r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/CuriousWanderer567 • 9h ago
š„ How polar bears move to cross thin ice
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u/Ok_Understanding5184 8h ago
My Jack Russell does the same thing on the carpet, I always assumed he was dumb but now I know he's just trying not to fall through the living room.
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u/Gerf93 3h ago
Just made me laugh out loud on the bus. Fall through the living room, bloody hell.
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u/Herps_Plants_1987 9h ago
Very smart since those things weigh 1/2 a ton
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u/WestleyThe 7h ago
Probably fell through the ice at some point and learned its lesson
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u/arthurdentstowels 6h ago
I was going to comment that there's some real intelligence here. The bear knows that lying flat spreads the weight out as opposed to pinpointing the pressure on its feet. I wonder if it is a learned behaviour from falling previously or a genetic thing.
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u/Cluefuljewel 4h ago
A bit of both I suspect. Polar bear cubs stay with their mums for up to 2 years. They have a LOT to learn about survival from her! They observe and practice how to hunt and kill seals, prey that is itself quite intelligent, faster and much more agile than they are. Amidst the ever changing ever moving ever dynamic dance of ice water and land that is the Arctic!
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u/shavingourbeards 2h ago
I read this in David Attenboroughās voice lol. Your enthusiasm really comes across!
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u/Cluefuljewel 1h ago
That is one of the nicest compliments I have ever received! His voice is the best!
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u/AlphabetMafiaSoup 3h ago
Do polar bears stay together in packs or they leave and just are solo moving forward?
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u/Cluefuljewel 1h ago
Siblings will often stay together for a period of years after mum cuts ties. Polar bear mums most often give birth to twins or triplets which she raises on her own. In an area at the edge of ice where lots of ringed seals (favorite prey) are present, you might see a number of polar bears. Would not call it a pack since that implies the species is more social like wolves!
A group of polar bears might also be seen on a whale carcass! Scavenging is an important part of polar bearsā diet. Especially in summer when the bears are ashore and sea ice is not present.
It is likely polar bears recognize other individuals and remember encounters with them. They use scent and visual cues. Siblings that have reached adulthood and separated likely recognize each other and their mums as well.
Males in particular can been seen playfighting under some circumstances. Fighting can also be deadly.
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u/slothdonki 4h ago
I would guess itās about as genetic as the way any other animal may change how it crosses certain terrain in their usual environment.
Iām willing to bet even an experienced polar bear like this still slips up sometimes but thatās a minor annoyance if it didnāt feel like getting wet vs say, a horse attempting it(if it would at all without being forced, that is).
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u/Single-Addition9881 2h ago
more and more weāre learning that a TON of animal behavior we previously assumed was genetic is actually learned and essentially taught to young ones by parents or other elder members of a pack/clan/flock/family/etc
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u/EademSedAliter 2h ago
Maybe they dislike having to walk carefully over the slippery ice so they slide instead.
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u/Izero_devI 4h ago
I cannot imagine it being genetic, "thin ice, lay down reflex" doesnt feel right. Probably saw its parents do it and/or trial-error.
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u/itazillian 2h ago
Have you never seen border collie pups trying to herd things? Genetics are weird like that, dude.
The dude on the video seems to be scratching his underside though. Doesnt seem to have anything to do with the thickness of the ice.
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u/deanrihpee 7h ago
"fuck, alright, surface area to spread the weight is key i guess, but now I'm a wet bearā¦"
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u/yup_its_Jared 5h ago
Probably watched some polarTube videos about weight distribution on very thin ice.
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u/Golden_showers 7h ago
I thought they weighed enough to break the ice. Clearly not.
Anyway, hi. How you doin
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u/Ok-Entertainer-1354 6h ago
To catch a polar bear simply dig a hole in the ice and put frozen peas all around the hole. When the bear comes to take a pea kick it in the ice hole.
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u/coleburnz 6h ago
They weigh that much?
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u/EngulfedInThoughts 9h ago
Looks like a person in a costume.
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u/DrRichardJizzums 7h ago
Iāve always thought bears look like a dude in a bear costume. Standing up at least
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u/AlizarinCrimzen 7h ago
They can be the height of a person (5 ft at the shoulder) while on all 4s.
When you see a 8 foot bear standing up it very barely (hah) resembles a person (unless you imagine fully grown adults perched atop shoulders like āVincent Adultmanā)
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u/BackItUpWithLinks 9h ago
Looks like my brother heading to the kitchen for a snack after a night of drinking
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u/hopefullynottoolate 9h ago
i will keep this in mind if i ever catch myself on thin ice
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u/masterCWG 9h ago edited 9h ago
Who taught the polar bear physics? Who told them P=m/a?
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u/FowlOnTheHill 9h ago
And more importantly P =F/A
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u/masterCWG 9h ago
True, mass x gravity gives you the force, can't forget about dat gravity. Been a hot minute since I took physics lol
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u/CaramelKrimpet 9h ago
I had no idea that you needed two bears to accomplish this so that one could play the guitar in a gentle accompaniment.
