Hybrid bears may be glimpse of future

[The Straight Story]

Hybrid bears may be glimpse of future

OSNABRUCK, Germany, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Hybrid offspring from a polar bear and a grizzly bear behave more like polar bears but look like a combination of the two species, German scientists said.

The two hybrid bears, a male and a female, provide a glimpse of what hybrids in the wild could look like if climate change continues to melt arctic ice, forcing more polar bears onto the mainland where they would encounter brown bears, said Ute Magiera, conservation coordinator for Germany's Osnabruck Zoo.

So far, just one hybrid bear has been seen in the wild, Magiera told the BBC in a story published Friday. That bear was killed by a hunter in 2006 in Canada's Northwest Territories.

Seventeen hybrid bears exist in zoos, including the two born in Osnabruck Zoo in 2004. The Osnabruck hybrids were separated from their parents shortly after birth to prevent them from learning behaviors from either parent.

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/10/30/Hybrid-bears-may-be-glimpse-of-future/UPI-20671256911527/

[FSogol]

1. What is the estimated City MPG of those hybrid bears?

:woohoo:

[tblue]

2. And can I ride one in the commuter lane?

[csziggy]

3. You can ride one anywhere it wants to go! n/t

[xchrom]

4. hmmmph -- and here i thought this was going to be a human interest story

about some Gay Men.

[Strelnikov_]

5. Giizzlies that behave like polar bears. No thanks. n/t

[AlienGirl]

6. "Grolar" or "pizzly" bears have been reported occasionally

Polar bears may well re-converge with the brown bear population. The hybrids are fertile, both with other hybrids and with either of the parent species. This might be the best chance for polar bears to survive in a warmer Arctic.

Tucker