The effects of melting sea ice could be dramatic for polar bears.
These large carnivorous mammals spend less time at sea... And more and more time on dry land, where their behavior and diet vary leading to worrying weight losses.
This is the result of a study led by scientists from the USGS and Washington State University, who placed cameras on 20 polar bears in Manitoba, Canada.
After dozens of hours of images and surveys carried out on the animals, the researchers arrived at an alarming conclusion published in the journal “Nature Communications”.
“Although terrestrial polar bears exhibit remarkable behavioral plasticity, our results reinforce the risk of starvation,” they write.
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In the images released by the USGS and Washington State University, we can see these carnivores feeding on bird carcasses, berries or even grass when they do not spend the vast majority of their time lying down, in order to keep their strengths.
These animals, which can weigh between 300 kg and 400 kg on average, lost around 1 kg per day per individual during the duration of the study, the scientists explain.
“Ultimately, our results reinforce the risk of starvation for polar bears who are predicted to be forced to spend more time on land,” they explain.