Happy 2025, everybody.
Marshall here. We hope your holiday season has been as fun as ours has.
At Tumble, we are so excited because the return of Season Ten is just around the corner.
We have so many great stories to share with you.
And for today, we're excited to share another wintry cold episode as we enter the new year.
It's The Polar Bear Adventure.
This one is so exciting.
And our scientist guest, Andrew, is just such a cool guy who's been bit by a polar bear.
How many people can say that?
I can't wait for you to listen.
Hi, I'm Lindsay. And I'm Marshall.
Welcome to Tumble, the show where we explore stories of science discovery.
Today we're talking about polar bears.
Ooh, I love polar bears.
And so does everyone else.
Well, get ready for a polar bear Arctic adventure because we're about to head out on the ice into a helicopter to track bears with a polar bear scientist and find out how polar bears are surviving in a warming world.
Marshall, what do you think about when you think about polar bears?
I think they are white and fuzzy, and they have those like cute little black noses that are the only things you can see in a snowstorm, like before they eat you.
What about you? I feel like polar bears are these majestic, almost mythical, creatures.
You see them all the time in photos and cartoons.
It's almost hard to believe that they're actual real animals.
I guess I could see why you'd think that.
Polar bears are probably the most iconic animal in the Arctic.
But what are they really like, and how are they doing in a warming world?
To find out I talked to Andrew DeRoche, a polar bear scientist who's seen almost 10 ,000 real live polar bears.
The way to think about a polar bear is like if you had a good sized pony in your room, but that pony had claws and teeth and was really bulked up like really big and fat and heavy, that's what a polar bear is kind of like.
Wow! So basically imagine there's a pony in your room but it's actually a bear.
I actually had a polar bear stuffed animal in my room growing up and now I know that that wasn't an accurate representation of what it would be like.
You mean it wasn't horse size and it didn't have claws and teeth?
It was nice and cuddly.
That's probably a good thing.
Luckily, real polar bears don't live in children's rooms. They live in the Arctic just south of the North Pole.
It's an incredibly beautiful environment.
It's It's serene and peaceful.
The Arctic is a vast, wide open space.
It's like a prairie but white, with snow and ice instead of grass in the winter.
And it's very, very cold.
I guess if you lived or worked there, you'd like to get used to it, kinda like a polar bear does.
Andrew's worked there for 40 years, and he still hasn't gotten used to it.
And one of the things that's really weird is, I really don't like being cold.
He doesn't like being cold?
You signed up for the wrong job, guy.
You should have studied flamingos.
I kinda always think that the bears must have chose me, but um, yeah polar bears are just—they are cool.
I just wish they lived somewhere warmer.
Despite not liking being cold, Andrew does like working with polar bears.
We catch polar bears quite often as part of our work, and we take measurements and we take samples.
And then we go back to the laboratory and we analyze our data.
So we spend a lot of our time out in the field, flying around in helicopters and collecting this really cool and fun data.
Being in a helicopter does sound really awesome.
We'll hear more about those helicopters in a bit, but Andrew told me about one experience he had capturing a polar bear that he'll never forget.
It was a sunny day in the Arctic and his team was working with a mother bear and her cubs.
He was about to give one of the cubs a shot that would put it to sleep for an hour so the scientists could get their data.
And what I didn't know was that they have really sharp canine teeth and they are lightning -fast. Andrew was holding the polar bear by the scruff of his neck with one hand and the shot with the other.
So I stuck the needle in this little cub, and it whipped its head around and sunk its canine into my middle finger.
And it is now not letting go.
Oh wow, so he's just standing there with a polar bear cub hanging off his hand?
Yeah, and he knew there was nothing he could do about it, but just try to stay calm.
Most predators, once they bite something, they have sort of like this, I'm not letting go sort of thing, because if I let go my prey's gonna get away.
Andrew knew that the cub was going to fall fast asleep as soon as the shot he delivered started working.
So I've got this cub hanging off my finger for two or three minutes and then eventually the drug started to take effect and then it fell asleep and then I got my finger back.
So, what about the finger?
His finger was okay but the cub left a mark.
