Scientists Use Remote Cameras to Capture Polar Bear Cubs Emerging From Dens

Scientists used remote cameras over 10 years to capture unprecedented footage of polar bear cubs emerging from dens for the first time.

Researchers used a combination of remote-operate cameras combined with GPS satellite collar data over a decade to study the first few months of a polar bear’s life in Svalbard, Norway. It’s the first time scientists have used both these technologies to monitor polar bear dens.

The researchers from Polar Bears International, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the Norwegian Polar Institute, and the University of Toronto Scarborough unveiled the remarkable footage of cubs emerging from their dens in a study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management today.

The video shows three tiny polar bear cubs emerging from their den with their mom — offering the first-ever detailed glimpse into the early lives of these elusive animals.

The Challenges of Filming Polar Bears

It is notoriously difficult to study polar bear moms as they build their dens under the snow in remote areas.

Polar bear mothers give birth around December and remain in snow dens with their newborns for several months. Because these dens are in remote areas, studying the cubs when they first emerge in early spring is challenging.

Traditionally, researchers have used GPS collars to track the bears’ movements and record temperature data. But Louise Archer, an ecologist at Polar Bears International, tells the publication Science that these collars offer little detail about the cubs.

To gain better insights into their behavior near the den, researchers combined GPS tracking with cameras.

Archer and her team studied 13 denning females in the Svalbard archipelago. Using data from the GPS collars, they identified den locations and then traveled by snowmobile or helicopter to set up battery-powered cameras nearby. These cameras captured thousands of time-lapse images, documenting when the bears emerged, their behavior around the den, and when they finally departed.

The denning period is the most vulnerable period of a polar bear’s life and less than 50% of cubs may make it to adulthood. As industry expands in the Arctic, the footage highlights the importance of undisturbed denning areas to protect polar bear populations.

“This study provides a rare glimpse into one of the most vulnerable and critical periods in a polar bear’s life, offering insights that can help guide our collective conservation efforts,” Dr. Megan Owen, Vice President of Wildlife Conservation Science at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, says in a news release.

“By combining innovative technology with long-term research, we’re gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges polar bear moms and cubs face in a rapidly changing Arctic.”

Image credits: Header photo by Kt Miller / Polar Bears International.