On the other hand, reduced polar region sea ice cover implies, due to the geometry of the Earth and its present ocean/continent distribution, a reduction in surface area of this habitat, as well as a crucial disruption to the pattern of its seasonal distribution.
The prey of these carnivores inhabit, perhaps unsurprisingly, the same region as they do (the bears need to go where they can find prey). Perhaps it is needless to say that the area of sea ice margins in crucial bay and coastal regions was much greater during the last ice-age.
And how do you suppose polar bears hunt seals when there is no ice?
Google a picture of a polar bear and one of a seal and then compare their anatomy. A seal is a sleek animal perfectly adapted to live in water whereas a polar bear is perfectly adapted to live on the ice. While a polar bear can swim, they'd have a real hard time hunting prey inside the water as their bodies are totally adapted to hunting on ice. In water a seal would out-swim them; on ice (where seals come to rest and have their babies), the polar bear outpaces them as it has 4 feet, an incredible powerful sense of smell, great camouflage, lots of strength and a powerful jaw.
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Conventional science deems it very likely that it was an ice-age which caused the evolution of a sub-species of a normal bear to a polar-bear.
I watched a show recently where a man took a "yeti" sample from a hunter. It's DNA matched a polar bear but interestingly its closest match was a 100 thousand year old Polar Bear
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/...
If this proves true, it would indicate that Polar Bears moved into much more southerly environments during periods of glaciation and perhaps at least some managed to survive in the Upper reaches of the Asian Mountains which have a similar habitat but obviously far fewer seals (joke). Polar Bears are the most predatory of bears. I suspect they do best in the environments where they are currently most commonly found but they have managed to survive in some pretty warm as well as cold periods.
Interesting question. I would speculate that just as the Brown Bear(?) adapted/assimilated to snow/ice conditions, 'evolving' to become a 'Polar' Bear, the opposite might just as well occur.
It may be a while though before we are able to see the need for such adaptation. We are still looking at a lot of "ifs".
At the moment more ice would be an advantage as they hunt off of it due to the warming seas. Less iceflows = hungry bears.
Meaning the bears cant build the fat needed to see them through the winter and the frozen sea ice.
Honestly, I don't think polar bears care.
You say polar bears eat seals, I guess so, but I'm pretty sure they eat fish too.
Fish are still swimming in the oceans with lots of sea ice or without.
One thing is for sure, polar bears are doing GREAT!
http://www.ibtimes.com/polar-bear-popula...
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Polar bears are increasing. So they must like it as it is.
polar bear need ice but they need the cold more to survive global warming is having a big impact on their lives melting away the ice and just heating up their environment.
Coca cola polar bears prefer it be chilly but not frozen.
Just had a maybe stupid thought, polar bears eat mainly seals, seals and whales are air breathing animals and cannot live in areas of solid ice and would move away to where there was less ice.
I notice the most numbers of polar bears live around Hudson bay which doesn't completely freeze, there are always some areas of open water and cracks and leads.
Maybe the last ice-age was a difficult time for polar bears.
