The polar bear, which is the world’s largest predator on land, is threatened by climate change. And with warmer temperatures, brown bears also migrate closer to their territory. In 2006, a bear was shot in the Canadian polar archipelago, but this one did not look like the others. And DNA tests were later to confirm that the animal was actually part grizzly bear and part polar bear. In the following years, the hybrids, which in English have been given the name “brolar bears”, have been seen more often in North America. And now researchers in Siberia are warning that the same thing is about to happen there. Separate layers 500,000 years ago – Brown bears move into the tundra. They have been seen in the lower reaches of the Kolyma River where polar bears live. That’s what researcher Innokentiy Okhlopkov tells a Russian news agency. She believes it is likely that hybrids of polar bears and brown bears will also be found in this area in the future. The two species “separated” around 500,000 years ago. And although it is unusual, mating between the two can lead to fertile offspring. As climate change intensifies, new land areas and food sources appear. This may lead to brown bears moving further north. In the same way, melting sea ice forces the polar bear inland, which means that the two giants will meet each other more often. This is something that is confirmed by residents of northern Russia. Several reports state that the two species are to be seen in the same places. In the Yakutia region of Siberia, there are to be two polar bear populations that can breed with brown bears. But what does this actually mean? The polar bear uses the sea ice to find food, and the ice disappears. As much as 30 percent of the world’s polar bears may be gone by 2050, according to the WWF. Photo: Nick Cobbing/Norwegian Polar Institute Will have consequences Torfinn Ørmen is a zoologist and senior lecturer at OsloMet. He says the problem has been known for a number of years, and that polar bears and brown bears are more similar than the fur color might suggest. The polar bears are descended from brown bears, and originally came from the islands outside Alaska, Ørmen explains. But the zoologist has not yet heard of hybrids in Russia. – If so, the situation is documented to be circumpolar, not just some sloppy years in Alaska. This happens on a large scale. And that will have consequences. Torfinn Ørmen is a zoologist and senior lecturer at OsloMet. Photo: Ulla Schildt – They can “disappear” – What can happen is that the polar bears “disappear” by becoming part of the local brown bear populations. But their genes do not disappear. With a cooler climate in the future, the polar bear form may appear again due to selection, he says to news. But then he won’t be the same. There will be genes from brown bears in the load. – A few years ago, researchers concluded that this has actually happened in the past. Climate conditions have fluctuated a lot in recent periods, with both cooling and warmer interglacial periods. Nevertheless, the zoologist believes that the situation today is worse than before. The problem now is that these climatic changes are happening so quickly. – Then populations of polar bears can lose their livelihood and die out before there are enough light brown hybrids to save the genetic material, says Ørmen. The grizzly bear is a subspecies of brown bear that lives in North America. It is also known as grizzly bear. Photo: Jim Urquhart / Reuters Is there still hope? Some studies estimate that the polar bear may be close to extinction by 2100. Apart from a few isolated subpopulations in the northernmost parts of the Arctic. And if enough of the remaining polar bears mix with brown bears, the pure species may disappear even sooner. In contrast to polar bears, which mostly live on blubber and meat, brown bears have a more varied diet. They eat just about anything they can get their paws on, which means that they will probably cope better with any environmental changes. Polar bears are not as adaptable, according to the experts. Maybe new genes from the brown bear aren’t the stupidest thing? One day they may represent a completely new species, researchers speculate. In this area in the north of Russia, researchers believe it is likely that new hybrids may appear.
ttn-69
