Find out more here. Polar bears have hairy feet, and their soles are completely covered in fur. I am an Engineer. News > Idaho Hunter's pizzly bear one of a kind. A grizzly-polar bear hybrid (also named grolar bear, pizzly bear, zebra bear, grizzlar, or nanulak) is a rare ursid hybrid that has occurred both in captivity and in the wild. what part of the pizzly resembles a grizzly bear. They are both able to delay implantation. In fact, the grizzly bear, or brown bear, was actually the precursor to the polar bear. Contact this reporter atkvlamis@insider.com. Furthermore, pizzly bear cubs often lay on their bellies with their rear legs splayed out behind them in a sploot, just like polar bears do! Thankfully, they'll all miss. The Brown Bear's is Ursus arctos. The name given to a hybrid with more grizzly in it can be called a grolar bear. When he was three months old, the surviving cubnamed Gene (short for Genetics)made his public debut in front of more than 30,000 excited zoo visitors. The other four wild hybrid bears were second-generation pizzly bears, which means that their DNA is 75% grizzly, and 25% polar bear. The answer might soon be common knowledge, as climate change has pushed these two species of bears together. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Cashing in on the pandemic e-commerce boom suddenly made them much harder to reach. A recent study shows the Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average. June 15, 2022 . Two cubs were also born at Osnabrck ZooinOsnabrckin 2004. As global temperatures continue to rise, the two species of bear are slowly congregating together more and more. . It had patches. carmax check bounced Ingresar a Cuenta Box 4666, Ventura, CA 93007 Request a Quote: bridal boutiques in brooklyn CSDA Santa Barbara County Chapter's General Contractor of the Year 2014! Josh Hawkins has been writing for over a decade, covering science, gaming, and tech culture. All of the offspring relate to a single female polar bear. He was looking for food, new territory . What do you call a hybrid created when a grizzly bear and a polar bear mate? On the other hand, grizzly bears have solid hair, with only a few small sections that are hollow. Pizzly is . Brown bears delay implantation until they have put on enough weight to make it through the winter. In the early 1990s, less than 25 Florida panthers were in the wild. Two of her cubs were full genetic siblings, even though they were born a whole three years apart. Pizzlies are becoming more common in the Arctic and the climate crisis is likely playing a role. Many animals have their ecological role in an already stretched environment such as the Arctic. It is the first documented case in the wild,[3] though it was known that this hybrid was biologically possible and other ursid hybrids have been bred in zoos in the past.[11]. The feet of the pizzly bear is extensive, having more familiarity with brown bears, and the claws are long, unlike polar bears. A hybrid polar-grizzly bear, known as a 'grolar' or 'pizzly' bear (Getty) Back in 2006, a strange polar bear was seen in the Northwest Territories of the Canadian Arctic. [26], Since the 2006 discovery placed the hybrid into the spotlight, the media have referred to this animal with several portmanteau names, such as pizzly bear, grolar bear,[27] and polizzly, but there is no consensus on the use of any one of these terms. Earlier this summer, reports surfaced that a pizzly was shot by a Candian hunter. Pizzly bears are known to have young of their own and are not sterile as most hybrid animals are. Grizzlies have been documented showing up in Canadas western Arctic islands over the past 70 years but there has been an uptick. By Adam Pockross. A different species of bear would be the Brown Bear (AKA the Grizzly Bear). Sat., Jan. 20, 2007. 03 Mar 2023 12:53:04 The hybrid shot last month was the offspring of a female hybrid and male grizzly, bringing the total known wild hybrid count to three (counting the two dead bears and hybrid mother). Conservation efforts are underway to protect both pizzly bears and their parent species. They are well adapted to life in the Arctic, with thick fur and a layer of fat to insulate them from the cold. Scientists say that climate change is driving the hybridization. Inuit people living in Sachs Harbor, the one village on the southern tip of the Banks Island, had recently noticed grizzlies on the island. She notes that grizzlies in the Arctic can be exceptionally light colored. Todd Atwood, a biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey who studies these bears, points out that Alaska has a genetic database of over 2000 individuals that have been sampled over the decades and weve never found a hybrid.. I graduated from Brigham Young University with a masters degree in Comparative Studies, focusing on the relationship between humanity and the natural world. No one has been attacked by a pizzly bear, as far as records show; however, this is possibly due to the species low numbers. Wildlife Genetics International performed a DNA test, and much to their surprise, it confirmed that Martells bear was only half polar bear. Polar bears are believed to have evolved from brown bears isolated on coastal enclaves as recently as 800-150 thousand years ago. If the father was a grizzly and the mother a polar bear, biologists have suggested they are called the grolar bear. The Inuit name for the polar bear isnanuk,while the Inuit name for the grizzly bear is aklak. 