Polar Bear Mating Season
Surprising facts about Polar Bear reproduction
Gold Star Canadian Tours Lead Scientist, Cate Collins, discusses polar bear mating and their unique reproductive adaptations
It’s Mating Season!
Seeing polar bears in their natural habitat is unbelievable, and sometimes we’re lucky enough on our Expeditions to spot a mom and cubs. Polar bear cubs stick with their moms for just over 2 years after they are born, which is a relatively long time for the animal kingdom. Given that polar bears live in one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth, the cubs need to learn everything they can from their mom to ensure their survival once they set out on their own.
Cubs are born in the late fall or early winter. During our Expeditions in October and November, we often observe moms with either cubs of the year which will be around 11 months old, or yearling cubs that are nearing two years old. Male yearling cubs can be almost the same size as their mom.
Polar bears mate on the sea ice in the springtime from March through June. Male bears mate with multiple females, meaning that there can be intense competition between males for the right to mate. As to be expected, larger, stronger bears typically win but are often left with battle wounds like cuts, scars, and broken teeth. In preparation for these tests of strength for the right to mate, juvenile male polar bears will spar in the fall to see how they will fare come mating season. While we won’t see bears mating on our Expeditions to Churchill, it is prime time for play fighting.
November 2023 - two juvenile bears “spar” near Churchill
How do polar bears find a mate on the vast sea ice?
Female polar bears leave a chemical scent in every footprint they leave in the snow. Males will sniff the tracks of bears that they come across in their travels in search of a female to breed with. Once they find a female bear, the male will stick around to slowly build trust until the female is comfortable enough to allow mating. The bonded pair of bears can stay together for days or even weeks before they go their separate ways. After mating, the female bears have fertilized eggs, but surprisingly they’re not yet pregnant.
While mating happens predictably in the spring, the female wont become pregnant until the fall. Female Polar bears have an incredible adaptation, called delayed implantation, to hold off on pregnancy until a better time of year. This gives females more time to hunt seals and increase their fat reserves before they head into a den to have their cubs. Polar bear pregnancy lasts about 60 days and cubs are born very small, around 1.3 lbs. However, cubs grow remarkably fast since polar bear milk is incredibly rich; its fat content is so high that it is similar to drinking straight whipping cream! Mother and cubs emerge from their dens a few months after birth, and the cubs begin their education from mom on the unforgiving Arctic sea ice. Mother polar bears are truly an incredible animal unlike any other; brave, protective and nurturing in the harshest of environments.
About Gold Star Canadian Tours
At Gold Star Canadian Tours, we focus on providing the worlds best travel experiences to authentically Canadian destinations. Our flagship tour is a convenient 1-day Polar Bear Expedition with dedicated non-stop charter flights from major airports directly to Churchill, Manitoba. With Gold Star Canadian Tours, the wonders of the Arctic are closer than ever. Your Adventure Awaits!
