The Arctic is slowly melting, and polar bears are moving around more which increases their chance to encounter and mate with bears outside their species.
Hybrid animals are not entirely a product of climate change. The other factor contributing to hybridization and species extinction is habitat loss. Many scientists claim that this results when human development is encroaching on nature.
A Growing Phenomenon
Dr. Charlotte Lindqvist, a biology professor at the University of Buffalo, sheds light on the enigmatic world of pizzly bears through her groundbreaking research in evolutionary genetics.
While the accounts of these bear hybrids remain largely anecdotal, Lindqvist’s work hints at the growing prevalence of this phenomenon.
She discovered that several pizzly bear offspring trace their lineage to a female polar bear displaying a remarkable affinity for male grizzlies. But every year more pizzly bears are being identified.
Lindqvist warns that this trend may just be the tip of the iceberg, as dwindling sea ice compels polar bears to seek new habitats, bringing them into closer contact with brown and black bears.
