An incident of polar bear infanticide and cannibalism on Phippsøya, Svalbard

Polar Record ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian R. Stone ◽  
Andrew E. Derocher
Keyword(s):  
Adult Male ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
Poor Condition ◽  
Close Proximity

A case of polar bear infanticide and cannibalism is reported from Phippsøya, Svalbard. In this instance, a cub of some 7 months was killed by an adult male bear, which was in poor condition, in the close proximity of the mother, which was also in poor condition. It seems probable that the attack was made for nutritional gain.

An observation of possible cannibalism by polar bears (Ursus maritimus)

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 1516-1517 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Lunn ◽  
G. B. Stenhouse
Keyword(s):  
Adult Female ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Physical Condition ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
Ursus Maritimus ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
Ecological Significance ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Old Adult

We observed a case of cannibalism by a 23-year-old adult male polar bear in very poor physical condition on Southampton Island, N.W.T. It had apparently killed an adult female and was feeding on the carcass. Cannibalism among polar bears does occur under natural conditions. It is difficult to document how often this occurs and of what ecological significance it might be.

scholarly journals Inuit Methods of Identifying Polar Bear Characteristics: Potential for Inuit Inclusion in Polar Bear Surveys + Supplementary Appendix Tables S1 to S5 (See Article Tools)

ARCTIC ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela B.Y. Wong ◽  
Robert W. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Polar Bear ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
Supplementary Appendix ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
Community Perspectives ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Knowledge Formation ◽  
Local Support ◽  
Inuit Knowledge

As a result of their close proximity to and frequent interactions with polar bears, Inuit hunters are aware of changes in polar bear population ecology and characteristics. This valuable information could contribute to any polar bear research or monitoring program. Understanding how Inuit gather ecological information on polar bears and how this knowledge is shaped by individual experiences can also overcome any barriers to Inuit inclusion in bear monitoring and management. On the basis of interviews in four Nunavut communities, we report Inuit hunting experiences and methods of identifying polar bear sex, age, body size, and health status. Across communities, Inuit share techniques in identifying and distinguishing bear characteristics that overlap with scientific methods, suggesting that Inuit could provide immediate and inexpensive information to polar bear research programs. Hunting preferences are shaped by individual experiences with polar bears (e.g., through hunting or bear encounters), as well as familiarity with polar bear research and management. Identifying and incorporating community perspectives in management will be necessary to sustain local support for programs that affect Inuit knowledge formation and persistence.

Managing big boys: a case study on remote anaesthesia and satellite tracking of adult male New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri)

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Geschke ◽  
B. Louise Chilvers
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Satellite Tracking ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Phocarctos Hookeri

Context. Handling animals is essential for many applications in wildlife management. However, currently there are limited techniques to safely handle and move large mobile pinnipeds, particularly when they cannot be physically restrained first. Such animals can be the cause of many land-based wildlife–human conflicts. The New Zealand (NZ) sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) is the world’s rarest and second largest otariid, and is in severe decline. Although most NZ sea lions live on uninhabited NZ subantarctic islands, a small population is recolonising the coastline of Otago, NZ and this close proximity with humans can cause conflict. Aims. The aim of this research was to assess a method of remote chemical anaesthesia for its ability to safely and practically immobilise large pinnipeds to allow attachment of satellite tracking equipment and to handle and potentially move animals if in situations of conflict. Methods. The chemical anaesthetic Zoletil® was remotely applied to immobilise adult male NZ sea lions at Enderby Island, Auckland Islands, to allow handling and the application of satellite tracking equipment. Key results. Six adult males weighing up to 330 kg were successfully anaesthetised, weighed and measured. Two of these had satellite location tags attached, which showed two very different post-breeding movement patterns by adult males and indicated minimum overlap with local fisheries activities. Conclusions. This remote anaesthesia technique was successful for adult male NZ sea lions and could be used for the immobilisation and management of other large mobile pinnipeds. Implications. The ability to anaesthetise and safely handle large adult male pinnipeds will provide better management in areas where animals come in close contact with human populations with possible lethal interactions or where attachment of monitoring equipment is required to investigate population parameters or possible lethal interactions.

scholarly journals Oestrous females avoid mating in front of adult male bystanders in wild chacma baboons

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 181009
Author(s):  
Alice Baniel ◽  
Axelle Delaunay ◽  
Guy Cowlishaw ◽  
Elise Huchard
Keyword(s):  
Adult Male ◽  
Sexual Behaviour ◽  
Sexual Coercion ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Mating Strategies ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Social Species ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Chacma Baboons ◽  
Mating Interference

