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Post by tom on Jul 21, 2019 18:21:28 GMT -5
Wonder if that Bear would try that with a much smaller Orca? That would be the worst mistake he could ever make.
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Post by King Kodiak on Jul 21, 2019 18:47:00 GMT -5
Wonder if that Bear would try that with a much smaller Orca? That would be the worst mistake he could ever make. Well, if this is accurate, it was a once in a lifetime event. But you are right. The polar/whale interactions exist though.
Credited to UrsusartosVerde
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Post by tom on Jul 21, 2019 20:07:16 GMT -5
I have to believe that Orcas have taken Polar bears as they swim. Probably not a common occurence, but I suspect it happens. Problem is it's highly unlikely anyone would witness such a thing at sea.
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Post by King Kodiak on Jul 21, 2019 20:15:54 GMT -5
I have to believe that Orcas have taken Polar bears as they swim. Probably not a common occurence, but I suspect it happens. Problem is it's highly unlikely anyone would witness such a thing at sea. Could have happened sure. but there has never been an actual documented case yet. This is from zoologist.com
zooologist.com/do-killer-whales-eat-polar-bears/amp/
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Post by King Kodiak on Nov 16, 2019 20:56:10 GMT -5
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Nov 19, 2019 18:43:39 GMT -5
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Post by King Kodiak on Nov 21, 2019 19:14:50 GMT -5
Polar bears scavenge large and small whales from many sources, such as (a) a dead narwhal (Monodon monoceros) in the pack ice north of Svalbard and (b) a bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) harvested by indigenous subsistence hunters in Kaktovik, Alaska. Polar bears may also hunt smaller whales, such as (c) belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in sea-ice entrapments, shown here in the Canadian Arctic. . are few documented accounts of polar bears actively killing small whales, which makes it likely that predation is a learned behavior prac- ticed by a small subset of bears and not important at the population level. Polar bears have been recorded still-hunting (lying or standing motionless while waiting for an opportunity to attack) narwhals and belugas from ice floes, the ice edge (Figure 2a), in sea-ice entrapments (Figure 2c), and river estuaries (Smith and Sjare 1990). In most cases the bear stuns or mortally wounds the whale with a powerful blow to the skull ( Smith and Sjare 1990). ... ... are few documented accounts of polar bears actively killing small whales, which makes it likely that predation is a learned behavior prac- ticed by a small subset of bears and not important at the population level. Polar bears have been recorded still-hunting (lying or standing motionless while waiting for an opportunity to attack) narwhals and belugas from ice floes, the ice edge (Figure 2a), in sea-ice entrapments (Figure 2c), and river estuaries (Smith and Sjare 1990). In most cases the bear stuns or mortally wounds the whale with a powerful blow to the skull ( Smith and Sjare 1990). ... www.google.com/amp/s/www.researchgate.net/figure/Polar-bears-scavenge-large-and-small-whales-from-many-sources-such-as-a-a-dead-narwhal_fig2_329130230/amp
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 27, 2019 2:21:35 GMT -5
http://instagram.com/p/B6a83AgnfKy We had spent a lot of time getting to know this area’s beluga whales so it tough to watch this individual lose its life. That said, we couldn’t help being in awe of this male polar bear as he had just demonstrated one of the most incredible pieces of animal behaviour I’ve seen. His hunting strategy required foresight, patience, athleticism and efficiency. We had watched this bear prepare his ambush hours earlier by swimming half a mile offshore to a big rock that broke the surface of the water. Once on the rock, he laid down and went to sleep. Over the next few hours, the tide rose around his rock and on cue, the belugas began to arrive. The bear knew that at every high tide, the belugas would head into a river mouth. On their journey they would come past the bear’s hunting rock. Now very awake and the rising tide lapping at his feet, he stood motionless waiting for the moment a whale came into range. He then launched into the air and onto the beluga. To kill his prey he went straight for the melon, a fatty bulge on the belugas forehead used for communication and echolocation. Brutal as it may seem to us, this whale will provide a vital and rare summer meal for this bear who would normally spend the summer months on land with no food. Watch the whole scene in the North America episode of ‘Seven Worlds, One Planet’ on iPlayer in the UK now- see link in my bio for other country air dates. Credited to Carnivora. carnivora.net/polar-bear-ursus-maritimus-t1438-s46.html
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 27, 2019 2:27:44 GMT -5
Honestly, a polar bear attacking a beluga in the water (it’s own natural environment) is impressive.
