Climate Change: Polar Bears May Survive Ice Melt By Feasting on Caribou and Geese

Polar bears might be able to survive climate change and the melting ice they call home. Scientists have found that the bears may find caribou and snow geese to replace their usual seal diet as important food sources.

"Polar bears are opportunists and have been documented consuming various types and combinations of land-based food since the earliest natural history records," said Robert Rockwell, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Analysis of polar bear scats and first-hand observations have shown us that subadult polar bears, family groups, and even some adult males are already eating plants and animals during the ice-free period."

Previous estimates have predicted polar bear starvation by 2068 due to the breakup of ice. It's expected that during that time, the breakup will separate the bears from their sea-ice hunting grounds for about 180 days each year, creating ice-free seasons that last two months longer than those in the 1980s. But those estimates assume no energetic input from land food sources.

Now, researchers believe that polar bears may be able to supplement their food sources with snow geese and their eggs, and caribou that live near the coast of the western Hudson Bay.

"If caribou herds continue to forage near the coast of Western Hudson Bay when bears come to shore earlier each year, they are likely to become a crucial component of the bears' summertime diet," said Rockwell.

It's uncertain exactly how polar bears will adapt to climate change. However, using land-based food sources could be a way for these charismatic creatures to survive.

The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.

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