Therefore it is reasonable to assume that killer whales do not eat polar bears. Merely one or two incidents doesn’t make either of them predator of the other. Killer whales must eat polar bears at regular intervals (which they don’t!) just like they eat fish or turtles only in this way white bears can become the orca’s diet. Apart from that polar bears never become the regular part of the killer whale’s diet. Although polar bears (Ursus mariti- mus) are experiencing changes in foraging opportunities due to sea ice loss, regional prey availability and environmental. The polar bear cubs can fall prey to the killer whales (when their mother is not around) which made biologists to believe that orcas eat polar bears.Besides, none of them has any natural predator in the arctic. Still scientists do not recognize the fact of polar bears getting killed by orcas because both marine mammals seem to share many behavioral traits.While some of these animals have been known to attack humans, the number of them hunted for sport or for meat greatly outnumber them. Polar bears can never become the diet of orcas but certain unreported incidents in the past showed that orcas do kill polar bears. Humans are the other predators of Polar Bears, and one that they are often no match for. At this speed they feed on medium-sized preys to as large as minke whales. Orcas are able to reach the maximum speed of 25 miles per hour which qualify them as one of the fastest marine mammals.Besides, they live in large colonies making it quite difficult for the bear to spot one in thousand. Adult walruses are so large that even the largest polar bear would prefer to hunt young walrus. Polar bears do have predator-prey relationship with walruses but the link doesn’t appear to be as strong as that in seals. Walruses are huge mammals and an adult walrus may weigh as much as 2,000 kilograms. Polar Bear Predator Prey Relationship with Walruses When their preferred prey is unavailable, polar bears eat whatever they can get their paws on - seabirds, fish, berries and other plant matter, and land. Harp seals and hooded seals are also consumed but not preferred. This shows the powerful predator-prey relationship of polar bear with seals. The entire population of polar bears requires as much as one million seals in just a period of one year. In the United States, polar bears and ice seals are important subsistence resources for Alaska Native communities, Conn said. Seals provide them blubber and fats which the bear ultimately requires for living in the freezing habitat. Bearded and other ice-associated seals are the primary prey of Chukchi Sea polar bears. Favorite among the seals is the ringed seal but they also consume bearded seals. Polar bears seem to show very strong relationship with seals. By matching diet sources with the sites that samples came from, the. Polar Bear Predator Prey Relationship with Seals Advertisement It’s mainly looking at their fatty acid signatures and comparing it to what they would potentially eat, she said. The polar bear’s varied diet is primarily due to the bear’s opportunistic nature because it loves to eat just about any animal-medium to large sized mammals as well as birds. While the primary prey is limited to seals the secondary prey is varied. Its an apt name for this majestic species, which spends much of its life in, around, or on the. Polar bears are the Arctic’s land-based predators. The polar bears Latin name, Ursus maritimus, means sea bear.
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