Polar Bear Science

Triplets

Triplets are rare and getting rarer. Usually female polar bears will have 1-2 cubs every three years.

Evening bear

Polar bears roam the land in Wapusk National Park during the fall, waiting for the sea ice to freeze.

Sea Ice

When the ice freezes, it pushes against itself to form pressure ridges. These ridges can be very large with huge blocks of ice stacked on top of each other. Polar bears often follow pressure ridges as seals make lairs underneath them.

Seal kill

From a helicopter, scientists watch for spots of red on the white ice, indicating that a polar bear has killed and eaten a seal. We investigate how these kill sites provide more information than just a polar bear's last meal. [See: Polar bear hunting behaviour reveals broad scale distribution of ringed seal lairs]

Sizing up the Competition

In the fall male polar bears often spar, or play-fight to gauge their own size and strength to be better prepared for the spring, when they will be fighting for mates. But how does this intraspecific aggression play out across the large home ranges polar bears occupy? [See: Are polar bears egalitarian?]

Satellite collars

Satellite collars can tell us when and where polar bears are year-round, something that would be impossible otherwise.

Polar bear hunting behaviour

Can documenting the behaviour of a predator facilitate insight into the distribution of a cryptic prey? Yes!

Monitoring Population Health

Each spring scientists try to evaluate how many new cubs are in the population and how healthy they are. This gives us great insight into how well the population is doing. If cub production and survival drops, the population may be in some trouble.

We are a group of students at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, studying under Dr. Andy Derocher. We are passionate about communicating good polar bear science and would love for you to visit our site to learn more about the world's largest terrestrial carnivore.