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In Shark Vs. Polar Bear Smackdown, Shark Wins

Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

"Habitat loss due to global warming is so much more important in terms of a threat to polar bears," added Kovacs.

It's even possible that climate change could have set the stage for the fatal encounter.

In recent years, scientists have reported that sea ice is melting in the Arctic at unprecedented rates. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources classifies polar bears as a vulnerable species, with global warming mentioned as the bear's most significant threat.

Seals make up the bulk of the polar bear diet, and the predators do most of their seal hunting on the ice.

At least one study, published in journal Polar Biology, found that the bears have become so desperate for food that they are now resorting to cannibalism.

Another climate change factor that could have made the shark-meets-bear encounter more likely is a documented growth of the Arctic sleeper shark population.

Aerial surveys have spotted hundreds of fins circling regions such as Prince William Sound off the south coast of Alaska.

Vince Gallucci, a University of Washington professor of fisheries and aquatic sciences, has studied shark populations for more than a decade. He believes the aerial count "would be a high number of sharks in one spot for any place in the world."

Climate change, regular regional climate shifts, and commercial fishing appear to have altered local ecosystems. The change appears to be hurting some animals, such as sea lions, but benefiting others.

"Sharks, being the more efficient eaters, just may be able to take greater advantage of changes in the food that's available," Gallucci explained.

Greenland sharks can descend to almost 1.5 miles underwater, so it is unclear if the Svalbard polar bear died, sunk and was snatched, or if the shark scavenged or killed it close to the water's surface.

Kovacs joked, "I won't be going swimming there again."

Related Links:

Jennifer Viegas' blog: Born Animal

How Stuff Works: Climate Change

Discovery Earth Live