The polar bear, king of the Arctic, is one of the world's most recognizable animals. Images of the majestic beasts roaming across the ice cap, plunging into frigid waters, and playing with furry cubs have come to symbolize the beauty and grandeur of the Arctic. Andrew E. Derocher and Wayne Lynch have spent decades following the bears, and this book offers the most comprehensive and readable review of their biology, ecology, behavior, and conservation. With gripping photographs by Lynch, a preeminent wildlife photographer, and the personal stories of Derocher, this book is as stunning to look at as it is fascinating to read. It weaves together their remarkable experiences with the latest research to tell the amazing story of these Arctic predators, tracing the animals back to their evolutionary roots and looking ahead to the future of polar bears on a warming planet Earth. Through informative and engaging language, Derocher carefully explains the sea ice ecosystem that is essential to the survival of polar bears. He addresses the threat of global warming to the Arctic and mdash;home to polar bears for tens of thousands of years and mdash;and describes in impressive detail their feeding habits, distribution, den ecology, and reproduction. Lynch's vivid photographs capture all this and more as they chronicle the wide range of polar bear behavior, from family rituals to ferocious predatory practices. Captivating, accurate, and inspiring, Polar Bears belongs in the hands of all who love the wild.
Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. A Polar Bear Described 3. Evolution 4. Early Polar Bear–Human Interactions 5. Arctic Marine Ecosystems 6. Sea Ice and Habitat 7. Prey 8. Distribution and Populations 9. Hunting Methods 10. Polar Bear Behavior 11. Den Ecology 12. From Birth to Death 13. Threats 14. Looking Forward Appendix A: Scientific Names of Plants and Animals Appendix B: Species of Plants and Animals Eaten by Polar Bears References Index
""Derocher has certainly written one of the most authoritative and technically comprehensive yet engaging books on polar bears that will be available for many years. The technical detail and background information is such that parts of the book have a textbook quality... If I were to pick one book that would give a general audience a solid understanding of polar bear ecology, it would be Derocher's Polar Bears: A Complete Guide to Their Biology and Behavior.""
