Half Grizzly, Half Polar Bear: Climate Change Could Be Behind New Hybrid In Northern Canada
21
May, 2016
Call
it the pizzly or grolar bear: a new type of bear has been spotted a
few times in the Arctic region, no thanks to the unusual effects of
climate change.
A
bear shot in northern Canada – posted on the owner’s Facebook
page – is raising curiosity as it is believed to be of a
grizzly-polar bear hybrid, a seemingly inevitable consequence of the
growing interactions between the two species.
According
to hunter Didji Ishalook, he initially thought he imaged a small
polar bear near Arviat on the Hudson Bay – only to find out later
on that it was a "half-breed," as confirmed by a number of
bear experts.
"It
looks like a polar bear but it's got brown paws and big claws like a
grizzly. And the shape of a grizzly head," he said in a report
in The Guardian.
Sightings
of this hybrid species in recent years coincide with the warming of
the Arctic at twice the rate of the average worldwide. It appears
that grizzly bears in Alaska and Canada are moving north as their
original homes warm, bringing them close to polar bears living on the
coastline.
Polar
bears are confronted by the same warming trends, spending more time
on land as Arctic ice decreases. They are losing body weight and
declining in population in the process as they are unable to hunt
their usual prey.
Bear
biologist Chris Servheen of the University of Montana said there had
been very rare sightings of this hybrid bear species in the past,
partly due to the little interaction made between them and humans.
But the ones that had been seen, he added, share similarities in
looks with both parents.
"[They]
are usually lighter in color," he told ABC News. "They
often have dark, darker fur rings around their eyes. Their paws can
often be dark too or at least around the toes."
The
claws, he added, are typically longer than polar bears' because
grizzlies have much longer ones. The fur is generally a bit darker
than a polar bear's as well.
Servheen
is among the scientists who today believe climate change has a hand
over the increased contact between the two different species. At
present, however, little is still known about their offspring's
behavior, as both species try to avoid and stay away from humans.
"[I]
suspect that's something that we won't know anything about for a long
time," he said.
Temperatures
continue to climb, with the world recently breaking monthly heat
records for 12 consecutive months. Based on satellite data, the ring
of ice surrounding the North Pole this past January was the smallest
it had been in that month since measurements began.
Experts
worry that Arctic summers could be iceless within this same century –
and the long-term prognosis could favor the pizzly more than the
polar bear, which relies on sea ice and could suffer with its
disappearance.
The
U.S. and Canada do not see eye to eye on polar bears' classification
as a threatened species. It has been difficult obtaining the exact
number of these bears in the 19 Arctic sub-populations, with some
groups likely growing in the past decades.
A
broad scientific consensus remains: the changing climate is
challenging their existence, entailing the need for greater
protections.
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