Polar Bears Research Paper

Words: 2565
Pages: 11

Summary Polar bears are an important arctic species that is in danger from climate change. A keystone species, polar bears are essential for a balanced ecosystem in the Arctic Circle. As the overall temperature of the earth is increases due to global warming and the greenhouse effect, the sea ice that polar bears live on for most of their lives is disappearing. Polar bears require sea ice to survive, as it is their hunting grounds and habitat. When the ice melts, polar bears are forced to move closer to the pole. Unfortunately, polar bears use northern landmasses to reproduce, and access to these parts of the globe from the ice sheets is becoming more difficult for the bears. The bear’s main source of food the seals, are also negatively impacted by the loss of sea ice. Seals need the ice to have their young, and with less ice, seals are also disappearing. Some polar bears have been driven to cannibalism, further reducing their populations. While international treaties designed to limit …show more content…
Additionally polar bears have been approaching human settlements. Polar bears are carnivores that primarily eat seals. Polar bears walk on the sea ice and will eat ringed and bearded seals that come up on the ice. If there is no sea ice for the seals to come up to birth their young, then the polar bears will have to find another source of food, such as bird eggs (National Wildlife Federation, n.d.). Bird eggs do not provide enough energy for polar bears and therefore, the polar bears must consider earing each other (usually a weak, older or sick bear) in order to get enough energy to travel or nurse. Due to the lack of access to seals, polar bears are also approaching human settlements in search for food, and are a real and great safety risk for any human. Polar bears that approach the settlements could be shot down and harvested by