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Post by Polar on Apr 11, 2018 18:03:35 GMT -5
Polar bears have a slightly larger brain for their body size than brown bears or black bears do, and the reasons for this are still in speculation. Even the hypothesis that a "bigger brain/body ratio correlates to greater intelligence" is being thoroughly researched.
BUT, it is very well known that dynamic environments contribute to a higher initial brain size at first and multiple rewiring of some portions of the brains quite a lot, and that in static environments the brain prefers to automate processes to make itself more energy efficient and create an easier living process. If you consider the environment of the polar bear, it is constantly being bombarded by many different events: melting and growing of ice flows, unpredictable growth/lack of prey, scatter-brained weather processes mostly due to a greater lack of ozone layer in the Arctic, huge tidal and glacial influences, and so many other factors that a polar bear has to look at. Most, if not all, of these factors are severely unpredictable, in contrast to the the more constant living area of other bears: more consistent base of prey, predictable seasons, more predictable patterns in general.
Similar to human brains when going from a dynamic to a more static environment, early human and Neanderthal (not earlier like Homo Erectus or Habilis) brains were 10-15% larger than today's brains because they still had to adapt to the changing conditions around the globe, especially as they migrated. As more and more agriculture came, most humans become more automated in their thinking (with a few 'geniuses' carrying the brunt of intelligent, dynamic thinking).
Could be that polar bears are still evolving and adapting to the Arctic (less than half-a-million years is still not enough for complete adaptation), which could be why their brains are slightly bigger for body size than brown bears?
Interesting topic; can't believe I forgot to create an intelligence thread for the polar bear when I started the forum.
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Post by Polar on Apr 11, 2018 18:12:31 GMT -5
From "Polar Bears" by Ian Sterling, 1998.
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Post by Polar on Apr 11, 2018 18:17:26 GMT -5
From "Polar Bears: A Complete Guide to Their Biology and Behavior" by Andrew Derocher, 2014.
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Post by King Kodiak on Nov 6, 2018 16:56:12 GMT -5
Arctic Bears Bear Intelligence June 10, 2008 More Held in awe by Native American Indians, classic characters in folklore, feared, trapped, hunted, displayed in zoos and made to perform in circuses, the bear has long had a complicated relationship with humans. The bear intimidates with its size and strength, but it may be the bear’s undeniable intelligence that causes us to revere the creature even as we fear him. Considered by many wildlife biologists to be one of the most intelligent land animals of North America, bears possess the largest and most convoluted brains relative to their size of any land mammal. In the animal kingdom, their intelligence compares with that of higher primates. As highly evolved social animals, bears form hierarchies and have structured relationships with each other, sometimes even sharing resources. In fact, the polar bear, typically thought of as solitary, actually lives within a community of other polar bears and never loses track of other members. We’ve witnessed them performing complex tasks — a sign of an ability to learn and process information. We’ve seen circus bears balance on balls, ride vehicles or roller skate, and play sports and musical instruments. Zookeepers and animal trainers consider bears to be smarter than dogs. The bear’s cunning is legendary when it comes to guarding itself against danger from hunters and poachers. The animal’s uncanny ability to evade human predators during hunting season could almost be considered forethought. Some researchers believe that grizzlies possess self-awareness, as there have been accounts of grizzly bears covering their tracks or concealing themselves from hunters with rocks and trees. Beyond this ursine wiliness, we find further proofs of their intelligence in their habits. Like humans, bears are omnivores. It’s well known that omnivores are often substantially smarter than more specialized feeders. Following a varied diet means that bears have to remember a great deal of information about food sources — where to find which foods and when. A grizzly’s memory is so sharp that he can remember where they encountered a certain food ten or more years earlier. And bears remember familiar animals for years, recognizing them and identifying their social status from a distance as far as 2,000 feet away. It helps that bears are creatures of detail. They take constant inventory of their surroundings, allowing them to compile a detailed map of their territories, complete with information on where to find their preferred foods and when they can obtain them. The polar bear lives in a world of an ever-changing landscape. Hunting and surviving within an ice relief below water and on the surface demands a sharp memory. To learn survival skills from their mother, cubs spend several years with her. She educates them about what plants are good to eat and where to find them. By the time a juvenile bear leaves its mother, it knows what plant foods are available at each time of the season, and what habitats are likely to have those foods over a very large area. That knowledge serves them well as they move into new areas, learning and remembering where new food sources are found in a new environment. This knowledge is also critical to finding food when food sources change drastically from year to year depending upon weather and climate. In our own encounters with wild bears, we know that a bear’s resourcefulness seems to know no limits. Bears have long been engaged in a battle to figure out ways in which to benefit from living in close proximity with us. They are constantly devising new ways to get at garbage, empty birdfeeders, devour fruits from orchards and farms, clear out beehives, and open metal and glass cars to get to food that their keen sense of smell draws them to. The occurrence of polar bears scavenging in town dumps in Manitoba is on the rise. And both grizzly bears and polar bears have become more popular visitors of the dump in the North Slope town of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Grizzly