A Case of Offspring Adoption in Free-ranging Polar Bears (Ursus Maritimus)

• Published in: ARCTIC
• Main Authors: Atkinson, S.N., Cattet, M.R.L., Polischuk, S.C., Ramsay, M.A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 1996
• Subjects: polar bear; Ursus maritimus; litter adoption; maternal fitness; ours polaire; adoption de litière; santé maternelle; Baie d'Hudson; Baie-d'Hudson; Canada; Hudson; Hudson Bay; Arctic
• Online Access: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64242

During a study of the reproductive ecology of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in western Hudson Bay (Canada), we documented a case of litter adoption. In an eight-month period, a ten-year-old adult female lost a litter of two cubs-of-the-year and adopted three other cubs-of-the-year. This is the first...