Polar Bears in the WildEfforts to Protect This Endangered Species

Summer 2010 Workshopin Biology and Multimedia for High School Teachers

Polar Bears Endangered!• Biodiversity• Habitat • Feeding • Behavior • Distribution• Size / Weight• Evolution• Denning• Reproduction• Discussion

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Ursus_maritimus_us_fish.jpg

Harvard University Life Sciences –HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology Teachers

Habitat is Shrinking

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Polar-bear.jpg

Harvard University Life Sciences - HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology Teachers

Food is Difficult to Find

http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/images/pbearlg.jpg

Harvard University Life Sciences - HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology Teachers

Ringed Seal Bearded Seal

http://www.arcodiv.org/Mammals/images/Ringed%20Seal-Steve%20Amstrup_400x300.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bearded_Seal.jpg

Harvard University Life Sciences - HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology Teachers

Ice Flow is Shrinking

http://gallery.usgs.gov/images/12_11_2009/chx3BnmAYU_12_11_2009/large/Surviving_in_the_Arctic--Jessica_Robertson--Jessica_Robertson.jpg

Harvard University Life Sciences - HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology Teachers

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Ursus_maritimus_2_1996-07-23.jpg

Global WarmingImpacts Ice flow cover and Migration

http://uscites.gov/sites/default/files/polar%20bear%20on%20ice.jpg

http://uscites.gov/image/polar-bear-0Harvard University Life Sciences - HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology

Teachers

Importance of Pack Ice: Denning

Bears spend most of their time on pack ice year around.

They come ashore mainly when ice melts.

Birthing is primarily out on the ice; when on land, time is short and return to the ice is rather quick.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Ursus_maritimus_Steve_Amstrup.jpg

Harvard University Life Sciences - HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology Teachers

Pack IcePack ice changes with seasons.

Polar bears must migrate with the flows to survive.

Food availability also varies with seasons. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/images/content/157173main_mm6_320px.jpg

Harvard University Life Sciences - HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology Teachers

Seasonal Changes in Ice Pack

Harvard University Life Sciences - HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology Teachers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IBCAO_betamap.jpg

Bear Territories Are Large

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polar_bears_near_north_pole.jpg

Harvard University Life Sciences - HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology Teachers

•Bears are often sedated to “tag” them.

•Tagging is used to keep an accurate count.

•Bears are not harmed.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Noaa-polar34.jpg

Harvard University Life Sciences - HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology Teachers

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Polar.bear.jpg

Harvard University Life Sciences - HHMI Outreach Summer 2010 Workshop for Biology Teachers