Nose-To-Nose With Nanuk

By Andy Griswold, Director, Connecticut Audubon Eco Travel

If travel to one of the earth’s four corners interests you, then I have the trip for you this coming November! You are about to experience a fascinating natural phenomenon that occurs in the Churchill, Manitoba region each year. The Hudson Bay freezes over every winter, creating a platform of ice over this marine environment, enabling access for the largest land carnivore, the Polar Bear, to hunt their primary prey, seals. An average adult male weighs from 770 to 1,500 pounds and reaches maximum size by 8 to 10 years. An average adult female is about one-third to a half of the size of a male and reaches maximum size by age 4 or 5. Polar bears are the largest land carnivores in the world, but are truly marine mammals in that they depend on the sea for their existence.

After a summer of lying low and trying to keep cool, the Polar Bear “migrates” toward Churchill’s coastline as fall gives way to winter. Polar Bears linger along the coastline, waiting for the ice to form on Hudson Bay, and this is when Polar Bear viewing is best. In late fall, the length of day is shrinking, especially at the far northern latitudes. During this expedition, you can expect 8-10 hours of light. On the other hand, the evenings are very dark, improving the opportunity for viewing Northern Lights.
Polar bears are well adapted to their arctic surroundings. Their thick winter coats, with glossy guard hairs and dense underfur, and the thick layers of fat beneath their skin, protect them against the cold. The guard hairs shed water easily, and after a swim, bears usually shake themselves like dogs to decrease chilling. Polar bear hair is translucent and reflects solar heat down to the base, where it is absorbed by the black skin. The white color also serves as camouflage. These predators are clever in their use of cover, be it land, water, or pushed-up ice, which aids both their hunting and their escape from hunters. The soles of the bears' feet have small bumps and cavities that act like suction cups and help to keep them from slipping on the ice.
Hudson Bay is truly one of the four corners and the polar bear one of the most impressive creatures you will find on our planet. Upon your return, delight all with tales and photographs of how you once came “nose-to-nose” with the largest and most feared land carnivore, Nanuk.

("Nanuk" is the Inuit word for polar bear. Connecticut Audubon is sponsoring an expedition to view polar bears along Hudson Bay from November 2 - 9. Call 800-996-8747 for reservations and a detailed itinerary).


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Archived from CT Audubon Society News Summer 2002 Copyright Connecticut Audubon Society Reuse by Permission Only