Reasons for diminishing number of polar bears

Hi guys we are back! It's been raining so much these days, like everyday! We all know something is wrong with the weather. We're living in the global warming era guys! *cue for screams*



While it's just raining here in Singapore, at the Artic, ice caps are melting like no one's business, affecting the numbers of our dear polar bear friends. Have you ever wondered why they are diminishing so quickly in numbers?

You will say probably say, "it is caused by global warming". Yes you're right, but not entirely. There are many reasons for the decrease in numbers day by day, month by month, year by year, decade by decade.. Okay. I know you get the drift. The words "global warming" is like the "ïn phrase". Anything to do with weird weather, we blame global warming. But what exactly is global warming?

So yes! We will now blog on these issues which will enlighten your knowledge on polar bears. (I'm sure you wanna know. *death stare*)

A QUICK GLANCE INTO THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN GLOBAL WARMING AND POLAR BEARS

Carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases are gases that used to be able to leave the Earth's atmosphere. But in recent years, due to the increased number of these greenhouse gases from activities like farming, usage of air-conditioners, these gases are unable to escape from the Earth's atmosphere, and causes the Earth’s temperature to rise. This is known as the Greenhouse Effect, and prolonged Greenhouse Effect is called global warming.

This change in temperature affects life in the Arctic; home of the polar bears.

This is the result:

Harsher or constant storms - Causes some polar bears to drown while hunting for food.

Warmer temperatures - Melts Polar ice caps and causes sea levels to rise. Polar bears have to adapt to this, but it might be too fast for them to adapt and this can cause them to struggle which can eventually lead to deaths for various reasons such as drowning.

Scarce food - Due to global warming, the waters in the Arctic are getting warmer, resulting in Arctic animals migrating to colder waters. One of those animals are seals, which are a polar bear's main diet. Because they are now gone, there is lesser food in the surroundings, causing polar bears to starve and die. Some polar bears even started eating plants on land! This doesn't give them the energy they need. It's not even what their made to eat!

Polar bears are also actually hunted by humans for many reasons, like their fur and meat. We will elaborate more about that for another day. We hope you now know how global warming has caused polar bear numbers to diminish and hopefully you will start thinking how you can help delay the effects of global warming. (Use less tissue papers? Don't switch on the air-conditioners?) If you don't know, DON'T WORRY! We will tell you soon. Stay tuned!

7 Myths & Misconceptions

1.     Covering its nose while hunting. Polar bears do not cover its black nose while hunting for seals. Dr. Ian Stirling and several assistants used telescopes to watch polar bears hunt for several weeks each year for several years. No bear was ever seen putting a paw over its nose while stalking a seal. It is impossible for a bear to walk, crawl or stalk on three legs while holding its paw over its nose for an extended period.

2.     Left-pawed. Great white bears are not left-pawed. Scientists observing the animals have not noticed a preference. In fact, polar bears seem to use their right and left paws equally.

 

3.     Use of tools when hunting. Polar bears do not use tools, including blocks or ice, to kill their prey. This idea may have come about because, after failing to catch a seal, a frustrated and angry polar bear may kick the snow, slap the ground or hurl chunks of ice. 

4.     Hollow hair conducts UV light. For decades, scientists believed that polar bear hairs function as fiber-optic conductors. They believed the hairs collect ultra-violet light and direct it to the black skin where it is converted into heat.

Polar bears have fur that suits their needs just fine without being fiber-optic. UV was absorbed by keratin in the hair, which explains why polar bears look black in UV light.

5.   Symbiosis with arctic fox. Polar bears do not share food with arctic fox in exchange for the fox's warning system. Arctic fox do travel behind polar bears and scavenge on scraps. In fact, foxes often annoy bears by nipping at their heels in an attempt to drive a bear off its prey. Polar bears sometimes lunge at or slap a fox. During the spring season when both hunt ringed seal pups, they can be considered competitors.

6.       Orca whale predation. Scientist Ian Stirling concedes that while an orca might have an opportunity to attack a bear stranded on a remnant of ice, such an encounter is extremely unlikely. To his knowledge, it has never been observed.

7.    Bi-polar bears? Polar bears live only in Arctic areas that surround the North Pole—not in Antarctica, which surrounds the South Pole. School children often see illustrations of penguins and polar bears together, but this could never happen. In fact, the word arctic comes from the Greek word for bear, and Antarctic comes from the Greek meaning the opposite, without bear.