Land-based food not nutritionally sufficient for wild polar bears, according to new study
Tuesday, September 13, 2016 - 18:51
in Earth & Climate
On average, a polar bear loses up to 30 percent of its total body mass while fasting during the open-water season. Although some scientists previously believed land-based foods could supplement the bears' nutritional needs until the sea ice returns, a new study has revealed that access to terrestrial food is not sufficient to reduce the rate of body mass loss for fasting polar bears.