Hunters and scientists have long suspected this possibility. Roger Kuptana, a tour guide in Northwest Territory, Canada, was the first to suggest that this actually occurred with a strange-looking bear shot last month – it is a hybrid between a polar bear and a brown bear.
The hybrid bear that was shot has a mother who is a polar bear and a father who is a brown bear. (Photo: AP)
County officials seized the animal from an American sports hunter after noticing its white fur speckled with brown patches, long claws, and a humped back resembling that of a brown bear. Now, DNA testing has confirmed it is indeed a hybrid bear, likely the first case recorded in the wild.
Polar bears and brown bears have successfully mated in zoos – a puzzling phenomenon for scientists – and their offspring remain fertile. The breeding seasons for both species also nearly coincide, with polar bears breeding slightly earlier.
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