DNA Proves Hunter's Bear Is First-Known Wild Polar Bear-Grizzly Bear Hybrid
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DNA Proves Hunter's Bear Is First-Known Wild Polar Bear-Grizzly Bear Hybrid





Idaho hunter Jim Martell was polar bear hunting on Banks Island, in Canada’s Northwest Territories in mid-April when he got his game. Wildlife officials seized the prize after the hunt, however, when they noticed that its white fur was mottled with brown patches and its eyes were set inside thin circles of black skin, like a grizzly bear’s. A humped back, dished face and long claws also were features of a grizzly bear. Subsequent DNA analysis confirmed that the bear was a cross between the two breeds, the first ever discovered in the wild. The Northwest Territories Environment and Natural Resources Department returned the bear to Martell. Officials said that though interaction between the two species is not typical, grizzlies have been showing up in the region in small numbers in recent years. The drive to breed and the inability to find another grizzly bear may have led the grizzly to mate with the polar bear, biologists speculate. Though there is no established name for this cross, locals have been calling it a “pizzly” and a “grolar” bear.
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