...thought you all might be interested



Nathan VanderKlippe, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, May 09, 2006
YELLOWKNIFE, N.W.T. -- DNA analysis has confirmed that an odd-looking bear discovered in the Far North is the first cross-bred polar and grizzly bear ever discovered in the wild.

Now the search is on to name it. "Pizzly" and "grolar bear" were among the first to surface after the bear was shot April 16 on the southern tip of Banks Island, 2,000 kilometres north of Edmonton.

Jim Martell, a 65-year-old sporthunter from Idaho, prefers "polargrizz."

Mr. Martell shot the mid-sized male after his Inuit guide pointed out what looked like a polar bear in the distance. Authorities seized the animal after noticing its polar-bear-white fur was mottled with brown patches, and its eyes were set inside thin circles of black skin. It also bore some distinctly grizzly-like features, including long claws, a humped back and a dished face.

When it became clear this was not a normal polar bear Mr. Martell, who had paid $50,000 to hire guides and buy a polar bear tag for the hunt, was left facing possible charges for shooting an animal he was not permitted to hunt. Now the Northwest Territories’ Environment and Natural Resources Department plans to return the bear, since its genetics are half polar bear, leaving Mr. Martell with what might be the most unique Arctic bear skin on earth.

"It will be quite a trophy," Mr. Martell said last week, before hearing that the bear was his to keep. Yesterday, he had returned to Yellowknife for another hunt, this time for a grizzly bear, and was unavailable for comment.

Not surprisingly, though, his bear has stirred considerable curiosity in the hunting and scientific communities.

"It’s very interesting," said Ian Stirling, Canada’s leading polar bear biologist. Some in his office have begun floating the name "nanulak," combining the Inuit names for polar bear - nanuk - and grizzly - aklak.

In tiny Sachs Harbour, where Mr. Martell’s guide Roger Kuptana lives, the going name is "Half-Breed" - and the bear is the talk of the town.

"Myself, I don’t even know what to call it," said Mr. Kuptana, who has hunted bears for 40 years. "The elders and biologists have never heard of polar bears and grizzlies mating in the wild, although it’s been known to happen in zoos."

What’s clear is that the union that produced the bear was more than a chance encounter on the sea ice, a frozen one-night stand. Female polar bears and grizzlies only become fertile after repeated mating - and the animals usually spend many days courting before parting ways again.

"They would have to have been together very likely for at least a week," said Mr. Stirling.

So was it love?

"I don’t deal in things like that," he said.

Desperation is a more likely reason. Driven by a biological urge to pass on its genetics, the grizzly bear could find none of its own species high in the Arctic, and took the next-best option.

"You can imagine that animal eventually lowering its standards," said David Paetkau, a geneticist with Wildlife Genetics, the Nelson, B.C.-firm that confirmed the bear’s dual lineage.

That kind of behaviour could have serious ramifications for the Arctic, however. Grizzly bears normally live on the Arctic mainland and southern Victoria Island, but in the past decade they have been sighted on islands farther north in the Arctic archipelago. The hybrid bear could be a one-time anomaly, but it could also be a worrisome sign of things to come.

"As grizzly bears expand their range north, (inter-breeding) becomes another potential threat to polar bears," said Mr. Paetkau. "If there’s too much inter-breeding, the grizzly bear genes could eventually wash out the polar bear, and they could become basically grizzly bears with a little more northern habitat."

Scientists already have evidence that grizzly bears can adapt to hunting seals, and Mr. Kuptana said the bear’s stomach contained bits of seal meat, suggesting it had adopted polar bear ways.

And though it remains unclear which species sired the bear, Mr. Stirling said there could actually be more cross-breeds roaming the High Arctic.

"There could be a litter-mate," he said. "Or, one male might mate with two, three, four, maybe even five different females in the same season. So it’s always possible there could be more of these dudes out there."

To bad he shot it.

But then again no one would have beleived him if he had not.....

TKD

...I think I know what you're getting at....

That pisses me off. I think it illustrates what someone who shoots a sasquatch might expect.



Thankfully, more reasonable and judicious minds prevailed.



Excellent point, TDK. But, actually, I doubt he knew until after it was shot. In fact, he probably didn't "know" until a biologist in the NWENRD (can we shorten that to NERD?) took the "courageous" step of ruling that it was a hybrid.

The same thing happened here in Alaska years ago, but there was nobody with the b*lls to put his name to a "decision". It appeared to be a hybrid between a brown bear and a black bear. The hunter harvested the bear here in the Cook Inlet area, and submitted the skull to Boone and Crockett. It would have been a new world record black bear, but B&C had biological questions about the skull. Eventually, it wasn't accepted by B&C. ADFG looked into the issue out of pure curiosity, but nobody was willing to admit the possibility of a black/brown bear hybrid.

The issue simply died.

I have seen acouple of articles on this when before he shot it he thought the color of the coat seemed liked like different shade of white than normal and after he shot it he and got close to it did have enough Grizzly features that he realized it wasn't full blooded polar bear.

