Climate Change and Polar Bears
In Climate Change and Polar Bears, learn how human impacts are causing Canada to warm faster than any country on Earth. Lack of sea ice is now causing major problems for polar bears, and they have had to find a new source of food — beluga whale calves. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
Lesson Express
Q: What problems has the warming climate caused for polar bears?
A: The ice where they used to hunt for food has melted and they are starving.
Q: How have the polar bears adapted to the warming climate?
A: They’ve started swimming to rocks in the ocean and waiting for beluga whale calves.
Q: Why are the beluga whale calves usually safer closer to the shore?
A: Closer to the shore, they’re usually safe from other predators in the open sea like orcas.
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In How Snakes Keep Warm in the Cold, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how red-sided garter snakes survive -40°F (40°C) temperatures during winter as they hibernate underground. Watch as 10,000 males slowly wake up and pile on top of each other for warmth. The race is on for the males to find a mate, but one sneaky snake has a trick up his scales — he pretends to be a female to get warmed up by the others! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.