Polar bears keep traveling to find a meal as sea ice shrinks in the north.
The white bears that became popular in animated Coca-Cola commercials need a lot of food. Males can grow up to 1,500 pounds and almost 10 feet tall, while females are around 8 feet tall and can weigh around 550 pounds.
Traveling farther to find food means fewer bears survive, according to a recent study Washington State University study. In the Beaufort Sea area north of Alaska, populations have declined by almost a third.
“More travel means these bears are using more energy, which can threaten their survival,” said Anthony Pagano, a postdoctoral fellow at WSU’s School of the Environment and lead author of the study. “If we are to preserve the habitat of these amazing mammals, we need to focus on the root of the problem that is slowing global climate change.”
For the study, Pagano and colleagues at the US Geological Survey used satellites to study the movements of female polar bears from 1986 to 2016. Bears’ favorite food is seals.
In early summer, when baby seals are small and easier to catch, polar bears can double their body weight from eating the fatty meat.
But as the sea ice melts, the bears will have to find new hunting grounds, forcing them to head further north where there are fewer seals to eat. Some bears seek out various food sources, migrating to areas along the coast of Alaska and Canada in search of berries and dead animals. Whale carcasses left behind by local hunters are a major attraction.
“Sometimes you have 50 to 100 polar bears congregating around these whale carcasses and competing with each other for food,” Pagano said. “As more bears move onto land, I suspect there will be a lot more competition for these food resources, and we’ll likely see a further decline in abundance and survival.”
To help the roughly 800 remaining polar bears in the region, humans must reduce their carbon emissions, which are the main cause of melting Arctic sea ice. Things that cause CO2 emissions include cars and planes, and burning coal and gas for energy.
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