Movement of Four Satellite-Monitored Polar Bears in Lancaster Sound, Northwest Territories
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic2357Keywords:
Animal migration, Polar bears, Radio tracking of animals, Satellite communications, Telemetry, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Devon Island, Lancaster Sound region, Lancaster SoundAbstract
Four female polar bears, fitted with satellite-monitored transmitters at Lancaster Sound, N.W.T. during May 1979, were tracked to determine seasonal distribution, movements relative to ice conditions, and home range. Most locations (68.7%, n = 46) of satellite-tracked bears were on landfast ice, 13.4% (n = 9) on old pack ice, 13.4% (n = 9) on land, 3.0% (n = 2) on bergy water, and 1.5% (n = 1) on young pack ice. These observations support the conclusions of mark-recapture studies in the area, that landfast ice is favored until breakup when bears move onto land. Data from the satellite-tracked bears indicate that they had home ranges.
Key words: polar bear, telemetry, satellite
