To a layperson, it’s footage of adorable polar bear cubs with their moms against the backdrop of endless Arctic snow. For researchers who study the animals, however, it’s a rare and incredibly important observation that could potentially inform conservation strategies. Scientists have captured rare footage of female polar bears emerging from maternal dens with their cubs for the first time. The clips give them a glimpse into a rarely observed life stage that has critical implications on the survival of polar bear cubs and, therefore, the species. A study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management details how researchers combined data from satellite collars and remote cameras to understand den emergence behaviors and trends among polar bear families in Svalbard, a remote archipelago in Norway. The work was done as a collaboration between the nonprofit organization Polar Bear International, the Norwegian Polar Institute, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and the University of Toronto Scarborough. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) give birth in dens that they dig up deep beneath the snow. After birth, the cubs remain in the den for many months and grow as much as 20 times their birth weight. The dens, typically about 20° Celsius (36° Fahrenheit) warmer than the external ambient temperature, keep the cubs warm in the first few months of their life. “It’s almost like an extension of the womb where you have this very stable environment that allows cubs to develop,” Louise Archer, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher at the University…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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