We decided to analyze the energy expenditure of Ursus maritimus, commonly known as the polar bear. We were curious about how polar bears budget there time so we asked the question: What proportion of time is spent preforming high energy versus low energy behaviors by Ursus maritimus individuals. We wanted to know if they conserved their energy and how they spend there time. We hypothesized that Ursus maritimus individuals will spend a larger proportion of time performing low energy behaviors in order to conserve energy while active.
Background Info:
Polar bears are a carnivorous maritime bear that resides on the arctic sea ice. They hunt primarily ringed and bearded seals because they require a high fat energy diet to survive. Polar bears have a thick layer of fur around their entire body in order to keep them warm and they also have a thick layer of blubber under their fur to provide insulation and buoyancy. They are currently listed as a threatened species due to declining populations of polar bears as a result of melting sea ice. There main food source is seals and in the summer they are in a physiological state of hibernation even though they remain active. This means they require less food because there body is feeding of the fat storages.
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