Polar bears, one of the animals which have been used as an instrument to check the destruction level of global warming in the world, are now being adapted to using freshwater as their hunting ground. The bears depend on the Arctic sea ice to hunt for seals. So its reducing number puts the species at risk of extinction. Scientists have discovered that the animals were using the ice breaking off from glaciers.
The findings, from a research team based at the University of Washington, open up the possibility that pockets of the species might survive despite rising temperatures. The reports from a science team located at the University of Washington open up the possibility that several bears of the same species might survive regardless of the rising temperatures. The inquiry team spent about two years asking Inuit hunters, about their ecological knowledge of the area.
The researchers journeyed to the secluded area using helicopters. The bears were tracked with satellite tracking devices, tagged onto them afterward, genetic samples were collected from the tagged animals. One of the researchers, Dr. Shapiro disclosed that the polar bears were not thriving as the rate of their reproduction was slow and delayed and their sizes were smaller. However, the scientist had further added that it was hard to determine whether the particular sub-population was alive because of genetic adaptations, or because of a different response to a very different climate and habitat.
