A Year in the Life of a Polar Bear

The polar bear’s life cycle is fascinating—and you’ll discover why as we explore the cyclical stages that define the rhythms of a polar bear’s year. Get a biologist's perspective on the polar bear's annual life cycle in this webinar with Eleanor Edye, Interim Research Manager at Churchill Northern Studies Center in Manitoba. Eleanor will discuss the changing dynamics of the 19 polar bear populations around the Arctic, with a focus on Canada’s western Hudson Bay population. These bears follow an autumn migration route past Churchill and onto the Hudson Bay sea ice, where they hunt for ringed seals in winter before returning to den on the tundra in locations like Wapusk National Park, where they give birth in the spring. Find out how polar bears’ use of space and resources varies throughout the year, and how this behavior differs depending on a bear’s age and sex. Eleanor will also share intriguing facts about polar bear biology, especially the unique characteristics that distinguish polar bears from North America’s black and brown bears. You’ll come away with an in-depth understanding of the world’s only ursine marine mammal!


Originally presented June 7, 2021

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