Category: animals

Hope in the Ice – Rare Adoption of a Polar Bear Cub near Churchill Surprises Researchers

Marcel Schütz

Near the small town of Churchill in northeastern Manitoba, a mother polar bear was spotted with two cubs – but only one of them was her own.

Climate Change Puts Arctic Migratory Birds Under Time Pressure

Heiner Kubny

Climate change is altering the rhythm of nature, particularly noticeably in the Arctic. Spring now begins much earlier there than it did just a few decades ago.

Rockabye baby: the ‘love songs’ of lonely leopard seals resemble human nursery rhymes

Polar Journal AG Team

Male leopard seals sing for hours each day over many weeks and their patterned trills resemble the structure of human nursery rhymes. A new study reveals that these underwater love songs may be deliberately simple and repetitive, helping the seals stand out and be heard across vast icy waters.

Protecting Arctic foxes in Fennoscandia from genetic decline

Julia Hager

Following a dramatic decline, Arctic foxes are gradually recovering in northern Europe thanks to targeted conservation efforts. But while their numbers are rising, their genetic diversity isn’t – and targeted interventions are now underway to address the risks of inbreeding.

Marine sanctuaries – hope for whales & dolphins in captivity

Julia Hager

Three organizations have taken an important step toward a more species-appropriate life for whales and dolphins in captivity: They are developing the world’s first ocean sanctuaries as alternatives to keeping them in concrete tanks.