Polar Bear Facts and Myths

By Susan J. Crockford

This beautiful, full color summary explains in simple terms why polar bears are thriving despite the recent loss of Arctic sea ice. It’s written in a question and answer format, in language that readers of all ages can understand (age 7 and up). The book takes a sensible, big-picture approach that many readers will appreciate and is based on the most up-to-date information available.

Many children around the world have been led to believe few polar bears are left in the world, which has left the poor kids feeling despondent and powerless. The relentless messaging that polar bears are doomed (and it’s all the fault of humans living their lives) is fortunately false and it’s time that the children learned the truth.

Here is the good news the kids need to hear: polar bears have not been driven to the brink of extinction by anthropogenic global warming. In fact, there are many more polar bears now than there were 50 years ago and the global population is a healthy size, despite the fact that since 2007, sea ice has been at the “dangerous” low levels that experts did not expect until 2050. That’s 10 years worth of the worst case sea ice conditions experts envisioned would be upon us by mid-century - and yet, the polar bears have managed just fine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Susan J. Crockford
• Release date: Dec 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370456970

Susan J. Crockford

Being from a storytelling family pays off: if you hear stories often enough, you find you can tell them too. Susan J. Crockford is a professional zoologist who has studied polar bear ecology and evolution for more than 20 years and has a special interest in the history of human-polar bear interactions. She has a Ph.D. and writes a blog about polar bears called PolarBearScience. After years of writing scientific papers and books and blogging about polar bears for non-scientists, Susan wrote her first novel in 2015—for readers who prefer their science “lite” and love a good story. For 2017, Susan has produced two short polar bear science books: one detailed volume for adults and high-school students and another suitable for children aged 7 and up. These books take a sensible, big-picture approach that many readers will appreciate and are based on the most up-to-date information available.

Book preview

Polar Bear Facts and Myths

A Science Summary for All Ages

Susan J. Crockford

Copyright © 2017 Susan J. Crockford

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

Published in 2017 by Spotted Cow Presentations Inc.

EPUB ISBN: 9781370456970

In science, it matters what is right, not who is right

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

1. Polar bears are the largest meat-eating animal with four legs

2. Polar bears live only in the Arctic

3. Polar bears live on sea ice near the North Pole

4. Sea ice is a good place to live because it doesn’t change

5. Polar bears need really thick sea ice to survive

6. Polar bears live on sea ice in all seasons of the