About This Lesson
Polar bears are difficult to track and observe in the wild. They live solitary lives, wander thousands of miles every year, and give birth to cubs in snow-covered dens. The barren Arctic landscape where they live is also constantly changing.
If polar bears are so difficult to observe, then how do scientists study them in the field?
In this activity, you will explore how scientists track and measure individual polar bears in order to better understand the health of the overall population.
Your goal is to learn how changes in the Arctic ecosystem—particularly sea ice loss—are affecting the species.
In the process, you will see what it’s like to tranquilize and measure a polar bear in the field and try your hand at interpreting health data collected from real polar bears. Teachers, for the full resource on Science Friday's website, please click here.
