Polar Bears on the Hudson Bay--Part 2

After a rest and a great big stretch, the mother bear decided it was time to move around a bit.  (Part 1 can be found here.)

She strolled along the shore of the wetland, investigating and foraging, activity that helps to pass the time and relieve boredom.  

Polar Bears will eat vegetation and kelp when they find it, but scientists believe that these foods hold no nutritional value and that the activity functions to relieve boredom more than anything else.

The cubs were checking things out on the ground around them, as well, and took their time about following the female. She pauses, above, while they catch up.

It is well publicized that the sea ice in the artic region is declining and that this is having an impact on the ecosystem in the circumpolar artic. Polar Bears rely heavily on the sea ice for hunting, living, resting and breeding.

A November 2014 report published in by Ecological Applications/Ecological Society of America, revealed that the Polar Bear population in northeast Alaska and the Northwest Territories has declined by 40%, a reduction from 1500 to 900 bears between 2001-2010.

In this amazingly harsh environment, the sea ice provides an entire ecosystem inhabited by plankton and micro-organisms that nourish seals and other marine wildlife, that in turn, furnish the food needed by Polar Bears.  Polar Bears rely heavily on the blubber found in seals to store their own body's blubber, fat deposits under the skin that nourish them in lean times and insulate them from the cold.  

Next to the images of the mother bear with her cubs, I enjoyed seeing this adult bear's behavior as she casually foraged and chewed the grasses she pulled up.  As I considered the harsh environment she thrives in, a summer and fall of fasting, her lone responsibility for the safety and feeding of her cubs, and her eventual return to the sea ice to hunt, she seemed serene here, as if content to rest, chew and investigate.

Polar Bears have the ability to slow down their metabolism to accommodate this seasonal fasting period while access to their primary food source is unavailable.

Her two cubs were busy investigating, too.

One of them found what appeared to be the wing of a bird, possibly left over from a fox kill. The cub picked it up and carried it as he moved forward to rejoin his mother.

This is the twelfth post in a series on my journey to Churchill, Manitoba, to see Polar Bears including a visit to Riding Mountain National Park.  Click the journey to Churchill link to see all the posts.  The most recent post will appear first.  When you reach the end of the page, click "older post" to continue with the series.

Next:  A Dog Sled Experience

Visit my sketchbook page on Polar Bears

Click here for Part 1--Polar Bears on the Hudson Bay

Link to my Polar Bear video

Ecological Society of America
Ecological Applications report of decline of Polar Bears
Hudson Bay Buggies and Bears with Rail Travel Tours
Learn about Polar Bears
Hudson Bay
Eskimo Museum
History of Churchill from Churchill Science
Churchill History
the impact of sea ice decline

Polar Bears on the Hudson Bay

The main diet of Polar Bears is seals, primarily ringed seals, but they also catch other seal species and occasionally kill walruses, belugas and narwhals.  

To hunt seals, bears must wait until the ice freezes on the bay.  Though they are good swimmers, they need to climb out of the water and onto ice to rest and remain warm.   Churchill is positioned at the mouth of the Churchill River, an area where fresh water enters the bay. The river inflows lower the salt content of the water, allowing the ice to freeze here sooner than it does in other areas of the bay.

We rolled along on the tundra in our "tundra buggy", dry, warm and comfortable with a good view of the area as our guide searched for Polar Bears known to be in the area.   We were very excited to see a female and her cubs of the year, known as "coys".


The female polar bear fasts while nursing her cubs, living entirely on the blubber she has stored in her body.  She conserves her energy by resting and moving slowly and deliberately.  Her cubs also need rest because of their young age, but they are well-nourished by her fat-rich milk.

At one point, the female stood up to her full length and sniffed the air, an incredible sight.  It was speculated that she was checking the air for the scent of a male.

Photo credit:  Billie Cantwell

Male Polar Bears will kill cubs. While females can sometimes fight off a male attack, it is much safer for her to avoid areas where males are present.  

This is the eleventh post in a series on my journey to Churchill, Manitoba, to see Polar Bears including a visit to Riding Mountain National Park.  Click the journey to Churchill link to see all the posts.  The most recent post will appear first.  When you reach the end of the page, click "older post" to continue with the series.

Link to my Polar Bear video
Hudson Bay Buggies and Bears with Rail Travel Tours
Learn about Polar Bears
Hudson Bay
Eskimo Museum
History of Churchill from Churchill Science
Churchill History
the impact of sea ice decline