fearandloathing
Member (Idle past 4405 days) Posts: 990 From: Burlington, NC, USA Joined: 02-24-2011
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Message 836 of 851 (606234)
02-24-2011 12:21 PM
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I am new here and think this will be the place for this post. I have seen several times in news and online now of Polar/grizzly or Kodiak, brown bear hybrids being found in the Canadian north and in AK. Several have been shot by different hunters and DNA confirms the polar bears are breeding with other bears, mostly grizzlies. I feel it is good proof of evolution. The polar bears habitat is on the decline and they are spending more time closer to grizzlies and are breeding with them. Now this new bear may go nowhere and just end up as an oddball, much like the hybrid Mule/whitetail deer. But if it can better take advantage of a new and changing environment better than the polar of grizzly it may become the dominate species. Polar bears as we know them may only be left in zoos in 100 years maybe?? The new hybrid may push the grizzlies farther south?? If the new hybrid has more of a tolerance for warmer weather it may migrate south as its polar bear cousin is so adapted for life on ice it cannot. I think this represents a great example of Bio-diversity through evolution.
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fearandloathing
Member (Idle past 4405 days) Posts: 990 From: Burlington, NC, USA Joined: 02-24-2011
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Message 840 of 851 (606260)
02-24-2011 1:46 PM
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Reply to: Message 837 by NoNukes 02-24-2011 12:42 PM
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Well I am no scientist ...lol a under-employed plumber actually. I nor anyone could say yet if this will become a new bear or just a few freaks of nature?? But Having new traits ...I would think it will be years,,,many generations before these oddities might become a new species which doesn't breed with other bears. That may never happen at all and the polar bears may just be re-absorbed into the grizzly bears so to speak. By doing that though you would be changing the northern grizzlies with the addition of polar DNA and maybe some of their traits as well. If this new hybrid does make it, then watching it and its develop may prove interesting. Only time will tell. But if a bear could do what a grizzly does and hunt in and around any seasonal ice would probably do ok...not sure I will have to look but I don't think polar bears hibernate... I will look...but that could be good or maybe bad...lol like I said too many ifs...just thought I would run it up the pole an see who salutes
This message is a reply to: | | Message 837 by NoNukes, posted 02-24-2011 12:42 PM | | NoNukes has seen this message but not replied |
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fearandloathing
Member (Idle past 4405 days) Posts: 990 From: Burlington, NC, USA Joined: 02-24-2011
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Message 841 of 851 (606263)
02-24-2011 1:51 PM
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Reply to: Message 839 by Blue Jay 02-24-2011 1:32 PM
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LOL thanks...I was writing my next post as you wrote this one...I agree with you completly...well I googled hybrid bears and found a coule wiki may not??? who knows but thanks for intelligent replies...
This message is a reply to: | | Message 839 by Blue Jay, posted 02-24-2011 1:32 PM | | Blue Jay has seen this message but not replied |
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