Mating Brown and Polar Bear Gives Way to Climate Change-Resilient 'Brolar' Bear

In Russia, brown bears and polar bears have been mating, giving rise to hybrid brown bear cubs that are more climate change resistant. In the past, evidence of the "Brolar bears" or "Pizzlies" species was discovered in both the United States and Canada. Some also refer to the hybrid as Grolar Bears,

But as brown bears are now also being observed in the region of Russia's Far East where polar bears reside, experts believe hybridization may soon take place.

Brolar Bear

As they do not rely as heavily on sea ice for hunting as their polar bear relatives do, brolar bears are known to be better suited to warmer temperatures as compared to polar bears.

These crossbred bears have a predominantly white coat with a brownish tint, and their noses resemble both brown and grizzly bears.

These crossbred bears have a predominantly white coat with a brownish tint, and their noses resemble both brown and grizzly bears, which are being protected as part of the Bear Islands Nature Reserve.

Dr. Innokentiy Okhlopkov, a biologist from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SBRAS), said that the prevalence of brolar bears is rising.

She said that the tundra is becoming home to brown bears. The lower Kolyma River, where polar bears stay, has brown bear sightings.

She added that for instance, the Anabar District has reported seeing brown bear sightings. There will probably be polar bear and brown bear hybrids in the future.

Polar Bear + Brown Bear

Polar bears hunt for seals that emerge from the water for air using sea ice and rely on a specialized diet of blubber to survive.

Larisa DeSantis, a Paleontologist from Vanderbilt University, said that Between 500,000 and 600,000 years ago, the polar bear and the grizzly bear had a common ancestor before diverging.

A polar bear's canines are larger than its molars, which are smaller than those of a grizzly bear. This is because they eat jello-basically blubber-all day long.

Polar bears have elongated skulls, which are perfectly suited to their ability to hunt seals, as a means of making up for this.

Arctic Ice Depleting, Source of Food Depleting

But numerous studies have shown that the Arctic ice cover is disappearing, making it more challenging for them to obtain the nutrition they require.

NASA has confirmed that the amount of Arctic winter sea ice this year is the tenth-lowest on record, missing a total area that is approximately 40 times the size of Wales.

NASA commented that these patterns are connected to global warming brought on by human activities like carbon dioxide emissions, which trap heat in the atmosphere and raise temperatures.

According to the Institute of Permafrost Studies at SBRAS, In the past 50 years, the average annual air temperature in Yakutia has increased by 1.26°F (1.1°C), reaching 38°F (3.4°C).

Polar bears have been observed moving inland in search of more food due to the altered terrain.

Read also: Animal Hybrids: How Interbreeding is Making the Animal Gene Pool More Diverse 

Bear Meets Bear

The two species come into contact because their habitats overlap as brown bears have been able to hunt further north due to the warming climate.

Because of this, the bears have been giving birth to hybrid cubs, which were first spotted in the wild in 2006 when Canadian Arctic hunters were able to kill a white bear with brown patches.

Grizzly bears, unlike polar bears, are better suited to scavenge dead animals when food is scarce or to consume hard foods such as plant tubers.

This indicates that brown bears are better able than polar bears to adjust to a changing diet and environment, which may help preserve the polar gene.

Inbreeding and Cannibalism

Experts have cautioned that because brown bears outnumber their polar bear cousins in the north, they could "genetically eat polar bears up."

Research has found that polar habitat loss is causing the species to inbreed, which lowers the fertility of their progeny and drives them to cannibalism.

The majority of polar bear populations, which depend on Arctic sea ice as their natural habitat, are in danger of going extinct by 2100, according to a 2020 study published in Nature Climate Change.

Poaching, trophy hunting, and environmental pollution are other dangers to them, Daily Mail reports.

Related article: Climate Change is Forcing Grizzly and Polar Bears to Mate, Resulting in 'Pizzly' Hybrids