Unusual Predation Attempts of Polar Bears on Ringed Seals in the Southern Beaufort Sea
Possible Significance of Changing Spring Ice Conditions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 16865162 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ian Stirling (0000-0002-1610-9305, University of Alberta, corresponding author), Evan S Richardson (0000-0003-3172-5592), Evan Richardson, Gregory W Thiemann (0000-0002-1888-900X, Dalhousie University), Andrew E Derocher (0000-0002-1104-7774, University of Alberta) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 14 |
| Publication date | 2009-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | ARCTIC (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0004-0843 • E-ISSN: 1923-1245 |
| Publisher | The Arctic Institute of North America (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.14430/arctic3 |
| OpenAlex | W2158887681 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 5 |
In April and May 2003 through 2006, unusually rough and rafted sea ice extended for several tens of kilometres offshore in the southeastern Beaufort Sea from about Atkinson Point to the Alaska border. Hunting success of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) seeking seals was low despite extensive searching for prey. It is unknown whether seals were less abundant in comparison to other years or less accessible because they maintained breathing holes below rafted ice rather than snowdrifts, or whether some other factor was involved. However, we found 13 sites where polar bears had clawed holes through rafted ice in attempts to capture ringed seals (Phoca hispida) in 2005 through 2006 and another site during an additional research project in 2007. Ice thickness at the 12 sites that we measured averaged 41 cm. These observations, along with cannibalized and starved polar bears found on the sea ice in the same general area in the springs of 2004 through 2006, suggest that during those years, polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea were nutritionally stressed. Searches made farther north during the same period and using the same methods produced no similar observations near Banks Island or in Amundsen Gulf. A possible underlying ecological explanation is a decadal-scale downturn in seal populations. But a more likely explanation is major changes in the sea-ice and marine environment resulting from record amounts and duration of open water in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, possibly influenced by climate warming. Because the underlying causes of observed changes in polar bear body condition and foraging behaviour are unknown, further study is warranted
Arctic ice pack · Beaufort scale · Beaufort sea · Biology · Fishery · Geography · Iceberg · Phoca · Predation · Sea ice · Ursus maritimus · Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics · Cryospheric studies and observations · Geology · Marine animal studies overview · Oceanography · Paleontology
Long-term, Harvest-based Monitoring of Ringed Seal Body Condition and Reproduction in Canada’s Western Arctic
An Emerging Pattern of Declining Growth Rates in Belugas of the Beaufort Sea
Observations of Cannibalism by Polar Bears ( Ursus maritimus ) on Summer and Autumn Sea Ice at Svalbard, Norway
Ringed Seals and Sea Ice in Canada’s Western Arctic
Arctic sea ice decline
Variation in Reproduction and Body Condition of the Ringed Seal ( Phoca hispida ) in Western Prince Albert Sound, NT, Canada, as Assessed Through a Harvest-based Sampling Program
Allocating Harvests among Polar Bear Stocks in the Beaufort Sea
Polar Bears and Seals in the Eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf
Habitat preferences of polar bears in the western Canadian Arctic in late winter and spring
| Citations per year | 0.27 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2011 - 2020 (10) |
| Highly cited | No |