12 Types of Hybrid Animals That Actually Exist, Bear Quiz - 1,048 People Couldn't Ace This Quiz, Watch This Grizzly Bear Dominate a Massive Elk in the Middle of a River, An Absolutely Gigantic Moose Makes These Grizzlies Look Like Teddy Bears, Watch an Injured Elk Outsmart a Grizzly Bear, Send It Tumbling, and Escape to a Nearby River, Watch a Fearless Bear Charge and Tackle a Bowhunter, Discover the Pizzly Bear - A Hybrid Between Grizzlies and Polar Bears, Pizzly Bear or a Nanulak (the hybrid offspring of a male polar bear and a female grizzly bear), Grolar Bear or Aknuk (the hybrid offspring of a male grizzly bear and a female polar bear). Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. In 2010 an Inuvialuit hunter thought that he had shot a polar bear, but it turned out to be only 25% polar bear. (A.E. This is why pizzly bears are not sterile as most hybrid animals are. And what does this mean for the future? In the next several years following Martells discovery, more pizzly bear hybrids began showing up in the wild. a Pizzly has a Polar Bear father & Grizzly mother; a Grolar is the reverse. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is thought that the female polar bear had also given birth to seven other pizzly hybrids over the years. Grizzly bears and polar bears are breeding and having fertile, hybrid babies! DNA testing confirmed the bear was a hybrid, The Associated Press reported at the time. The Arctic has been home to strange-looking bears for some time, but it wasn't until 2010 that David Kuptana of Victoria Island encountered one. The pizzly bear is a polar bear-grizzly bear hybrid. Throughout history these creatures have inspired fear in the heart of many a human. This expansion in territory has also changed what these grizzles are eating. In some sense, pizzly bears could be a sad but necessary compromise given current warming trends, DeSantis said. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. Pizzly is . "In the meantime, polar bears will increasingly have to look for other food sources if hunting seals on the sea ice becomes impossible," she said. [21] Their report also collated information on several other sightings in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. However, these rare hybrid grizzlypolar bears have started to become more widespread. Find out in this article I wrote, Broox 2023 Upgraded Solar Animal Repeller, Ultrasonic Repellent, Waterproof, Wireless, Motion Detection, LED Flashing Light, Dog, Cat Repellent, Squirrel, Raccoon, Skunk, Rabbit, Rodent, Fox, Deer, Animal Repeller Ultrasonic, Solar Animal Repellent Outdoor Animal Deterrent Devices Repel Squirrel, Raccoon, Skunk, Rabbit, Rodent, Fox, Deer, etc, Abilly 2022 Solar Animal Repeller, Ultrasonic Repellent, Motion Detection, LED Flashing Light, Dog, Cat Repellent, Squirrel, Raccoon, Skunk, Rabbit, Rodent, Fox, Deer, with Motion Detector, Green. My areas of interest include human-animal studies, ecocriticism, vulnerable species, pets, and animal behavior. After some research and a DNA test, scientists concluded that the genetics were that of a polar bear and grizzly hybrid. Whenever he isnt busy writing about tech or gadgets, he can usually be found enjoying a new world in a video game, or tinkering with something on his computer. They radioed in to have it darted and tested. In June of 2019 Peter Flynn was on a 19-day trek across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) when, 400 yards away, he and his companions saw a bear pouncing like a fox on ground squirrels. There are eight species of bear: the North American black bear, the Asiatic black bear, the brown bear, the giant panda, the polar bear, the sloth bear, the sun bear, and the. The first reported pizzly bear was spotted in 2006. Two male grizzlies mated with the female polar bear to give rise to the four F1s, with one grizzly bear apparently mating with the polar bear in two different years (two of the F1s are full siblings, but born three years apart). The other four were 75 percent grizzly and 25 percent polar bear, the result of the original two grizzly fathers mating with one of the first generation hybrid offspring. The reality of climate change: 10 myths busted, The world's biggest beasts: Here and gone. They are also known as grolar bears, another combination