There’s a new bear in town

A few weeks ago in Ulukhaktok, N.W.T. a hunter shot and killed a strange looking bear. Thanks to DNA testing, scientists are now confirming that the animal, which has the large head and long claws of a grizzly and the white fur of a polar bear, is a cross between the two species and may be the first ever second-generation “grolar bear.” It’s believed that the bear’s parents were a female grolar and a male grizzly. The finding is unprecedented because the animals are extremely rare—there have been several sightings in recent years but there’s only been one other confirmed hybrid, which was shot by a hunter in 2006. It’s believed the increase in sightings may be a result of a warming climate causing grizzlies to move north into polar-bear territory.

Vancouver Sun