Latest news with #LouiseArcher
Miami Herald
27-02-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Adorable polar bear cubs seen emerging from Arctic dens. See first-of-its-kind video
After nearly a decade of trying to learn details about polar bears' denning habits in the Arctic, researchers have captured cubs emerging from dens on video for the first time. The footage was filmed in Svalbard, Norway, and published in a new study in the Journal of Wildlife Management on Feb. 27 — which is International Polar Bear Day, Polar Bears International said in a news release. The video 'shines light on elusive polar bear reproduction' and 'marks the first combination of satellite tracking collars with remote camera traps to answer questions about polar bear denning, which is notoriously difficult to study as polar bear moms build their dens under the snow in remote areas,' the release said. It shows a mother polar bear walking through the frozen landscape — then a cub pops up out of the den and slips and slides over the ice toward her. As the cub reaches its mom, another two emerge and make their way over to their mom and sibling. One of the cubs then climbs onto mom's back to hitch a ride. 'It's a pretty special thing to see polar bear cubs emerge into this vast, white landscape that appears so inhospitable,' lead author Louise Archer told Live Science. Archer is a Polar Bears International postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto Scarborough. 'In Svalbard, polar bears build their dens on the slopes of steep mountainous areas, and it's hard to imagine how cubs could find their feet in this severe terrain,' Archer told the outlet. 'Watching them sliding, tumbling, and even climbing up on their mother was truly remarkable.' Photos and videos shared by Polar Bears International, the Norwegian Polar Institute and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance show the bears and their dens. The denning period is the most vulnerable time in a polar bear's life — and less than 50% of cubs make it to adulthood, researchers said. Several factors negatively impact cub survival, including a warming Arctic and expanding industry. 'Polar bear mothers are having increasing difficulties reproducing due to climate-driven changes, and are likely to face further challenges with the expansion of the human footprint in the Arctic,' Archer said in the release. The team's research into polar bear denning can help protect cubs and therefore the species as a whole, study authors said. 'Protecting denning habitats is essential for population health, and this study provides invaluable insights that will help guide protective management,' Megan Owen, vice president of wildlife conservation science at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, one of the organizations involved in the study, said in the release. The study authors included Archer, BJ Kirschhoffer, Jon Aars, Danielle K. James, Katharina M. Miller, Nicholas W. Pilfold, Joanna Sulich and Owen.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
See the first moments when 3 polar bear cubs emerge from their den
It's a big world out there, especially for polar bear cubs emerging from their dens. An international team of researchers observed these special first steps thanks to nearly a decade of camera footage taken in remote Svalbard, Norway. The footage and its implications for polar bear conservation are detailed in a study published February 27 (International Polar Bear Day) in the Journal of Wildlife Management. Mother bear with three cubs. Recorded using a remote camera as part of the maternal den research in Svalbard, Norway with Polar Bears International, the Norwegian Polar Institute, and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. CREDIT: Polar Bears International / Norwegian Polar Institute / San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Polar bear mothers in the Arctic generally give birth in early January around the start of the new year. The cubs are born completely blind, do not have their signature snow-colored fur, and generally weigh about one pound. After they are born, they begin to grow rapidly, nursing on milk that's about 31 percent fat. By the time they are ready to leave the den in the spring, they are up to 20 times bigger than they were at birth. The cubs begin to emerge from their birthing den sometime between February and April each year. The duration of the 'denning period,' the timing of when they come out of their dens, and the time spent at the den site after emergence can all impact the survival of polar bear cubs. Polar Bears International believes that fewer than 50 percent of cubs survive to adulthood. 'Polar bear mothers are having increasing difficulties reproducing due to climate-driven changes, and are likely to face further challenges with the expansion of the human footprint in the Arctic,' Louise Archer, a study co-author and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto Scarborough, said in a statement, 'We're excited to introduce new tools to monitor bears during this vulnerable time and to gain insight into their behavior across the Arctic, so that we can work to protect cubs and therefore the species. Every den we monitored had its own story, every data point adds to our understanding of this crucial time and supports more effective conservation strategies.' In this new study, female polar bears in Svalbard–an archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole–were fitted with GPS satellite collars. The devices recorded their location, activity levels, and body temperatures. The team then used the collar data to pinpoint where the dens were located. The team then trekked into Svalbard's mountains and set up timelapse cameras at 13 den sites from 2016 through 2020 and in 2023. The data from these cameras complemented the satellite tags with more detailed insights into maternal den behavior. The satellite collars are still accurate, but are more useful for monitoring the bears over extended periods and in more remote areas. The video footage and satellite tag data revealed some important behavioral information. Families emerged around March 9th in Svalbard and seemed to abandon the den earlier than previously observed in this population. More monitoring is needed to see if this is a trend, but changing the timing of denning could jeopardize cub survival since they have less time to develop before traveling to the sea ice. In some instances, the bears also emerged from the den for less than a minute before they went back inside. Other outings lasted several hours. As far as permanently leaving the den, the footage indicated that polar bears stay near their dens for an average of 12 days, but it varied between the families from two to 31 days. Additionally, some of the moms switched dens. They were observed leaving their original dens and then moving their family to a new den. The cubs also rely heavily on their mothers. They were only seen without their moms 5 percent of the time. Cubs in Svalbard generally depend on their mothers for up to 2.5 years. [ Related: How do polar bears keep ice off their fur? Grease.] According to the team, this combination of collar data and timelapse cameras show unique insights into very important denning behavior. Continued monitoring and the protection of known denning areas could help ensure the survival of future generations. 'This study provides a rare glimpse into one of the most vulnerable and critical periods in a polar bear's life, offering insights that can help guide our collective conservation efforts,' Megan Owen, Vice President of Wildlife Conservation Science at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, said in a statement. 'By combining innovative technology with long-term research, we're gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges polar bear moms and cubs face in a rapidly changing Arctic. Protecting denning habitats is essential for population health, and this study provides invaluable insights that will help guide protective management.'
