A RCTIC CIRCULA NO. I Notes on a trip in l6-foot ... - The Arctic Circle

VOL. XV No. 3 THE A<strong>RCTIC</strong> <strong>CIRCULA</strong>R 38
In early October the pregnant female searches for deep
snowbanks on the south-facing slopes of hills or valley sldes.
Usually the thickest drifts are situated well up the slopes and to
leeward of the prevalllng wind ia the reglon. She excavates her denp
seldom leaving tt before, or soon after, glvlng blrth unless her hunger
ls urg ent .
Early in December she enlarges he r dwelllng prior to
brtngtng forth twln cubs - a male and a female. The cubs are
rema rkably small, measuring about l0 inches ln length and welghlng
750 grams r or llttle more than L I lZ pounds, They are bltnd and deaf ,
belng unable to see or hear well until a month or more after blrth.
During the flrst few months, the mother suckles them almoet
contlnuously on her fat-rlch milk. Polar bear mllk has the appearance
and conslstency of cowf s crear:r); it smeii; .Jcrriewhai iike seal and
tastes like cod-liver oll,
The oval-shaped, white-walled dens must be qulte comfortable.
The earliest den of the mother is small and may become very warm,
as heat logs is decreased by continual deposlttons of snow above. Thls
ls shown by the thi.ckness of ice found on the roof. The bear supplies
the heat.
If we open a smalt hole in the two-foot-thick roof of the enlarged
room ln late Februaryr w€ wlll see the lrrltated mother treadir'tg around
ln clrcles below, She has qulckly emerged from her lethargic state
and ls uttering low growls. The two small cubs are cowerlng - backs
to the wall - near the passage leadlng dorvn to the motherls earller
room. Surprisingly, the den is very clean and there is little or no lce
on the walls. A llttle fresh air and light penetrates through a ventllatlon
hole , punched through ihe end of the room, The hole is almost Z
feet in diameter, and the room ltself is I feet by 10 feet by 4 I 12 f,eet
htgh. The temperature inside is just over l4o F i 37o $/armer than the
local alr tempersture.
In March or Aprll when the noon 6un becomes hot on the slope,
the mother breaks out of the den" Soon after, she leads the young down
to the sea lce" On thelr journey, the cubs play a great deal - slldlag,
tumbling, and wrestltng with one another.
If we watch the group closely for a few hours during early
Aprllr w€ will observe the mother prowling, head doum along the
drlfted leeward margln of some hummocky'ice. Catching the scent of
a snow-covered seal den, she crouches motionless before i,t - the cubs