And I've still got the scar from it and I still look at it and, you know, wildlife is, there's always an element of danger, there's no question.
So why exactly is Andrew putting himself in this incredibly dangerous situation?
Well, it's because the bears themselves are in a dangerous situation.
They're adapted to live in the cold.
It's where they need to be.
But climate change is making the Arctic warmer, and that's why it's important for scientists like Andrew to study the bears.
We know that they're at risk from the warming climate that we have, and so understanding how the bears are doing as the Arctic changes, is really important in, number one, knowing just how the bears are doing, but also, because people are so interested in polar bears, it helps them understand what the effects of humans are on the environment.
Wait, so what are the effects of humans in the Arctic?
because like, not many people live up there?
Not many humans live in the Arctic, but things that humans do around the world, like burning fossil fuels, create gases that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, which warm the planet.
And that has a big effect on the polar bears' habitat, where they live.
The warming Arctic is really just a habitat loss issue for polar bears.
Polar bears rely on the sea ice that forms in the Arctic every year.
The ice is like, seasonal?
Like, it's just not there all the time?
I thought the Arctic was just cold, always.
Yeah, this kind of sea ice only forms during the coldest months, and it grows kind of like how ice grows on a pond.
Okay, so like, first you see ice creeping out from the edges, and then if the temperatures get colder the whole pond ice is over.
Right, but I've noticed that ponds are iced over for less time than they used to be, and the same thing is happening in the Arctic now.
As the Arctic is warming, the sea ice is forming later, and it melts sooner.
So we're just taking away the place where the bears want to be.
But why do polar bears want to be on ice?
Couldn't we just tell them, like, hey, land!
It's better. Less slippery.
Most creatures with legs really like it.
Well, polar bears have a really good reason for liking sea ice.
It's the best place to hunt their biggest source of food, which is seals, and there's a good reason why seals are out on the ice too!
So in sea ice what happens is we've got the base of the food chain, which is algae, which are small little plant -like organisms and they actually grow on the underside of the sea ice.
Algae may be tiny, but it's the basis of a huge ecosystem.
There's a whole community of animals that eat that algae.
Little arctic shrimp chow down on the algae.
And then there's this ugly little fish called a polar cod that eats those shrimp and then those little fish end up in seals and then the seals end up in the bears.
I wonder how the seals ended up in the bear.
They're like, whoops, I'm in a bear.
I made a huge mistake.
Oh, dear. So, we think about them being carnivores, but carnivore means meat eater.
But actually, they're more like a fat eater than a meat eater.
Basically, polar bears get fat on fat.
So if we have a 500 -pound polar bear, they can eat about a hundred pounds of fat in a single meal.
And out of that 100 pounds, about 90 pounds will stay right on them.
So they've got fat cells and they just basically fill them up with seal fat.
They're just like, gonna pack this seal fat into my bear suit.
Sea ice is essential for polar bears because seals are the easiest prey when they're on the sea ice.
So if there's less sea ice for the seals, there's less food for the polar bears.
And then they can go long periods of time without eating.
But at some point, they will run out of energy and that's our concern is that if the ice melts too early and forms too late, they just run out of energy.
Okay, so let me see if I understand this.
So polar bears go to an all -you -can -eat seal buffet that lasts as long as the sea ice does.
But they never know when the sea ice is going to melt, kind of like they never know when the buffet will close.
Exactly, if the sea ice melts early, they might not be full up on food.
So what do we know about how the sea ice is doing?
It varies from year to year.
Some years the ice comes early, sometimes it comes late.
Sometimes that translates into fat bears, sometimes it's skinny bears.
Sometimes there's lots of cubs, sometimes there's almost no cubs.
Andrew says it's really hard to predict year to year how the polar bears are going to do.
But what we can say, is that if we look forward in time, not just to next year, or five years or ten years, but more like twenty, thirty years into the future, we have real big concerns about what the sea ice will look like.
Climate scientists who study the polar regions are seeing signs that there will be a lot less sea ice in the warmer future that's coming.
So that's not great news for polar bears.
