It's not easy out there for a polar bear in the era of climate change, and according to a study released today, it's even harder than previously thought.
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| "As the sea ice goes, so goes the polar bear": A camera the scientists attached to a female polar bear captures a close-up of another bear on the Arctic sea ice. |
When scientists studied polar bears they had captured, outfitted with cameras and released, they found that the bears' metabolism was 1.6 times higher than previously thought, making it harder for the animals to find enough food. In short: too many calories burned and not enough calories consumed.
The study, released Thursday in the journal Science, provides the clearest view yet of polar bear physiology. By approaching the study in a novel way—examining the bear's body condition and affixing cameras with GPS—the scientists were able to see how polar bears spend their time, how successful they are on hunts and how much time they spend walking, swimming or resting.
Read the Inside Climate News story by Sabrina Shankham - “Polar Bears Wearing Cameras and Fitbits Reveal an Arctic Struggle for Survival.”
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