Polar bears have long been the iconic face of climate change, starring in countless documentaries, scientific studies, and even children’s books. Yet, gathering data on these majestic creatures has always been a tough task. But here’s some exciting news: things might be about to change with the invention of the first “burr on fur” tracking tags!
A brilliant team of researchers from York University in England, in collaboration with 3M (the folks behind Post-it notes) and Polar Bears International, have developed a new tag that sticks to the bears’ fur. This minimally invasive tag provides high-quality data without the hassle of the traditional radio collars, which only work on adult female bears. These collars tend to slip off male bears due to their cone-shaped necks and don’t fit young bears that are still growing. The new fur tags, however, can be used on polar bears of all ages and both sexes safely and effectively.
In a paper published this week, the scientists explained how this new tracking technology is a game-changer. Lead author Tyler Ross shared his excitement, saying, “Successfully attaching telemetry tags to polar bear fur has never been done before, and weāre excited to share the results of this innovative work. The fur tags showed great promise and give researchers the ability to study the behaviors and movements of polar bears that we have very little data on, like subadult and adult male bears.ā
This breakthrough offers new hope for studying and protecting these incredible animals. By understanding their movements and behaviors better, we can take more effective steps to ensure their survival in a changing world.
