Posts Tagged ‘Grolar Bear’

It looks like we made it to the last Wild Hybrid Fact, however, there may be more in the future.  I saved this one for last since I remember the story breaking about the first confirmed Grizzly/Polar Bear hybrid being found in the wild. There is still some confusion about what the hybrid should be called.  A few of the suggestions are the Pizzly Bear, the Grolar Bear or the Nanulak, which is Inuit. For now, I guess you get to choose which one you like the best.

In 2006, a hunter shot and killed a polar bear, or so he thought.  Government officials inspected the kill and noticed that it had the thick white coat like a polar bear but it had long claws, a humped back, a shallow face and brown patches which are all characteristics of a Grizzly. DNA samples indicated that the bear was a hybrid but just imagine how nervous the hunter was knowing that he may face a fine as well as prison time if he shot a grizzly bear. We have known that bear hybrids exist as we have created them in zoos but wild hybrids were only speculated due to lack of DNA evidence.  This is why that story in 2006 made headlines.

Although polar bears and grizzlies are closely related, their life history characteristics keep them from interbreeding.  Grizzly bears prefer to mate on land while polar bears mate out on ice floes. Although, I guess a polar bear can’t be picky since it is very tough for them to find a mate with so much territory in the Arctic.

In general, the hybrid tends to be in between both the polar and grizzly bear. Usually, they will be smaller than the polar but larger than the grizzly bear, they have long necks like polar bears but small shoulders like grizzlies.  Interestingly enough the soles of the hybrids feet is only partially covered in hair.  This is interesting since this is an adaptation for the polar bear to be able to stand the cold on their feet. This type of thing makes me wonder how well these animals would survive in the wild.

Well, there you have it!  A week full of crazy hybrid animals. I hope you enjoyed the facts.  Have a great weekend!