It's not. and that's why it's important for scientists like Andrew to monitor or follow the polar bears over time We wanted to make sure that they exist at some level for future generations and to do that He needs a helicopter We'll take off to search for polar bears right after this quick break Tumble is brought to you with support from iXL Learning.
iXL is an online learning platform that enriches your homeschool curriculum and enhances your kids' learning goals, no matter where they go to school.
It offers practice in math, English language arts, science, and social studies while adapting to each child, meeting them exactly where they are.
Plus, iXL encourages kids to be curious and empowers them to take control of their own learning.
My son has been using iXL to keep up on topics that aren't being covered in school right now, and I really loved the way that iXL's dynamic platform tracks his performance, gives him immediate feedback and corrections, and really helps him stay on top of things.
iXL lets him choose which topic to study, gives him real -time feedback, and helps him take charge.
Make an impact on your child's learning.
Get iXL now. And Tumble Science Podcasts For Kids listeners can get an exclusive 20 % off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl .com slash tumble.
Visit www .ixl .com slash tumble to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.
Hey, are you ready to dive into what's going on in the world around us with the 10 news podcast and I'm ryan Will co host Pamela Kirkland a source for all things cur awesome 8 to 12 year old curious parents and pets friends.
Join us as we br news in a fun and engagi entertained and informed.
of cool guests drop by th their stories.
And don't rock star kid correspondence who keep us up to date on the latest music trends, Minecraft updates, and the latest slang, although I still don't get it all.
Am I a sigma? Keep trying Ryan.
You can tune in to the 10 News Podcast on all podcast platforms, so you never have to miss an episode.
Get ready to stay cool, kind, and informed with us on the 10 News Podcast. Let's go!
We're back, and Andrew's in a helicopter.
The big thing is, we use helicopters, and that just allows us to get out over the habitat where the bears are.
In a video Andrew sent us, the helicopter's blades circle into a bright blue sky under the Arctic sun. Endless miles of white ice stretch out ahead broken by cracks that reveal dark, clear water and there's a reason why they're flying here.
There are certain places where we're more likely to find bears.
Along the edges of cracks in the ice and once we find those areas we follow, then we find tracks, figure out which way the bear is going and then we just follow the tracks to the end.
The helicopter turns to the side and the video goes into slow motion just in time to see a speck appear at the right edge of the screen.
It's a polar bear moving across the empty landscape alone.
So what happens when they spot a bear?
They spring into action.
And then we use what we call remote injection equipment, which is a fancy name for a dart gun.
Wait, so they're shooting a dart gun at a polar bear from a helicopter?
The dart gun is not going to hurt the bear.
It's loaded with a drug that will put the bear to sleep for about two hours.
Is that the same drug that Andrew was giving to the cub when he got bit?
Yes. But you can imagine that you wouldn't want to be anywhere close to a grownup polar bear to give them a shot.
That's why they do it from the helicopter.
And usually we hit them in the rump somewhere, because they've got big muscles back there.
So the polar bear's butt is the target?
It's a big bum. And then usually within about six minutes, the bears are asleep.
The helicopter lands nearby and the scientists get their research equipment ready.
If there's a mother polar bear and her cubs, they'll put the cubs to sleep and cuddle them up together.
And then we can walk up on them and take our measurements and any samples that we need.
They collect DNA data that helps them understand the 19 different populations of polar bears in the Arctic.
So we can see who's related to who.
Oh, that's their aunt over here, or that's their sister over there.
So they're trying to build like a polar bear family tree.
Right. And they also have some cool gear that helps them keep track of the polar bears from day to day.
We have what we call satellite tracking devices, and we've got a couple of different options.
So do the polar bears get to choose what they wear?
It's not really a fashion choice.
I guess it would probably be dangerous to ask them their color preferences.
So for adult females, we can put a net collar on them and it has a radio and that sends up a signal to the satellite that tells the satellite where they are and then the satellite sends that information to us.
Okay, so they'll always know where the polar bears are, no matter what?
That's the idea. The radio sends a signal up to the satellite six times a day so they get these little blips of where the bears are.
For adult males and bears that are growing, we can't use collars because the collars would get too tight on a bear that's growing.
And for adult males it's weird but their necks are actually wider than their heads.