bears in national parks have become so adept at getting into garbage bins and camper trash, that new models of supposedly “bear proof” containers are rolled out each season. New models are “market tested” with grizzlies who had to be removed from the wild because they were too comfortable around humans. As highly intelligent and adaptable as bears are, they continue to suffer an unfortunate fate at our hands. Many bears are needlessly captured and shot because of human fear and carelessness. “Nuisance” bears, or bears that raid garbage or property, are only a nuisance when humans fail to take precautions that can keep the bears away. As humans move into territories that traditionally belong to the bears, encounters between the two will become more common. As intelligent as bears are, humans are the more advanced and intelligent species. It is our responsibility, then, to ensure that these creatures live safely within both of our worlds. www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/arctic-bears-bear-intelligence/779/
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2018 23:36:44 GMT -5
Arctic Bears Bear Intelligence June 10, 2008 More Held in awe by Native American Indians, classic characters in folklore, feared, trapped, hunted, displayed in zoos and made to perform in circuses, the bear has long had a complicated relationship with humans. The bear intimidates with its size and strength, but it may be the bear’s undeniable intelligence that causes us to revere the creature even as we fear him. Considered by many wildlife biologists to be one of the most intelligent land animals of North America, bears possess the largest and most convoluted brains relative to their size of any land mammal. In the animal kingdom, their intelligence compares with that of higher primates. As highly evolved social animals, bears form hierarchies and have structured relationships with each other, sometimes even sharing resources. In fact, the polar bear, typically thought of as solitary, actually lives within a community of other polar bears and never loses track of other members. We’ve witnessed them performing complex tasks — a sign of an ability to learn and process information. We’ve seen circus bears balance on balls, ride vehicles or roller skate, and play sports and musical instruments. Zookeepers and animal trainers consider bears to be smarter than dogs. The bear’s cunning is legendary when it comes to guarding itself against danger from hunters and poachers. The animal’s uncanny ability to evade human predators during hunting season could almost be considered forethought. Some researchers believe that grizzlies possess self-awareness, as there have been accounts of grizzly bears covering their tracks or concealing themselves from hunters with rocks and trees. Beyond this ursine wiliness, we find further proofs of their intelligence in their habits. Like humans, bears are omnivores. It’s well known that omnivores are often substantially smarter than more specialized feeders. Following a varied diet means that bears have to remember a great deal of information about food sources — where to find which foods and when. A grizzly’s memory is so sharp that he can remember where they encountered a certain food ten or more years earlier. And bears remember familiar animals for years, recognizing them and identifying their social status from a distance as far as 2,000 feet away. It helps that bears are creatures of detail. They take constant inventory of their surroundings, allowing them to compile a detailed map of their territories, complete with information on where to find their preferred foods and when they can obtain them. The polar bear lives in a world of an ever-changing landscape. Hunting and surviving within an ice relief below water and on the surface demands a sharp memory. To learn survival skills from their mother, cubs spend several years with her. She educates them about what plants are good to eat and where to find them. By the time a juvenile bear leaves its mother, it knows what plant foods are available at each time of the season, and what habitats are likely to have those foods over a very large area. That knowledge serves them well as they move into new areas, learning and remembering where new food sources are found in a new environment. This knowledge is also critical to finding food when food sources change drastically from year to year depending upon weather and climate. In our own encounters with wild bears, we know that a bear’s resourcefulness seems to know no limits. Bears have long been engaged in a battle to figure out ways in which to benefit from living in close proximity with us. They are constantly devising new ways to get at garbage, empty birdfeeders, devour fruits from orchards and farms, clear out beehives, and open metal and glass cars to get to food that their keen sense of smell draws them to. The occurrence of polar bears scavenging in town dumps in Manitoba is on the rise. And both grizzly bears and polar bears have become more popular visitors of the dump in the North Slope town of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Grizzly bears in national parks have become so adept at getting into garbage bins and camper trash, that new models of supposedly “bear proof” containers are rolled out each season. New models are “market tested” with grizzlies who had to be removed from the wild because they were too comfortable around humans. As highly intelligent and adaptable as bears are, they continue to suffer an unfortunate fate at our hands. Many bears are needlessly captured and shot because of human fear and carelessness. “Nuisance” bears, or bears that raid garbage or property, are only a nuisance when humans fail to take precautions that can keep the bears away. As humans move into territories that traditionally belong to the bears, encounters between the two will become more common. As intelligent as bears are, humans are the more advanced and intelligent species. It is our responsibility, then, to ensure that these creatures live safely within both of our worlds. www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/arctic-bears-bear-intelligence/779/Great find. I also read before that bears have intelligence compared to that of primates. This just confirms it.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2018 23:39:09 GMT -5
I never knew a bear could drive a car. This is awesome. This just shows that bears dominate in mostly everything they do. Bears are way smarter than tigers.
