Climate change is pushing polar bears to extinction, but a warming world has also created a new animal that will continue with the genes of the species, the “chopped bears.”
Paleontologist Larisa DeSantis told DailyMail.com that polar bears retreat inland to find food as sea ice melts, and they mate with gray bears traveling to Alaska.
“This new bear type is more resistant to climate change and is better suited for warmer temperatures,” DeSantis said.
She blames the disappearance of polar bears on her specialized fat diet, but with a decrease in sea ice animals cannot hunt seals and may have difficulty adjusting to an arctic heater.
“It’s not good for polar bears,” DeSantis explained.
I have studied cats with saber teeth. Fossil records show that they also had specialized diets and when food supplies disappeared, so did they. ”
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Paleontologist Larisa DeSantis told DailyMail.com that polar bears retreat inland to find food as sea ice melts, and they mate with grizzly bears that travel to Alaska, and the offspring are known as “chopped bear” (pictured)
DeSantis, along with former undergraduate student Ansley Petherick, conducted a recent study to assess whether and how the diet of polar bears differed in a warming world.
They analyzed remains of 20 polar bear specimens: 10 jaws and 10 skulls that were discovered in archaeological excavations.
Some of the remains date back 1,000 years to the medieval warming period, giving a glimpse into the antiquity of the polar bear.
The team was looking to see if any of the teeth showed hard eating patterns, but no evidence was found to suggest that.
Polar bears have a specialized fat diet, but with a decrease in sea ice animals cannot hunt seals and may have difficulty adapting to an arctic heater.
Specimens that were about 1,000 years old were indistinguishable from today’s polar bears, but they have found that some today consume harder food that is not well adapted.
“Polar bears are so specialized in seal hunting that they may have more difficulty adapting to Arctic warming,” said DeSantis, a specialist in dental micronutrients among carnivores.
“The shift to eating hard foods in a handful of 21st century bears is also worrisome. Polar bears may be reaching a turning point and may now be forced to consume less preferred foods.”
DeSantis and his team also compared the mouth of polar bears with that of the grizzly bear, which has been shown to adapt to periods of warming.
“The polar bear and grizzly bear shared a common ancestor 500,000 to 600,000 years ago, but then diverged,” he said.
The molars of a polar bear are smaller than grizzly bears, but their canines are larger. This is because they eat gelatin all day, basically fat. But to compensate, polar bears have elongated skulls that are well adapted to affectively hunt seals.
“The molars of a polar bear are smaller than grizzly bears, but their canines are larger.”
This is because they basically eat gelatin all day, basically fat.
“But to compensate, polar bears have elongated skulls that are well adapted to affectively hunt seals.”
However, these elongated skulls can be what prevents them from switching to a new diet, as they make it harder for bones to eat harder foods.
DeSantis, along with former undergraduate student Ansley Petherick, conducted a recent study to assess whether and how the diet of polar bears differed in a warming world. They analyzed the remains of 20 specimens of polar bear: 10 jaws and 10 skulls that were discovered in archaeological excavations
Specimens that were about 1,000 years old were indistinguishable from today’s polar bears, but they have found that some today consume harder food that is not well adapted to
Sea ice is crucial to the survival of polar bears, as they used the structure to hunt seals coming out of the water to get air.
Unlike polar bears, grizzly bears are well suited for eating hard foods such as plant tubers or for removing carcasses when resources are limited.
The change in terrain caused by the warm weather also means that grizzly bears can venture further north and compete with polar bears for available food.
However, the displacement of grizzly bears to the north could lead to the polar bear gene in what is known as the chopped bear.
These rare hybrid creatures were first seen in the wild in 2006 and have been seen as far south as Idaho.
These bears have a mostly white coat, with a brown hue and a nose that is a cross between a polar bear and a gray.