Scientists have provided an unprecedented coup d’oeil into the life of denning polar bear , becoming the first to combine GPS artificial satellite catch information with remote - operated television camera to study the first few calendar month of cub ’ life sentence . carry by researchers from Polar Bears International ( PBI ) , San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance , the Norwegian Polar Institute , and the University of Toronto Scarborough , it enamour detailed footage of polar bear greenhorn emerging from their hideout for the first clip , over a staggering catamenia of almost 10 old age in Svalbard , Norway .
When the time comes for a femalepolar bearto have her cubs , she ’ll work up a hideaway that will become home for several month . As PBI’sDr Louise Archer , Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Toronto Scarborough , told IFLScience , females lean to return to the same arena for denning , and once inside the cubs get cooking .
They ’re passing underdeveloped when they ’re born … They ’re only about 600 grams , so very tiny , and they ’re almost hairless with just a very faint cover of fur .
Polar bear den in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska (2009), demonstrating why they aren’t easy to find.Image credit: BJ Kirschhoffer / Polar Bears International
“ She ’ll enter her den , typically anywhere from October to November and during that time her fertilized nut will begin developing , ” Archer secernate IFLScience . “ It ’s only about 60 daylight of active gestation in polar bears , quite a short active gestation period , and the cubs will be born from December through to January . ”
“ They ’re extremely underdeveloped when they ’re suffer , what we call altricial . They ’re only about 600 gramme [ about astick of butter , FYI ] , so very flyspeck , and they ’re almost hairless with just a very faint covering of fur . They ’re also expect blind , so they ’re really reliant on their female parent during that metre . ”
Monitoringpolar bear momsand their cubs during this life-sustaining time in their development is becoming a matter of increase importance , says Archer , as human being ’ footprint on the Arctic expands . It ’s hoped that by introducing new putz to supervise bears during these vulnerable months , scientists can gain vital insights into their behavior that could be used to put up more effective preservation strategies .
We see one family that depart after only two days at the hideout , while another family stayed for a month .
This study marks a spring forward in parental den research as it became the first to mix planet tracking collars with removed camera traps to suffice questions about polar bear denning – something that ’s been notoriously difficult to consider owing to how heavy den are to spot against a snowy landscape painting . This refreshing methodological analysis enables scientists to study polar bears without trouble them , and has already revealed curious insights into how they deport during these of the essence month .
“ It ’s really interesting to see the footage , ” said Archer . “ What assume me was the amount of mutant we saw . Each den had its own story . ”
Monitoring the denning bear reveal that they do n’t all issue in the same manner , as there was sport in how long they spent outside the den before exit back in , and how quickly the den was abandoned altogether .
“ In some case , we saw females that emerged and only attend around for a very inadequate clock time . We run into one family that left after only two Day at the den , while another family stay for a month . We check a lot of this variation and that was very striking . ”
“ Now we ’re look at what are some of the driving forces behind this variation . We also saw some really dissimilar behaviors . For example , two female moved dens after they first add up out of their original den . So the mother dug a new hideaway in the coke and affect her crime syndicate there . Again , that mother Modern questions : Why did she move ? What were the conditions in the original lair that caused her to move elsewhere ? What are the consequence of this for the polar bears and for their cubs ? ”
Answering these question can feel like a race against prison term in the era of “ drill , baby , exercise , ” but the research allow for the foundation for improved wildlife direction for these magnificent animals , enabling the reduction of likely clashes between polar bear denning areas and human activeness .
Want to get a line more ? Check out the April issuing ofCURIOUSfrom March 30 for more from Archer , or try the full conversation in a succeeding episode of IFLScience ’s podcast , We Have question .
The written report is print in theJournal of Wildlife Management .