of their parents names. So, you can imagine how shocked the zookeepers were when they discovered that Ramona was pregnant! Just another site. Females ovulate after spending several days with the male and mate several times over a few days. The distant photo shows what looks like a light-colored grizzly with an abnormally long neck. They also spend time ashore at Cross Island, a dozen miles north of Prudhoe Bay. They are omnivores and feed on a variety of foods, including fish, berries, and carrion. These rare animals are found in the Arctic regions of northern Canada and Greenland, where they have adapted to life in the harsh, cold environments of the far north. A grizzlypolar bear hybrid (also named grolar bear, pizzly bear, zebra bear,[1][2] grizzlar, or nanulak) is a rare ursid hybrid that has occurred both in captivity and in the wild. And with that growing contact between the two species comes more mating, and therefore increased sightings of their hybrid offspring. As arctic ice continues to melt and shrink, polar bears must also travel further in search of food, and the previously separate ranges of polar bears and grizzly bears are beginning to overlap. The claws on the front feet of adults are about 4 inches long and slightly curved. After inspecting the bear and having its DNA tested, it was discovered that the bear's mother was a grizzly-polar hybrid and the father was a grizzly bear. Females and males have a long mating ritual that lasts several days. Eight pizzly or grolar bears were either killed by hunters or live-captured. Genetic analysis has revealed multiple instances of introgressive hybridization between bear species,[4][5][6] including introgression of polar bear DNA into brown bears during the Pleistocene ("grizzly bear" is a local common name for Ursus arctos whereas "brown bear" is used internationally and in science to refer to the species as a whole).[7]. Either way, its a stark reminder that battling climate change isnt just about saving the human species. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Polar bears evolved from grizzly bears as they moved into the harsh Arctic regions. As the sea ice continues to shrink, tundra regions are growing larger, allowing grizzly bears to move further north in search of food. There are other creatures that call our planet home, too. A Pizzly Bear is the hybrid offspring of a polar bear and a grizzly bear. That year, Jim Martell thought he had shot a polar bear until officials noticed that the bear was white, it had a humped back, and its claws were much too long for the average polar bear. A hunter from Idaho by the name of Jim Martell apparently shot a polar-grizzly hybrid near Sachs Harbor on Banks Island in the Northwest Territories on April 16th, 2006. Hybrid pizzly bears have visible tails like polar bears (grizzly bears have tails, but they are not very perceptible). In my spare time, I enjoy exploring the outdoors, watching movies, reading, creating art, and caring for my pets. Due to climate change, polar bears are facing a crisis and their diet is changing. Zonkey. And, if we dont do something about the ongoing issue, we could see even more major changes. Polar bears have longer skulls, which makes them experts at grabbing seals out of the sea, DeSantis said. Pizzly bears, also known as grolar bears and nanulaks, are a cross between a polar bear and a grizzly bear. bears youth hockey; amprolium dosage for chickens; 23 kilometros por hora es mucho viento; how much does an aircat volleyball machine cost; josh anderson parents restaurant; for sale by owner rutherford, nj. The Smithsonian National Zoo had the first pizzly bear born in 1936, but the first wild hybrid was not found until 2006. And Arctic sea ice is declining rapidly, as the Arctic experiences higher rates of warming than the rest of the globe, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NASA warns of 3 skyscraper-sized asteroids headed toward Earth this week. When Martell came up to the dead bear, his Inuit guide noted the animals long claws, slight hump and patches of brown in its fur and realized it was something unique. [23][24], The genetic methods used to confirm the family relationships and ancestry of the hybrid bears from northern Canada date back to the early 1990s, and are not powerful enough to reveal ancient history. As these icy regions shrink, polar bears must travel further to find food. what part of the pizzly resembles a grizzly bear. Many hybrid animals are born sterile and are unable to create offspring. This means that to the male grizzles, female polar bears have become viable mates. Scientists have also hypothesized this may also be a climate change issue. Amazon, FedEx, and UPS have grand goals to slash emissions. It is also known as the North American brown bear (because is a North American subspecies of the brown bear) or simply grizzly. However, the continually warming