shift in their choice of den sites. We spoke with one of the report authors, Tony Fischbach.

Lori Townsend, APRN - Anchorage

Photo provided by Tony Fischbach, a Wildlife Biologist at the Walrus Research Program / Alaska Science Center / U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage, AlaskaPhoto provided by Tony Fischbach, a Wildlife Biologist at the Walrus Research Program / Alaska Science Center / U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage, AlaskaPhoto provided by Tony Fischbach, a Wildlife Biologist at the Walrus Research Program / Alaska Science Center / U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage, AlaskaPhoto provided by Tony Fischbach, a Wildlife Biologist at the Walrus Research Program / Alaska Science Center / U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage, Alaska
Photos provided by Tony Fischbach, Wildlife Biologist at the USGS Alaska Science Center

 
 Standard Podcast [4:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Comments

Comments are closed on this item.

Alaska Public Radio Network (APRN) is a public service of Alaska Public Telecommunications, Inc. (APTI)
3877 University Dr  |  Anchorage AK 99508  |  907-550-8400  |  Copyright ©2004-2007 APTI