The climate change threat to polar bears is well known, driven by the extraordinary pace of change in the Arctic, which is warming twice as fast as the planet as a whole. PARIS: Hungry polar bears are increasingly foraging on seabird eggs as climate change shrinks their Arctic hunting grounds, but research published on Wednesday on the phenomenon highlights the struggle these apex predators have to adapt to their rapidly changing environment.
Some bears are also coming ashore at the same time seabirds are nesting and are snacking on their eggs. Many polar bears are already facing a climate-driven threat as dwindling sea ice cuts short the time they have to hunt seals, their preferred prey. Bears also did not consistently realise that the sudden appearance of a fleeing eider hen meant eggs were nearby.
In July, a study published in Nature Climate Change estimated the species would be starved to extinction by 2100. Researchers at Vanderbilt University, who examined dental wear in skulls held in museums, said polar bears are so specialised in their diets that they may struggle to adapt to the warming Arctic.
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