Polar Bears and the Arctic Ecosystem

Near Churchill, Manitoba, along the shores of Hudson Bay, polar bears roam and explore the coastal area, waiting for sea ice to form. Due to climate change, the sea ice is forming later in the fall and melting earlier in the summer, decreasing the time that polar bears have to hunt.

By autumn, the bears have not eaten since the ice on the Hudson Bay melted—about 4 months earlier. While some bears may appear thin this time of year, this bear looks relatively healthy.

An adult polar bear is about 4.5 feet tall at the shoulder, males weigh between 775–1,300 pounds (about as heavy as a large refrigerator), and females weigh between 330–650 pounds (about as heavy as a vending machine).

Polar bear paws are very wide—up to 12 inches across (30 cm). They distribute a bear’s weight over snow and ice. Forepaws are slightly webbed, helping them swim, and hind paws are used as rudders in the water. 

Tundra Buggies offer a safe and eco–friendly way to view polar bears. The buggies are built high off the ground to provide safe viewing opportunities for tourists.The tires of a Tundra Buggy are 5.5 feet tall—as tall as many people! Polar bears often walk up to the buggy to look around and view the humans on board—almost like a “backwards zoo!”

Tundra Buggies must stay on the road system that was built many decades ago by the military when they had a base in this area. 

This practice helps to protect polar bear habitat. Tundra Buggies must go very slowly as they travel the roads because of the rocky, rough terrain of the tundra ecosystem.

In the fall, male polar bears sometimes spar (also known as play fighting). Through sparring, polar bears practice their fighting skills, developing and enforcing their muscle movements. This helps establish a hierarchy among the bears as they determine which is stronger.

Scientists believe that the bears may be sizing each other up for the real competition for mates that occurs in the spring. Sparring usually occurs when the weather turns cold so the polar bears don’t become overheated.

This image shows a calm day on the snow-covered tundra, but the weather can quickly change to windy, blizzard–like conditions.

Tourists travel from all over the world to Churchill every fall so they can photograph polar bears from the Tundra Buggies. 

Churchill is one of the few places in the world where photos of sparring bears are taken, so when you see a photo of sparring polar bears, it is likely from Churchill, Manitoba.

The Tundra Buggy Lodge is a group of connected Tundra Buggies where tourists can spend the night on the tundra on the Hudson Bay shore. The lodge is complete with sleeping quarters, bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining hall, and a lounge. Every year, it is parked in the same location at “Polar Bear Point” to minimize any disturbance to the ecosystem. 

There are also individual Tundra Buggies that transport the tourists to view polar bears during the daytime, always being careful to protect the habitat and the bears. Guests come from all over the world to sleep on the tundra in the Tundra Buggy Lodge.

This system of connected Tundra Buggies is equipped with all of the services guests would find in a regular hotel—electricity, dining services, bathrooms with showers, and comfortable sleeping quarters.

Gourmet meals are prepared in the buggy on the right, and guests eat both breakfast and dinner on the tundra, often watching polar bears through the windows. Each evening, polar bear experts and guest speakers give presentations to the guests in the lounge car on the left.

The two buggies at the end of the lodge are the guest quarters. Private berths are in these buggies as well as guest bathrooms with showers.

This polar bear is hunkered down in the Arctic willows for a bit of shelter from the wind and snow—and maybe for a bit of privacy. The Arctic willow is a shrub that grows flat in areas of the tundra. Willows help block the cold, blowing winds on the tundra.

Though these Arctic willows are very short and flat, they can be very old. An Arctic willow in Greenland was estimated to be 236 years old! This vegetation also provides shelter and camouflage for other Arctic species such as ptarmigan and Arctic foxes.

The growing season in this region is short, and conditions are harsh, so although these plants can be decades old, they grow very close to the ground. Animals that eat the willow leaves include muskox, ptarmigan, Arctic hare, and caribou.

The Hudson Bay completely freezes in the fall, and the ice melts in the summer, impacting the different wildlife and plants that call the tundra home.