Polar Bears in Summer Low-Energy Modes Don’t Save That Much

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

University of Wyoming researchers John Whiteman and Merav Ben-David inspect a temperature logger implantation site on a polar bear on off-shore sea ice north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in April 2009. Mike Lockhart.

Polar bears hunt ringed seals on the surface of sea ice. But during the summertime melt, their hunting territories contract. With limited feeding opportunities, they might head for the shore and enter a low-energy mode called "walking hibernation." However, according to a new Science study, these energy savings aren’t enough to make up for food deprivation in the Arctic.