Polar Bears Turn to Inbreeding and Cannibalism to Survive Effects of Climate Change, Study Shows

Polar bears are in extreme danger of extinction due to climate change.

A recent study showed that the genetic diversity of polar bears in Norway has decreased 10% from 1995 to 2016. 

The two most recent generations of polar bears on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard were found to turn to inbreeding as a result of their dwindling population.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Barents Sea has experienced a dramatic loss of sea ice, which is one of the primary contributors to these changes in the lives of the bears.

Because of the diminished supply of ice available, the polar bears have been forced to change their diets from seals to birds and bird eggs, and some in other areas of the Arctic have turned to cannibalism.

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