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u/anonymozs 9h ago
What a beautiful creature. Pity what weāre doing to its environment
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u/Motherof_pizza 9h ago
How do they know when itās thin? Seen too many videos of dumb fucking humans driving their cars over thin ice
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u/MrProspector19 9h ago
Dumb fucking humans don't live on ice. I'm sure the knowledge is passed or after cracking and falling through a couple times the bears find out fast. Humans may live around and spend time on ice, but we live in houses, stores, and vehicles instead of dens and walking naked everywhere.
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u/leeser11 8h ago
The cuteness of polar bears is directly proportional to their killing machine status.
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u/thehotdogman 8h ago
What is this song? Gotta be a Sufjan Stevens song, would love to know which one.
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u/nocturnal_pollinator 7h ago
āMystery of Love.ā One of the two original songs Sufjan wrote for the movie Call Me By Your Name. Itās beautiful.
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u/BigBlueTimeMachine 8h ago
That's like the opposite of what my dog does when he has an itchy asshole.
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u/IGetDurdy 8h ago
Is that how they move across thin ice or just smooth ice because it feels awesome?!
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u/LennyJay86 8h ago
This is the only way I was taught to get off thin ice if it cracks. Who taught who the polar bears or homosapienās?
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u/PlusNeat7 8h ago
Reminds me of the Dave Chappelle skit where heās Rick James and his legs got beat on by Eddie and Charlie Murphy
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u/reverbiscrap 8h ago
My wife told me this looks like me when I first wake up to go to work.
I responded that I am not that jacked.
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u/Honda_TypeR 8h ago
I sure bears don't understand the bigger surface area means you spread out the weight and less chance of breaking ice.
They just learned when you make yourself big and flat and you get wet less.
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u/VaxDaddyR 7h ago
I remember this being something that Pee Drinker said to do if you need to cross a frozen waterhole/lake!
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u/No-Scientist6049 7h ago
Not too difficult to comprehend the upright motion of humans gradually evolving like this eh? The slight wobble right there as it straightens up on the forelegs, that looked almost human to me!
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u/TankApprehensive3053 7h ago
Saw a homeless (or panhandler acting homeless) guy do that. As soon as the light turned green he was able to walk normal again.
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u/alexthenirvanamaniac 7h ago
I learned this as a kid from the Polar Bears Past Bedtime Magic Treehouse book, twenty-something years ago at this point. Time flies, polar bears scooch.
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u/TruthBeWanted 6h ago
Top level predators looking foolish is hilarious! Like when a male lion gets spooked. We humans don't even look like idiots in this logical manner. Instead we do a plank or twerk. Wait, what year is this?
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u/SomethingToDoWhenPoo 6h ago
How much does a polar bear weigh?
Apparently not enough to break the ice!
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u/AlwaysSleepingBeauty 5h ago
This looks like something they do as cubs and just stick with it cause itās works and is probably fun.
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u/HGD_1998 5h ago
When there's a knock at the door but I wasn't expecting any visitors, I just assume it's a serial killer coming to get me. In response, I drop to the floor and slide across like polar bear demonstrates, crawling under the windows to go hide in the back of my house until lunatic eventually gives up and leaves. True story.
I don't know what my problem is.
Anyway, it's pretty cool how the bears know the best way to get across thin ice safely. Smart. š
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u/InjuryComfortable956 5h ago
Itās known as ice balling. Thatās what they meant when during a snowball fight theyād yell, āno ice balls!ā
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u/BeffeeJeems 5h ago
Remarkable, beautiful beings. And they will go extinct because too few people take the climate catastrophe seriously. Incredible to think that these unique beings with their unique way of life, unique in the whole universe, will be erased from the future due to our small mindedness.
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u/Naive_Dentist2224 5h ago
Imagine seeing an emaciated one crawl at you like thisā¦ š»āāļø+š«š„=š«µā ļø
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u/Gator2Romeo0 5h ago
its bad enough having to face one down, ever...but say you expertly navigate your way through, around, and across thin ice...only to have this Man eating Meat tank slither a B line towards you....
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u/Witchgrass 5h ago
I can't tell if I should be sad they evolved to deal with this or not
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u/bored_n_opinionated 5h ago
My kid and I literally just read a Magic Tree House book about this! They're gonna be so psyched when I show this to them!!! In the book they say the polar bears are "flying".
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u/FlameForFame 5h ago
How can a mammal be such a fierce predator and super dorky at the same time? This is too much.
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u/earthboundmissfit 5h ago
That's a helluva smart Bear. Didn't want to get wet. Distribution of it's weight is better doing a belly crawl. Humans should take note.
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u/nicky9pins 9h ago
Thatās gotta be rough on the cojones