Tundra Bears

Just so everyone knows,  the tundra bears name is not an official name of polar bears. It was simply available in Blogger! Polar bears, scientifically known as Ursus maritimus, are actually marine mammals. However, the interesting thing about them is that they live on the top of the ocean's surface - on the sea ice. Consequently, they are considered non-aquatic. I called them tundra bears because this is where the bears around the Hudson Bay spend their summers.

Unlike other bears, summer is the time when polar bears are going through something similar to hibernation. They are driven onto the land because of the melting sea ice in the Hudson Bay. During this time, they are not able to hunt their favorite food- ringed and bearded seals. Their metabolism slows, and they conserve energy. For much of this time, they do not eliminate any waste, nor do they eat. We saw some bears digging into the kelp and chewing on it, but this does not offer them any nutrition. They rely on seals that are 50% fat for their diet, so they need to get out on the ice.

Polar bears rely on sea ice for survival. That is why this is the best time to see them in Churchill. They are all waiting to go back out on the sea ice, particularly the ice that covers the seal-rich continental shelf. They lose about a kilogram while waiting for the ice to form each fall. That is why when we saw two males encounter each other, they only spent a little energy while sparring, then they would rest near each other. These fights were not serious. If these same bears were to encounter each other out on the ice in the winter, they would have much more serious brawls. At that point, competition for mates and food is much stronger.