My polar bear research

Part 6: You are going to read an introduction to a book about polar bears. Six sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap (37—42). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

 

A. However, the fact that it walks about on the sea ice like a regular land bear, and periodically comes ashore causes confusion.

B. In other words, because of their low reproductive rate, they are still vulnerable if not properly managed.

C. Consequently, polar bears are highly inquisitive.

D. This is because it is often uncertain when or where the next meal will come from.

E. I attempt to provide a broad understanding of the ecology and natural history of polar bears in accessible non-technical language.

F. It is constantly influenced by a changing environment and it interacts with other species on a daily basis.

G. At special moments when I have time to watch an undisturbed polar bear, I’m often stuck by an overwhelming sense that it is simply where it belongs.

 

My polar bear research

 

The polar bear, more than any other animal, symbolises the Artic. People all around the world who will never see one know what it looks like. Like the vastness of the polar sea ice it lives on, the sheer size of an adult polar bolar is impressive. Its whiteness matches the backdrop of snow and ice that we all associate with the Artic.

 

37. _______ The Artic is not a forgotten wasteland to a polar bear, it is home, and a comfortable home at that. For thousands of years, the climate, the ice, and the seals upon which it feeds

 The polar is a true marine mammal in the sense that it depends on the ocean for existence. 38._____ For example, in the United States, the polar bear is considered a marine mammal for legal purposes. In Canada it is a land mammal. Ecologically, however, the polar bear is clearly an integral part of the marine ecosystem, and that’s the context I will treat it in.

 

I began my research on polar bears forty years ago. International concern for polar bears was high, and conversation agreements were in development. Management plans were needed, and The Polar Bear Specialist Group recommended more fundamental research on the bears’ ecology. I undertook a wide variety of studies of polar bears including behaviour, genetics and deening habitat. In this book, I explain the results of that research. 39.____

I have followed a few general themes. Firstly, the polar bear does not exist in isolation. It is both a product and part of the polar marine ecosystem. 40. The polar bear has been a significant factor in the evolution of the behaviour and ecology of the artic seal and vice versa.

 

Secondly, a polar bear’s life revolves around energy. It obtains as much energy as efficiently as possible when there is an opportunity, and then conserves that energy as much as possible. 41._____ Because their success as predators determines their very existence, and this is the aspect that most people have the greatest interest in. I’ve written the longest chapter on how they hunt and how diverse their techniques are.

 

A third theme is that each polar bear is an individual. A solitary predator in an extreme environment like the Artic must live by its wits. A single solution from one bear will not answer all situations of others. Conditions for hunting or other environmental factors may change quickly. 42.____ They often contemplate a situation before they act, and they learn quickly from new experiences. As a result, each bear is unique because of its individual combination of experiences and knowledge.