Polar bear depredation of a thick-billed murre fledgling in open water at Prince Leopold Island, Nunavut

Sea-ice distribution and duration are declining across the circumpolar range of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus), resulting in a reduced access to ice-obligate seals, its primary prey. Consequently, polar bears may have increased reliance on alternative food sources in the future. Foraging on land i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Research
Main Authors: Obbard, Martyn E., Di Corrado, Christopher, Franco, João, Pimenta, Roger, Wise, Boris
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2022
Subjects:
Climate warming
plasticity in foraging behaviour
Uria lomvia
Ursus maritimus
sea-ice loss
jumplings
Leopold Island
Nunavut
Prince Leopold Island
Polar Research
Sea ice
thick-billed murre
uria
Online Access:https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/8176
https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v41.8176
Description
Summary:Sea-ice distribution and duration are declining across the circumpolar range of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus), resulting in a reduced access to ice-obligate seals, its primary prey. Consequently, polar bears may have increased reliance on alternative food sources in the future. Foraging on land is well documented but foraging in open water is less understood. We report the successful depredation of a thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in open water near Prince Leopold Island, Nunavut, and discuss implications for understanding the behavioural plasticity of polar bears and their opportunistic foraging patterns. _______________________________ View the supplementary video

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