Description
No animal is more symbolic of the Arctic than the polar bear. In the short space of 150,000 years, it has undergone behavioural and physiological changes to evolve from a grizzly bear into the most specialized predator of the Arctic sea ice. Yet, its survival is now threatened by global warming. Renowned Polar bear scientist Dr. Ian Stirling compresses 40 years of research on these iconic mammals into a new and comprehensive natural history. In accessible language, he explains their evolution, life history, behaviour, how they are researched, and the current threat to their very existence. He also explains why polar bears of Hudson Bay have become so important to our understanding of the species, and how Churchill became The Polar Bear Capital of the World
Author: Ian Stirling
Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside
Published: 05/17/2011
Pages: 300
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 2.75lbs
Size: 9.40h x 8.00w x 1.10d
ISBN13: 9781554551552
ISBN10: 1554551552
BISAC Categories:
- Nature | Animals | Bears
- Nature | Ecosystems & Habitats | Polar Regions
- Nature | Environmental Conservation & Protection | General
About the Author
As a research scientist with the Canadian Wildlife Service and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta, Dr. Ian Stirling has studied the behaviour, population, ecology, and predator-prey relationships of polar bears for 40 years, longer than anyone else in the world. His research in western Hudson Bay provided the first clear demonstration of climate change on resident polar bears there. He is a member of national and international committees on polar bears and marine mammals, and has authored or co-authored over 200 scientific articles and three books. He has won several awards, including the Northern Science Award, and is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.