In social species, female mating strategies can be constrained by both male and female groupmates through sexual conflict and reproductive competition, respectively. This study tests if females adjust their sexual behaviour according to the presence of male and female bystanders in wild chacma baboons ( Papio ursinus ) and assesses their relative importance. Our results show that oestrous females initiate fewer copulations in the presence of adult male bystanders, irrespective of whether they are mate-guarded or not. This inhibitory effect probably reflects a response to indirect sexual coercion by males, whose close proximity may dissuade females to initiate copulations with rival males to avoid punishment and/or aggressive mating interference. By contrast, females initiate more matings with their mate-guard in the presence of higher-ranking female bystanders, which may reflect an attempt to secure bodyguard services from their mate when they feel threatened. These results emphasize the importance of intra- and intersexual conflicts in shaping female sexual behaviour in this promiscuous society.

scholarly journals Extralimital Sighting of a Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, in Northeast Saskatchewan

2003 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Goodyear
Keyword(s):  
Body Fat ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Polar Bear ◽  
Ursus Maritimus ◽  
Hudson Bay ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Break Up

The first documented occurrence of a Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) in northeastern Saskatchewan, 420 km from the western coast of Hudson Bay, is described. The bear was most likely a sub-adult male in fair condition, with respect to body fat. Early break-up of ice on Hudson Bay in the spring of 1999 may have contributed to this significant extralimital sighting.

Effects of Vincristine on Endothelial Microtubules in the Spinal Cord

1976 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 58-59
Author(s):  
John L. Beggs ◽  
John D. Waggener ◽  
Wanda Miller
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Biological Activity ◽  
Horseradish Peroxidase ◽  
Transport Mechanism ◽  
Vasogenic Edema ◽  
Vesicular Transport ◽  
Close Proximity

Microtubules (MT) are versatile organelles participating in a wide variety of biological activity. MT involvement in the movement and transport of cytoplasmic components has been well documented. In the course of our study on trauma-induced vasogenic edema in the spinal cord we have concluded that endothelial vesicles contribute to the edema process. Using horseradish peroxidase as a vascular tracer, labeled endothelial vesicles were present in all situations expected if a vesicular transport mechanism was in operation. Frequently,labeled vesicles coalesced to form channels that appeared to traverse the endothelium. The presence of MT in close proximity to labeled vesicles sugg ested that MT may play a role in vesicular activity.

Alteration of Mitochondria in Oxythiamine-Induced, Acute Thiamine Deficiency in the Mouse

1976 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 284-285
Author(s):  
Itaru Watanabe ◽  
Dante G. Scarpelli
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Thiamine Deficiency ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Fatty Change ◽  
Deficient Diet ◽  
Subcutaneous Injections ◽  
Swiss Mice ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Ad Libitum

Acute thiamine deficiency was produced in mice by the administration of oxythiamine, a thiamine analogue, superimposed upon a thiamine deficient diet. Adult male Swiss mice (30 gm. B.W.) were fed with a thiamine deficient diet ad libitumand were injected with oxythiamine (170 mg/Kg B.W.) subcutaneously on days 4 and 10. On day 11, severe lassitude and anorexia developed, followed by death within 48 hours. The animals treated daily with subcutaneous injections of thiamine (300 μg/Kg B.W.) from day 11 through 15 were kept alive. Similarly, feeding with a diet containing thiamine (600 μg/Kg B.W./day) from day 9 through 17 reversed the condition. During this time period, no fatal illness occurred in the controls which were pair-fed with a thiamine deficient diet.The oxythiamine-treated mice showed a significant enlargement of the liver, which weighed approximately 1.5 times as much as that of the pair-fed controls. By light and electron microscopy, the hepatocytes were markedly swollen due to severe fatty change and swelling of the mitochondria.

Experiments with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) mounted in a scanning electron microscope (SEM)

1986 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 636-639
Author(s):  
Oliver C. Wells ◽  
Mark E. Welland
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscope ◽  
Mechanical Stability ◽  
Tunneling Current ◽  
Feedback System ◽  
Scanning Tunneling ◽  
Surface Profiling ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Metal Tip ◽  
Scanning Electron

Scanning tunneling microscopes (STM) exist in two versions. In both of these, a pointed metal tip is scanned in close proximity to the specimen surface by means of three piezos. The distance of the tip from the sample is controlled by a feedback system to give a constant tunneling current between the tip and the sample. In the low-end STM, the system has a mechanical stability and a noise level to give a vertical resolution of between 0.1 nm and 1.0 nm. The atomic resolution STM can show individual atoms on the surface of the specimen.A low-end STM has been put into the specimen chamber of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The first objective was to investigate technological problems such as surface profiling. The second objective was for exploratory studies. This second objective has already been achieved by showing that the STM can be used to study trapping sites in SiO2.

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