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Post by brobear on Nov 7, 2018 4:19:12 GMT -5
I never knew a bear could drive a car. This is awesome. This just shows that bears dominate in mostly everything they do. Bears are way smarter than tigers. Drive a car? Explain.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2018 7:20:41 GMT -5
I never knew a bear could drive a car. This is awesome. This just shows that bears dominate in mostly everything they do. Bears are way smarter than tigers. Drive a car? Explain. I meant to say ride vehicles.
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Post by King Kodiak on Nov 8, 2018 7:22:57 GMT -5
Lmao.
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 14, 2020 10:34:46 GMT -5
Polar bears are intelligent animals that continue to learn throughout their lives. Their natural curiosity excellent memory and formidable hunting skills provide them with the tools they need to survive. Unlike other bears a polar bear's diet is mainly other animals. www.bearsmart.com/docs/polarbearsscript.pdf
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 14, 2020 10:39:04 GMT -5
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 14, 2020 10:40:49 GMT -5
3. Polar bears are clever hunters .Considered by biologists to be one of the smartest land animals in North America, bears exhibit intricate social structures and can perform complex tasks. Polar bears are incredibly smart and patient hunters, and can remain motionless for hours above a seal’s breathing hole in the ice, waiting for the seal to emerge. They also search for seal lairs, where they will crash through the icy roof and attack the seals inside. But polar bears are not just crafty hunters; they are also quite playful, and have been observed wrestling with fellow bear “friends” and sliding repeatedly downhill on ice for fun. It’s not all fun and games though—play is an important part of cub development and helps them practice skills they will later use to hunt and protect themselves. oceanconservancy.org/blog/2015/11/02/four-things-you-should-know-about-polar-bears/
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 14, 2020 10:41:34 GMT -5
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 14, 2020 10:44:51 GMT -5
POLAR BEARS PROVE SMARTER ANIMALS HAVE BIGGER BRAINS.Overall, 35 percent of the animals successfully solved the problem. The bears had an almost 70 percent success rate, and meerkats and mongooses were the least successful, with no individuals from their species solving the problem. www.futurity.org/intelligence-brain-size-1095812-2/
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 14, 2020 10:46:05 GMT -5
Bears in general are quite intelligent and considered to be the most intelligent North American land mammal. They have complex social structures, have been trained to perform complex tasks, are good at evading hunters, and are highly resourceful. Some researchers think that they are self aware. Polar bears in particular show great intelligence. While they don't exhibit some of the feats of memory that grizzlies do, the ways they hunt for seals require a great deal of calculation, although I suspect that their intelligence in this area is so highly adapted that it would not translate well into other areas. Either way, polar bears appear to be highly intelligent, perhaps on par with some primates. On a side note, the urban legend about polar bears covering their nose to be better camouflaged has never been documented. www.quora.com/How-smart-are-polar-bears
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Post by kesagake on Jan 7, 2021 14:17:57 GMT -5
Some guys think Bears are brainless but that thread proves the claim wrong. Good woork👌
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Post by brobear on Aug 5, 2021 2:19:26 GMT -5
www.livescience.com/polar-bears-bludgeon-walruses-boulders.html Polar bears bash walrus skulls with boulders and ice blocks, study suggests. Picture a polar bear stalking an unsuspecting walrus in the frozen Arctic: The predator slowly inches closer, camouflaged by ice and snow, until it's close enough to pounce. And then it delivers the killing blow — by bopping the walrus on the head with a large rock. That might sound like something you'd see in a cartoon, rather than in nature. But for centuries, Inuit people in the Arctic have shared such stories with non-Native explorers and naturalists, describing polar bears killing or stunning prey with stones and chunks of ice that the bears grasp in their paws (or throw off cliffs onto animals at the bottom, according to a memorable 19th-century engraving). A new study looked at Inuit anecdotes describing this behavior — "from a diversity of locations and over a long period of time" — and found they were so widespread and consistent that they suggested that in rare cases, polar bears likely wield such objects as weapons. However, until scientific researchers actually catch the Arctic bears in the act of bludgeoning walruses, it's hard to say for sure.
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Post by yz on May 12, 2022 17:09:05 GMT -5
Level of intelligence displayed by the captive Polar Bear GoGo:
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Post by brobear on Jun 16, 2022 9:12:32 GMT -5
Yes; good post yz. Bear intelligence includes tool usage.
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Jul 12, 2022 16:47:35 GMT -5
I have already seen that picture but nice one .
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