MOVEMENTS OF A POLAR BEAR FROM NORTHERN ALASKA TO NORTHERN GREENLAND

Using satellite telemetry, we monitored the movements of an adult fema le polar bear (Ursus maritimus) as she traveled from the Alaskan Beauf ort Sea coast to northern Greenland. She is the first polar bear known to depart the Beaufort Sea region for an extended period, and the fir st polar bear known to move between Alaska and Greenland. This bear tr aveled for four months across the polar basin and came within 2 degree s of the North Pole. During the first year following her capture, she traveled 5256 km. Evidence to suggest her use of maternity dens in nor thern Alaska and in northern Greenland demonstrates the potential for genetic exchange between two widely separate populations of polar bear s. The long life spans of polar bears and the rarity of their long-ran ge movements means the significance of interpopulation movement can be assessed only after long-term monitoring of individuals.