Nov. 17, 2008 -- If you have taken one or more photographs of polar bears in the wild, noting the date and location of the images, you can participate in the largest-ever study to identify individual bears by their "whisker prints." Like human fingerprints, the size and arrangement of the spots near a bear's whiskers allow researchers to create a distinct profile for each bear. "Our real interest is in polar bear behavior, but to understand behavior you need to identify individuals in order to follow them through time and space," Jane Waterman, leader of the project, told Discovery News. Waterman, an associate professor of biology at the University of Central Florida, often camped out in frigid weather to study the bears, which are listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. She now spends most of her time in sunny Orlando, observing the animals via remote cameras set up on the Canadian tundra. Related Content: Project Earth: Animals Jennifer Viegas' Blog: Born Animal HowStuffWorks.com: When Polar Bears Attack Images from the cameras, as well as from the public, are going into the first-of-its-kind polar bear photo library. A software program, similar to an algorithm NASA uses to map stars, identifies each bear by its whisker print. "The software was developed by a former graduate student, Carlos Anderson, now at Michigan State University, whose background is in computer science," UCF biology research associate James Roth told Discovery News. "Carlos wrote a program that used customized computer vision techniques to extract the size and position of whisker spots from a digital image of a bear's facial profile and compare this spot pattern to a library of previously identified bears." Many studies are possible with the library. The UCF research team has already determined how the thriving tourist industry near Churchill, Manitoba, affects the behavior and land use of polar bears. Get More NewsMouse Cloned From Long-Frozen CellResearchers create a mouse from a long-frozen cell. Will the mammoth be next?'Bubble' Could Protect AstronautsScientists say a "bubble" around a Mars-bound spaceship could protect astronauts.Big Reduction of Snowmobiles in Yellowstone ProposedA new plan would cut snowmobile use by 40 percent in Yellowstone.Microbes: Fuel of the Future?A reddish South American microbe is literally breathing fuel, say scientists.DNA Links Remains to Steve FossetDNA tests on two bones found in California confirm they are those of Steve Fossett.Women Carry More Bacteria Than MenSome bacteria prefer women, suggests a new study. But why?Ancient 'Water Monster' Facing ExtinctionA foot-long salamander that was a key part of Aztec legend is threatened by extinction.Grand Canyon's Youth ConfirmedThe Grand Canyon is millions of years younger than previously thought, argue geologists.My Take: E-Voting Not User FriendlyOpinion: Electronic voting machines don't always capture the intent of voters.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.At 40, Brain and Body SlowThe part of the brain in charge of motion starts a gradual slide in middle age.Spiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates. |
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