I guess that would pose a challenge for wearing a necklace.
Yeah, the collars would just slide off of a male polar bear.
It's like putting something on a cone so we have to use what are called ear tag radios.
These are like radio earrings.
That sounds like kind of a cool look.
The ear tags send just one location a day, but when the researchers fly home, they can monitor the bear's behavior from their warm offices for as long as the tracking devices last. It's kind of like having a polar bear live cam.
Yeah but with locations instead of pictures.
Together with sea ice data, it makes up a picture of how the polar bears are doing.
When I spoke with Andrew in December of 2022, the picture was good!
Now it turns out that this year for polar bears in one of the populations that we're studying was really good.
The ice was just the way it broke up in the springtime.
The bears stayed out there longer.
The mothers were really fat and a lot of them looked to be pregnant and in dens this year.
That's great. But remember things change from year to year.
We don't know what's gonna happen next year though.
That's why it's so important to keep studying polar in making sure we do all we can to help them survive in a warming world.
And there's lots of other interesting questions about the polar bears themselves that we still don't have answers to.
The next generations can come and they will never run out of questions.
As long as there's polar bears around there are things to try to understand Yeah, like why are polar bears so cool?
And do they really drink soda?
I'm pretty sure they don't drink soda.
I mean just because no one has seen them drinking soda outside of a commercial doesn't mean that they don't do it when we're not looking.
It just seems like it would be impossible to open a tiny glass bottle with their huge paws and needle sharp claws?
Like how? I think they could do it.
I'm gonna wait to see the study.
Now that we've learned about how changes in sea ice affect polar bears in the Arctic, Can you think of how climate change might affect any animal species where you live?
Notice changes in weather, temperature and the timing of seasons.
Have they changed in your own memory?
Or ask older friends and family about changes that they've observed.
How do you think these changes could affect how these animals are able to find food and survive?
Think about how you might study these animals if you were a scientist. Thanks to Andrew de Roche, professor of the biological sciences at the University of Alberta in Canada.
In our bonus interview episode, Andrew explains what happens when polar bears move into human towns.
It's available to patrons who pledge just a dollar or more a month on patreon .com slash tumble podcast. And we'll have free resources on the blog on our website, including videos and lesson plans from the World Wildlife Fund's Wild Classroom.
Sarah Roberson -Lence edited this episode and designed the episode art.
Elliott Hajjaj is our production assistant.
Engineering and mixing was done by Gary Calhoun -James.
I'm Lindsay Patterson and I wrote this episode.
And I'm Marshall Eskamiah and I made all of the music and sound design for this episode.
Tumble is a production of Tumble Media, and join us next time for more stories of science discovery.
Hey, it's the end of the episode, and that means it's time for the birthday shout outs for our amazing Patreon supporters.
Happy 7th birthday to John on January 3rd, Ellie happy 10th birthday on January 4th.
Keep up your curiosity and love for science.
Mom and Dad love you.
Happy birthday to Jasper on January 5th.
Love from Mommy, Mama Kai, Nooni, Rosa, Fiona and Uvva.
That's a lot of people!
To Logan, Happy happy birthday on January 6th.
You're so special, and your parents love hearing all of your big ideas.
Happy 5th birthday to Rashaan on January 9th.
You are an incredible kid.
Always stay curious.
Mommy, Daddy and Ari love you.
To the moon and back.
To Leila, happy birthday on January 11th.
Mom and Dad enjoy watching you investigate and learn about the world around you.
Keep learning and stay curious.
Charlotte, happy eighth birthday on January 11th.
Mommy, Daddy and Eloise love you so much. And on January 15th, a happy eighth birthday to Tommy your parents love you.
And finally a happy birthday to Ellika on January 16th.
And a happy birthday on December 18th to Ash.
Mom and Dad, love your curiosity and interest in the world around you.
Thanks to all of you and to everyone who supports Tumble on Patreon.
We couldn't do it without you guys.
If you want to get a birthday shout out of your own, like these fine folks, support Tumble on Patreon at the $5 level or higher by going to patreon .com slash tumble podcast. Once again, that's patreon .com slash tumble podcast.
