Open AccessPolar bear depredation of a thick-billed murre fledgling in open water at Prince Leopold Island, Nunavut
Author(s) -
Martyn E. Obbard,
Christopher Di Corrado,
João N. Franco,
Roger Pimenta,
Boris Wise
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
polar research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.508
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1751-8369
pISSN - 0800-0395
DOI - 10.33265/polar.v41.8176
Subject(s) - ursus maritimus , foraging , predation , geography , range (aeronautics) , ecology , open water , circumpolar star , fishery , biology , arctic , oceanography , geology , materials science , composite material
Sea-ice distribution and duration are declining across the circumpolar range of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus), resulting in a reduced access to ice-obligate seals, its primary prey. Consequently, polar bears may have increased reliance on alternative food sources in the future. Foraging on land is well documented but foraging in open water is less understood. We report the successful depredation of a thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in open water near Prince Leopold Island, Nunavut, and discuss implications for understanding the behavioural plasticity of polar bears and their opportunistic foraging patterns.