Photo: Climate Change Effects On Polar Bear Habitat

The Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, evolved from the brown bear over 200,000 years ago, but today their existence is threatened by climate change and it's effects on the polar bear habitat.

There are not many people in the world who get the privilege of seeing Polar Bears in their natural habitat, so it is difficult to imagine how they exist in the Arctic. Unlike the black bears, which have become 'a nuisance' to homeowners, in some towns and cities of North America, due to suburbia spreading into bear territory, the Polar Bear is a far less sociable species of wildlife.

The Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, evolved from the brown bear over 200,000 years ago and when they settled in or near the Arctic Ocean and ice, their fur gradually changed to blend into the environment. Polar Bears are meat eaters and seals are their main source of food, they also rely on the sea ice to travel on, using it as a hunting venue, and even a place to mate and live. ... continue below the picture...

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With the sea ice melting and becoming thinner, the bears weight will become too heavy for the diminishing ice. Also, as the ice vanishes the open water increases, making it difficult for the Polar Bears to travel the long distances to find food. This means that climate change definitely effects polar bears and their habitat.

The Churchill Wildlife Management Area is a excellent place for research and the study of many Arctic creatures, including the Polar Bears. The world can only hope their invaluable work will somehow help as the climate changes bringing known and unknown hazards to the animal world.

Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area, Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.