climate appears to be forcing both species to adapt to new environments and habits. The evolution of bears is fascinating. According to one hybrid naming convention, the offspring of a male polar bear and a female grizzly is a pizzly bear; while the offspring of a male grizzly and female polar is a grolar bear. Now, scientists say that it could be an example of how climate change affects animals, not just humans. Two of the National Zoos hybrid bears, Pokodiak and Willie, mated and produced two of their own double hybrid cubs in 1950. One theory suggests that as the grizzly population increases, male bears leave their dens sooner while females stay with their cubs. David's bear has a pizzly mother, instead of a full-bred polar bear, making it more grizzly than anything. Some are bad, like winter rain on snow events that are terrible for ungulates like caribou and Dall sheep. Many hybrid bears appear to retain the all-brown fur coat of their grizzly-bear parent, while others have lighter brown fur. The odds are exceptionally low, however, considering the female polar bear would attempt to head out onto sea ice to hunt seals as soon as she could. The bear possesses physical characteristics intermediate between grizzlies and polar bears, such as brown fur on its paws, long claws, and a grizzly-like head.[14]. Due to the limited areas where grizzly bears and polar bears overlap, the number of pizzly bears in the wild is likely to be low. When studying a pizzly bears hair, it was noted that the hair on the back was generally hollow, while the hair taken from the paws was almost solid. If the father is a polar bear and the mother a brown bear, the offspring would be called the pizzly bear. DNA tests find slaughtered animal . There are nearly 2,000 different species! was grizzly-polar hybrid", "Pizzly or grolar bear: grizzly-polar hybrid is a new result of climate change", "Exotic bear harvested in Nunavut was a blonde grizzly", "Grolar or pizzly? Calle Limache 3405 oficina 73 Via del Mar, Chile . On May 8, 2006, the discovery of the grizzly-polar bear hybrid received increased attention when, soon after the story was announced, the comedy television show The Colbert Report light-heartedly named the new species as the number one threat to American Security. The phylogeny of the birds shows a single common ancestor for the group. This is leading to a variety of consequences and changes. Since there are few hybrid pizzly bears seen in the wild so far, it is hard to know for sure what will happen in the future. At the time, the bear was heralded as a rare occurrence. While there have been several pizzly bear cubs born in captivity over the years, sadly only a handful of them survived to adulthood, apparently due to their genetic makeup. Pizzly bears are known to be far less aggressive than either parent species alone and tend to lead solitary lifestyles. In fact, according to NASA, since 1979 the ice has continued to decrease every 10 years by at least 13%. They do not have an official name, possibly because there have only been a few produced so far. DeSantis said polar bears and grizzly bears have been observed near whale carcasses, prompting them to "engage in opportunistic mating." Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Their paws can often be dark too or at least around the toes. An analyzation of the bears DNA revealed it was the offspring of a male grizzly and female polar bear. However, they can be found in the same habitat in Northern Manitoba and on the north edge of Alaska. Grizzlies, lured by rapidly advancing vegetation to forage, are only recently arriving. But for this article, we'll be calling this new hybrid the 'brolar bear'. Ursus maritimus the polar bearhints that this predator is as much at home hunting its prey in water as it is on the Arctic ice. Read more on the pizzly bears here. [30] Grizzlies given the same bags do not demonstrate this hurling behavior. He covers physics and astronomy, among other topics like tech and climate change. Whereas a polar bears hair is hollow, the fur of a grizzly is generally solid, with some concave regions, depending on where the hair is taken. Recent genomic analyses show that during the Pleistocene, genes flowed from polar bears into grizzly bears in several different areas. Some people have thought these outliers were hybrids, when, in reality, they were simply bears exhibiting seemingly strange behavior. The hunter had killed the bear thinking it was a polar bear, but officials noticed it had different features to a typical polar bear. Derocher/University of . This incident proved that polar bears and grizzly bears could mate, and their offspring could also mate, which many hybrid animals can not. Polar bears are apex predators. According to DeSantis, generalist animals such as coyotes and cougars are the best survivors of rapid change to their environment, not highly specialized