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Post by King Kodiak on Dec 27, 2019 5:53:25 GMT -5
Reply # 27....probably the most impressive hunting scene i have seen of any predator..No lion/tiger has done this in water.
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 27, 2019 7:02:16 GMT -5
Actually a polar bear hunting a beluga in its environment is way more impressive and difficult than a tiger and lion hunting a gaur or Cape buffalo. Belugas are also harder to kill given the fact they have no neck and probably more defence (a neck just as thick as it’s body, thick hide, and a layer of blubber to protect its vitals).
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Post by King Kodiak on Dec 27, 2019 7:17:48 GMT -5
Actually a polar bear hunting a beluga in its environment is way more impressive and difficult than a tiger and lion hunting a gaur or Cape buffalo. Belugas are also harder to kill given the fact they have no neck and probably more defence (a neck just as thick as it’s body, thick hide, and a layer of blubber to protect its vitals). I agree. A tiger/lion would never be able to do that in water. But then again the polar bear is an acuatic specialist. Since global warming is happening and there is less and less ice, i believe polar bears hunting in water will become more common.
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Post by King Kodiak on Jan 6, 2020 20:23:16 GMT -5
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Post by King Kodiak on Jan 18, 2020 5:28:41 GMT -5
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Sept 18, 2021 7:43:10 GMT -5
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 10, 2021 6:56:44 GMT -5
Interesting accounts from Arctozilla: Polar bears do occasionally kill ice entrapped bowhead whales. Claw marks have also been seen on those cetaceans and polar bears possibly prey on neonate bowhead whales. books.google.it/books?id=YVTODwAAQBAJ&pg=PA457&dq=polar+bear+bowhead+whale+kill&hl=it&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjG-vvUoMr0AhU38rsIHQYzCN8Q6AF6BAgLEAMHere's an article mentioning the same incident... "In this case, the victims were whales — more than 40 belugas and at least one bowhead — which presumably had swum west from Baffin Bay during a warm spell in early spring and become entrapped when conditions changed. Now, they were keeping their breathing holes open as they surged to the surface for air. Until the ice broke up, they would be prisoners in this spot, unable to stray from their oxygen source. Meanwhile, the trapped whales attracted the bears, which may have detected them through their super-keen sense of smell. The bears backed away when the helicopter set down near one of the ponds, but signs of their depredations were everywhere. Many of the whales in the water had been bitten and clawed, and eight dead belugas were sprawled along the margins of the ponds where, apparently, they had been dragged by the bears. (How does a quarter-tonne bear lift a tonne of dead weight? "Polar bears are very strong" is the best that Ramsay can say.[/quote][/b])" CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1999 ► www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/nd99/curious.asp► www.canadiangeographic.ca/wildlife-nature/articles/pdfs/polar-bear-polar-bear-banquet.pdfNote: it is mentioned the beluga whales weighed "one ton" which means those were of course adults. Dergerbol and Freuchen, Kleinenberg and Smith and Sjare observed polar bears killing belugas on Canadian Arctic. Lowrey reports carcasses of beluga whales with fresh wounds caused by polar bears. Freeman also records bears pulling out whales 5 times their own weight. www.researchgate.net/publication/235960520_Polar_bears_Ursus_maritimus_feeding_on_beluga_whales_Delphinapterus_leucas
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Jun 11, 2023 22:18:14 GMT -5
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Jun 11, 2023 22:19:18 GMT -5
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