Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Photo of the week: the polar bear has improved

The scientific journal Scientific Reports has published that the polar bears (Ursus maritimus) that live on the Norwegian island of Svalbard are in the best physical condition in recent years. Although they have four more days without ice every year, from the age of 2,000, and as the level of sea ice decreases, adult polar bears have a higher fat reserve.

The researchers believe that the higher fat content may be due, among other reasons, to the beginning of the recovery of walrus populations previously hunted by humans (Odobenus rosmarus) or to the concentration of the marmoreal seal (Pusa hispida) in increasingly smaller areas where there is ice, both circumstances leading to an improvement in hunting efficiency.