apex predators like polar bears and saber-toothed cats. The female Kodiak bear gave birth to two hybrid cubs. With so few grizzly-polar bear hybrids found, no firm naming convention exists. von | Jun 30, 2022 | last salute to the commodore | Jun 30, 2022 | last salute to the commodore In 2006, the occurrence of this hybrid in nature was confirmed by testing the DNA of a unique-looking bear that had been shot near Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories, on Banks Island in the Canadian Arctic. Meanwhile, many grizzly bears are headed northward, seeking out cooler regions. Few people know there is a scientific naming convention for hybrid animals dependent on sex & species of parents = 1st part of a species' name = 2nd part of name e.g. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Polar bears typically rely on sea ice to hunt for seals, which make up the vast majority of their diet. The bear also had a shallow face with brown fur around its eyes and nose. Im not going to say never. Besides hair color, there are several other common characteristics that have been observed in hybrid pizzly bears: Polar bear #sploot pic.twitter.com/fmMLLB6E0f. Interestingly, a single female polar bear gave birth to all four of these F1 hybrids. Prizzly bears, or grolar bears, are a hybrid of polar bears and grizzly bears. Over 90% of their nuclear genome, however, belongs to grizzly bears. Since then, sightings of the hybrids have been increasing, with a 2017 study in the journal Arctic showing eight hybrids springing from a single female polar bear who mated with two grizzly bears. [15] This bear was light in colour, but 'blonde' grizzly bears are common on the Barren Grounds,[16] and the Arviat bear did not have other features characteristic of hybrids. Grizzlies periodically utilize both locations. Animals at high latitudeswhere . Stay up to date with what you want to know. A team of researchers hypothesized in 2013 that ABC Island bears are the results of male brown bears mating with female polar bears thought to have been marooned on the islands during the end of the Pleistocene as glaciers and sea ice rapidly disappeared from Southeast Alaska. The history of the pizzly bear goes back to 1936, due to an accident at a zoo. It is currently unknown why grizzly bears are being found in the habitat of polar bears. And these arent the only animals that have found themselves displaced in some way thanks to the changing climate. (January 19, 2007), mating between the F1 female and her father, "Hybridization, ecological races and the nature of species: empirical evidence for the ease of speciation", "Recent Hybridization between a Polar Bear and Grizzly Bears in the Canadian Arctic", "Bears in a Forest of Gene Trees: Phylogenetic Inference is Complicated by Incomplete Lineage Sorting and Gene Flow", "Polar and brown bear genomes reveal ancient admixture and demographic footprints of past climate change", "Genomic Evidence of Widespread Admixture from Polar Bears into Brown Bears during the Last Ice Age", "Wild find: Half grizzly, half polar bear: Hunter bags what expert 'never thought would hapen' in wild", "Polar Bear / Grizzly Bear Crossbreed Hydrid", "Le "grolar", un nouvel ours tmoin du rchauffement climatique", "Rare hybrid bear comes to Idahoas a trophy", Rare hybrid bear coming to Reno hunting show, "Bear shot in N.W.T. These long claws make the pizzly bear less stable on the ice than a polar bear. Officials took interest in the creature after noticing that while it had thick, creamy white fur typical of polar bears, it also had long claws, a humped back, a shallow face, and brown patches around its eyes, nose, back, and foot, which are all traits of grizzly bears. Experts claim the 'pizzly' or 'grolar' bear is a hybrid between the two. They then implant the embryo into the womb. These can be seen in the presence of second and third-generation pizzly bears. Pizzly bears, also known as grolar bears, are a unique hybrid species resulting from the mating of polar bears and grizzly bears. Amidst much controversy, the bear has since been returned to Martell. Their diets haven't changed much at all." Sightings of such hybrid bearscalled "pizzlies" if the father is a polar bear and a "growler bears" if the father is a grizzly - have increased in recent years as the Arctic has . In 2010, a pizzly bear was found on Victoria Island, close to the Northern Territories. The grizzly bear was listed as threatened across its historic range in the lower 48 in 1975. The pizzly bear is the offspring of a polar bear and a grizzly bear, and they share characteristics of both bears while simultaneously being different from both parents. Grolar (where the father is a grizzly) and pizzly bears (where the father is a polar bear) were first confirmed as a hybrid species in 2006 through DNA testing of a specimen shot in the. [30] In the hybrid male, the paw hair was