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
First-Ever Detailed Footage Shows Polar Bear Cubs Emerging From Dens
Remote cameras in Norway have given us the first detailed look at polar bear cubs emerging from their dens, in videos more than 10 years in the making. The first months of a polar bear (Ursus maritimus) cub's life are spent in a den of ice, where the warm bodies of their mother and siblings protect its initially hairless body from the lethal Arctic winter. From a tiny half-kilogram (1 pound) at birth, the cubs grow quickly off their mother's milk and, as the season shifts, a supplement of seal blubber. This approach helps the cubs to reach about 10 kilograms by the time they leave the den in the spring of their first year. The family will often den again the following winter, seeing the cubs through to weaning. Shelter, in these vulnerable winter months, is crucial for cub survival in the first two years. Even then, less than half of the cubs that are born make it to adulthood. Concealed within the remote, blinding-white landscapes of the Arctic, mothers give their cubs the best chance by digging dens under snow up to a few meters deep. These have just two openings: one scraped in the ceiling for ventilation, the other a doorway that the cubs will cross only once the weather warms. You can see a mother digging a system of dens at around 2:16 in this video. This strategy is so effective, it's made observation difficult for scientists hoping to map out the best protections for polar bear dens. An international team of researchers fitted female polar bears with GPS satellite collars, enabling them to track mother bears to their dens in Svalbard's remote mountains. Even with time-lapse cameras set up at 13 dens across six years (2016–2020 and 2023), footage of mothers with cubs is scant. "As the data from satellite radio collars were available for all the mothers, the observational data made it possible to tell how changes in activity and temperature recorded correspond with behavior," says polar bear ecologist Jon Aars from the Norwegian Polar Institute. The Svalbard polar bear families emerged from their dens around March 9th, and abandoned them earlier than has been previously recorded for this population. Further monitoring will reveal if this is a trend. Shorter den time could be detrimental to cubs, who, without the chance to develop fully, may struggle to cope with the harsh environment they face outside. Collar and camera data showed that after emerging from their dens, polar bears continued to live in and around it for an average of 12 days before setting off for the spring sea ice, though the duration varied greatly between families. Some mothers were also recorded moving their family to a different den. "Every den we monitored had its own story; every data point adds to our understanding of this crucial time and supports more effective conservation strategies," says lead author Louise Archer, an ecologist from the University of Toronto Scarborough. The team also found cubs rely on their mothers heavily in these early years: they rarely ventured out of the den alone, and were seen without their mothers only 5 percent of the time. Here, we see a mother bear guide three cubs out of their cozy den. "Polar bear mothers are having increasing difficulties reproducing due to climate-driven changes, and are likely to face further challenges with the expansion of the human footprint in the Arctic," Archer says. In an era of climate change and industrial expansion in the Arctic, the team hopes video studies like this one can help us to better understand how to protect this elusive species. "Protecting denning habitats is essential for population health, and this study provides invaluable insights that will help guide protective management," conservation biologist Megan Owen from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance adds. The research is published in the Journal of Wildlife Management. Destructive Forces of Ancient Glaciers May Have Given Complex Life a Boost Your Dog's Blinking Could Be an Attempt to Tell You Something Important Incredible Discovery Shows Mice Trying to Revive Fallen Companions
