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To: Daralundy

My understanding is that pollution is a much bigger threat to polar bears than global warming, specifically from mercury and other heavy metals. Since polar bears are an apex predator that subsist primarily on fish and fish eating mammals they get very high exposures to these metals in their diets and it may be affecting the survival rate of their cubs. Their populations don't seem to be in any eminent danger though, so it's no crisis but rather just something that deserves further study and observation.


18 posted on 05/16/2006 11:08:27 AM PDT by elmer fudd
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To: elmer fudd
Since polar bears are an apex predator that subsist primarily on fish and fish eating mammals they get very high exposures to these metals in their diets and it may be affecting the survival rate of their cubs.

In the 19th Century Arctic Explorers found that eating polar bear livers could be poisonous because of the Vitamin A concentrations.

21 posted on 05/16/2006 12:13:53 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Proud soldier in the American Army of Occupation..)
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To: elmer fudd
To ensure Polar Bears don't become extinct move several hundred to Antarctica.
24 posted on 05/16/2006 1:18:33 PM PDT by ASA Vet (Those who know don't talk. Those who talk don't know.)
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