solid, but the dark back hair was somewhat hollow, albeit with "smaller empty regions than found in polar bear hair". what part of the pizzly resembles a grizzly bear. They are also known as grolar bears, another combination of their parents' names. I have been a professional writer for 10 years with a particular focus on nature, wildlife, anthrozoology, and human-animal relationships. If it is. In some cases, they may extend their range into populated areas due to limited habitat availability, raising safety concerns for locals unfamiliar with nocturnal wildlife behaviors. what part of the pizzly resembles a grizzly bear. But it will take time and additional research to know how well suited these hybrids are to survival. David's bear has a pizzly mother, instead of a full-bred polar bear, making it more grizzly than anything. The three bears seemed to get along just fine, and no one thought that a brown bear and a polar bear could mate across species. As the world warms and Arctic sea ice thins, starving polar bears are being driven ever further south, where they meet grizzlies, whose ranges are expanding northwards. This polar bear-grizzly bear hybrid is called a pizzly bear, a grolar bear, a nanulak or a rare ursid hybrid. Although there is no scientific name for this hybrid of bears, this seems to be an appropriate name for their parentage. bio 2107 chapter 22. a. Scientists have now confirmed instances of resulting wild hybrids, known either as "grolars" or "pizzlies," depending on the parental combination. "We've known about pizzlies for quite some time, but their occurrence may be more common with ongoing Arctic warming," DeSantis said. He graduated from University College London with a degree in particle physics before training as a journalist. It's called a "pizzly" or "grolar" bear, and is so rare only a handful of sightings have been confirmed in the wild -- and no one can say for sure how many even exist. They look and act like brown bears but their mitochondrial DNA is closer to polar bears than other brown bears, even those a few miles away on Southeast Alaska's mainland. Hybrid polar-grizzly bears are taking over. Its coloration was pissy-mountain-goat-butt-white with some brown in the mix. Likewise with Zumans & Hebras . Grizzly bears have apparently also been extending their range east across the Barren Grounds towards Hudson Bay, and south towards northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Browse 11,941 grizzly bear stock photos and images available, or search for grizzly bear standing or bear to find more great stock photos and pictures. Photo Credit | Messybeast via Wikimedia Commons. Jim Martell stands next to a mount of a polar bear-grizzly bear hybrid that sits in the game room at his home in Glenns . At the same time, its better at foraging for food that isnt just the polar bears usual blubber-based diet. The rise of the pizzlies coincides with polar bears decline: their numbers are projected to decrease by more than 30% in the next 30 years, according to a 2016 study in the journal Biology Letters. In addition to their appearance, pizzly bear cubseven those that look a lot like grizzly bearsbehave more like polar bears. A Pizzly Bear is the hybrid offspring of a polar bear and a grizzly bear. By one convention,[29] the name of the sire comes first in such combinations: the offspring of a male polar bear and a female grizzly would be the suggested nanulak or a "pizzly bear", while the offspring of a male grizzly and a female polar bear would be a "grolar bear" or possibly an aknuk. As a new and relatively rare species, there is still much to be discovered abo. Its unusual characteristics made it clear that. The resulting pizzly bears, or grizzly-polar bears, take traits from both species. Wild sightings of hybrid pizzly bears began in 2006, when a hunter shot what he thought was a polar bear in the Northwest Territories of the Canadian Arctic. Grizzly bears are specially adapted to survive the changing seasons. These three cubs grew to adulthood, later breeding themselves. This is a huge problem for Polar Bears who live and hunt primarily on the arctic ice. Please find out how they hunt in this article I wrote, Bears can often be seen playing with each other, but do you know why? The hair follicles of pizzly bears have a unique hollow pattern, which shows a blend of the two parent species. Bears can often be seen playing with each other, but do you know why? This is why it is even more perplexing that there are adult wild pizzly bears roaming the northern regions of Canada today. 2 See answers Advertisement jyran200 The ears are the part that resembles Advertisement Ravensoul901 A lot of the body shapes are the same- for example, that hump thing on the the back, which is different than the polar bear's round body. Theres no way of telling for sure, but they didnt entirely rule out either bear being a hybrid.