Grolar Bears / Pizzly Bears

[Ken Anderson]

Polar bears and grizzly bears are successfully mating. Genetic testing confirmed this wild hybrid in 2006, and it is in the third generation now. Polar bears are closely related enough to grizzly bears to produce offspring, which is why they can reproduce and have offspring of their own, unusual among animal hybrids.

The hybrid bears often show a mix of traits, from cream-colored fur with brown patches, a body shape that includes characteristics of both species, and behavior that combines grizzly and polar bear characteristics, making use of both the ocean and inland food resources.

 

[Ken Anderson]

Scientists are divided over whether this is going to be a successful new species or one that dies out. The brown fur doesn't serve them well in ocean hunting, and many of the ones that have been found have been in poor condition. The other side of the argument is that these have been discovered because they came into human habituated areas looking for food, because they were in poor condition, so it could be that the more successful hybrids have simply not been found.