Each year, the Polar Bears International Bear Tracker follows a subset of GPS-collared female polar bears in Hudson Bay. By monitoring these movement data, scientists can determine when and how polar bears use their sea ice home, helping us better understand what the species needs to survive and thrive.
The polar bears on our Bear Tracker were on the move this fall. Some were waiting for freeze-up on Hudson Bay while pregnant females entered their maternity dens, where they likely gave birth to one to three cubs in late December or early January. Learn about what these bears have been up to and their different choices as they follow the changing sea ice while hunting seals.
This now 8-year–old female, with her yearling in tow, has been on the move all fall. Ares is currently well off the coast of the Ontario-Manitoba border, near central Hudson Bay. We started following this family in October when they were on the north coast of Wapusk National Park in Manitoba. As temperatures dropped, they moved east, possibly passed right through the Town of Churchill, crossed the Churchill River, then headed up the coast looking for signs of ice. Throughout November, they continued their moves north, getting onto the ice late in the month. Once on the ice, Ares immediately pivoted south, swooping back down along the coast but, this time, having more access to hunt seals on the ice during her travels. This little family has moved hundreds of kilometres already as this yearling grows and learns more about being a polar bear. We can’t wait to see what they do next!
X33653 - AAC Bear - Arctic Ambassador
Our 11-year-old Arctic Ambassador Bear and her two yearlings were in no rush to get to the coast this year. This mom started her fall as usual, well within Wapsuk National Park and did not head north until about mid-November. Once on the coast, she and her yearlings waited a few days for the right conditions before getting on the ice northwest of Churchill around December 1st. Since then, AAC Bear has been heading into the middle of the bay, no doubt devouring seals as she goes while teaching her cubs how to navigate shifting sea ice, avoid large males, and sniff out prey in the dark and cold conditions. The two yearlings are likely AAC Bear’s third (or so) litter, so she already has some experience being a mom. We look forward to following this family’s next steps!
X33991 - Frontiers North Adventures
What a special bear! This now 6-year-old has two yearlings in tow, but one is not biologically hers. As confirmed by Environment and Climate Change Canada researchers this fall, X33991 has adopted one of these cubs under unknown circumstances. It might partly be because this is a young bear, and this may be her first time as a mom, but there are likely other reasons that we will never know. No matter what, we do know that the adopted cub now has a much, much better chance of survival thanks to having a mom to protect and teach it how to hunt and live on sea ice.
Even with an extra mouth to feed, this young mama has a lot of energy and has stayed on the move! Starting well inside Wapusk National Park this fall, this family moved to the coast in mid-November, passed by the landfill, headed west along the coast, crossed the Churchill River, and then headed north up the western coast of the bay. They continued into Nunavut, getting onto the first traces of ice where possible and passing by Arviat in early December before heading well out on the ice. Since then, this young family has swooped southeast into the bay and is currently right near the middle of this expanse, no doubt eating seals along the way and learning together. Only time will tell what happens to this special family, but we are full of hope and can’t wait to find out.
Vicky is a West Coast girl! Starting in Wapusk National Park this fall, this 16-year-old and her two yearlings hit the coast well east of Churchill in mid-November, then just kept walking north, following along the coast of Nunavut and tracking the first signs of ice. Vicky travelled just north of Arviat before veering south in late November onto the expanding icy ocean platform, still sticking to the west side of the Bay. This experienced mom will be continually teaching her cubs how to find food, avoid males, and navigate their cold, shifting ground. Her yearlings have just over a year left with their mom, so there are many lessons left to learn! We will be following closely to see if Vicky ever ventures farther east!
X32465 - PBI Storytelling - Ursula 2.0
This 22-year-old experienced mom has one yearling in tow and is hoping to help both of them eat as much seal blubber as possible on their travels this winter. Ursula 2.0 and her cub started their fall well inland on the border of southwest Wapusk National Park. They did not begin heading to the coast until mid-November, but made good time once on the move. They landed on the sea ice off Cape Churchill in early December and, once on the ice, headed southeast for a while before veering off the coast of northern Ontario and, recently, a bit south again. That’s a lot of zigzagging! In total, this family hasn’t moved far, but they seem to move efficiently and don’t mind backtracking when needed! Ursula 2.0 has all her attention devoted to her one yearling: this cub has just over a year left with its mom, so it needs to soak up as many polar bear lessons as possible this season. We wish this family well as we wait to see what they do over the spring!
Twenty-one-year-old Siku seems to be denning well inland from the coast of Manitoba, having settled in mid-October into a den. This means she would have lost her cub from last year and mated on the sea ice last spring. While sad that she lost last year’s cub, this is not surprising, as cubs only have about a 50% survival rate even at the best of times. And, the fact that she is now in a den is hopeful because it means she was able to successfully gain enough weight and sustain herself to have another pregnancy implant this fall. Right now, she would have given birth to a new cub or cubs in her maternal den and be nursing them for the next month or two. We wish Siku well with her new family and hope she emerges from her den this March with a cub or two in tow to head to the ice for a long overdue meal!
X33532 - Natural Exposures - Portia
This 14-year-old has her two two-year-olds in tow for the next couple of months. These cubs should be big enough now to help their mom hunt some seals, and so all can get as fat as possible before Portia weans them this spring, and starts looking for a new mate and the next chapter. After being weaned, the two-year-olds will be classified as subadults and enter a challenging chapter in a polar bear’s life where they’re not fully grown and have a lot of lessons to learn, alone, out on that sea ice. Once they turn 5, they will be adults and much better at handling whatever the environment throws at them. Hopefully, Portia taught them well, and she may even be looking forward to a bit of time only worrying about feeding herself. However, Portia’s next chapter will be mating and gaining enough fat to sustain a pregnancy over this fall and next winter. Good luck to this family, we will keep a close eye on them!
Twenty-two-year-old Aurora and her two two-year-olds are taking a different path this round. When we followed them last winter, they had looped into northwest/central Hudson Bay. But this year, after hitting the coast in mid-December, Aurora has taken her cubs farther south into the bay. She is likely following her nose to where the seals are, and it is good for these cubs to learn about different regions as they will soon be on their own. Aurora’s offspring will be weaned this spring, ready to be subadults and learn to make it without mom. They may stick together for a while, but will likely be on their own soon, applying all the lessons they learned from Aurora about hunting, navigating, and staying safe. Meanwhile, Aurora will be looking to mate and gain as much weight as possible this spring in preparation for another pregnancy this fall/next winter. Best wishes to this family as they each begin a new chapter!
X33570 - Explore.org - Betty White
Now at 14 years old, Betty White should have two two-year-olds in tow and, as usual, nothing slows her down. This family started their fall journey farther south on Wapusk National Park’s east coast, heading up the coast to Cape Churchill for early November. They quickly moved north of Churchill onto the first signs of ice, then headed back southeast off the east coast of Wapusk in early December. They are currently shooting through the central region of the bay - will Betty White cross Hudson Bay like she did last year? What a fascinating mom! We know her cubs have learned a lot from her, and it's a good thing because this spring they will be weaned and head out on their own as subadults. Betty White will have some time with just her own mouth to feed, though she will need to eat a lot in plans to mate sometime this spring and sustain a pregnancy this fall. Best wishes to Betty White. We can’t wait to see what she does next!