So the brown bear is a grizzly, I assume? And the black bear is just ... a north american black bear? Is that what you mean? I guess I never really thought of them cross-breeding. But then again, why not? If their territories overlap, I would expect it, or am I being naive?

A brown bear, a kodiak and a grizzly are all variations of the same species, the black bear is a different but has a range much, much wider, we have them in new england, they have them in florida, they have them so I hear, in New mexico, they have them in Alaska.

Other species, just to be an info whore, the sloth bear in India, the Honey Bear (I think) in South America, are different species, and while the sloth bear is a fruit eater, it apparently is quite aggressive, attacking more locals than tigers do.

I think it's interesting. Gotta research it more. Will be following the thread...

Actually guys not only would it be possible for Black bear and Brown bear to cross breed but produce fully fertile offspring just like with Grizzly and Polar Bear all 3 have the same number of chromosones and what cause the males to always be sterile in most hybridization is that the 2 parents don't have the same number of chromosones.

CNN has a story on this today. Looks like DNA proves it's a hybrid:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/05/...d.ap/index.html

Ganglian is correct. Brown bears are considered the same species in North America, Europe, and Asia, but are only found in the northern hemisphere. Many local genetic breeds occur, however, like the Kodiak bears, Kamchatka bears, Alexander Archipelago bears, Rocky Mountain grizzlies, the now extinct California grizzlies, etc.

Black bears are known as the American black bear, and they also have local genetic breeds like the Kermode bear (in BC, with lots of white coloration), and glacier bears (along the Gulf of Alaska coast, where a blue color phase is found). And just about anywhere in North America, a black bear can produce a brown color phase.

The different build between the two species is what seperates them. Black bears tend to be smaller, and have shorter, curved, retractable claws (for climbing trees).

Brown bears are heavier, have a distinct shoulder hump, large skulls, and long, digging type front claws.

Brown bears tend to kill black bears if they can catch them (hell, they kill each other when they can catch them). I suspect that's why hybrids are so rare.

Brown bears are quite literally Ice Age monsters. They have very aggressive attitudes. They have a very difficult time living in close proximity with man (who are also monsters, and have very aggressive attitudes). Younger "adolescent" bears can be like human teenagers - getting in trouble all the time. They're lucky to survive that time of life. Older, larger boars tend to have that "king of the forest" attitude. They're really smart to have survived that long, and tend to avoid man like the plague. But if you run across them and piss them off, you're in a world of hurt.

I just got back from checking my bear bait. It has been out there two weeks, and didn't get hit at all. I just cleaned it up and I'm giving up for the year (the baiting season closes June 15th, and I have lots of work to do for Mrs. Huntster).

Halfway out there, on a trail of pure mud, I came across a single front footprint and single rear print of a huge grizzly. The front print had slid in the mud, and was of poor quality. The rear print was a bit better. It was as long as my size 13 hip wader boot, and nearly twice as wide. (Sorry, Scotto; no hydrocal yet. I owe ya, and I'll produce). I'd estimate that bear at squaring 9', and weighing anywhere from 850 to 1,000 lbs. What's remarkable is that the bear clearly avoided walking the trail itself, or it would have left a long trackway. It walked where it wouldn't leave tracks, because those were the only two prints I saw. I saw no sign of black bear at all.

Brown bears can't be taken over bait, and I think he owns that place. It was wise to clean up and give up.

I don't even want to see that guy.

What are they worried about? Isn't that their beloved evolutionary theory in action?

Hey Huntster,

Living in Alaska, have you ever hunted the Brown (Kodiak) bears??

No. I've hunted blacktail deer on Kodiak Island, though, and sure saw bears there. Kodiak has a very limited permitting system, because so many folks want to hunt the island. I've only applied for a permit there once, and that was when I was going deer hunting there. I didn't get the bear permit.

I've hunted brown bear on the Alaska Peninsula, and have seen lots of inland grizzlies throughout the interior portions of the state. Brown bear permitting is really complicated. Statewide, a non-resident has to hire a guide to hunt brown bear. Residents normally need to buy a $25 locking tag, but in some Game Management Units, that isn't needed. I usually buy the tag regardless in January, just for insurance in case I have the opportunity at a nice bear, or if a bear becomes trouble and it is during the legal season.

I even saw the footprint of a very large brown bear on Saturday.

Huntster,

I am sure you have the proper battery for Kodiak bear. They take quite a bit of punishment.

Have a friend who hunted the Kodiak bear on the Kodiak Island. He shot one with a 375 H&H when the bear was standing up looking at him and the guide. After the shot, the bear went down and my pal was getting up to go to the bear. The guide stopped him and told him to kill the bear this time. My pal looked at the bear again. The bear was standing up again and appeared to be getting ready to charge them. That bear was shot 4 more times before it parished.

Good luck, hope you get a permit.