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Article: Tales of the great white bear. (polar bears)(Cover Story)
- Article from:
- National Wildlife
- Article date:
- December 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 National Wildlife Federation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Get a scientist talking about polar bears, and you will hear hair-raising stories along with an assessment of the creatures' uncertain future
Visitors to Churchill, Canada, sometimes hear the story of a polar bear in the 1950s that followed a terrified man across the ice. If the bear had been running its possible two-minute mile, the man would have hardly had time to become frightened. But polar bears hate to overheat, and besides, this one was probably more curious than anything else. Or maybe it couldn't resist a taste of something it detected with its phenomenal sense of smell, capable of locating seal breathing holes under three feet of snow: When it caught up to ...