Polar bears and narwhals face wipeout as Arctic sea ice retreats, warns study

THE polar bear and narwhal whale could be wiped out because of disappearing sea ice, according to new research.

Global warming is affecting the food chain – leaving the two iconic Arctic species facing extinction.

Polar bears use sea ice as platforms from which to hunt seals and other creatures. Males and females also meet there to mate.

The narwhal is slow-moving – and needs it to hide from killer whales and other predators. Resembling a large dolphin, it grows to up to 18ft in length.

But its extraordinary spiral tusk – possessed by all males and only very rarely by females – sets it apart from all its large sea mammal cousins.

The animals could also be affected as shipping in the region increases as the ice retreats.

Dr Anthony Pagano, of San Diego Zoo Global, and Professor Terrie Williams, of California University in Santa Cruz, say they are struggling to “cling on”.

They described the two mammal specialists as “sentinels of climate change” within the ecosystem that “may foreshadow rapid changes to the marine ecosystem”.

The whole area’s wildlife is now at risk since it relies on a stable sea ice platform that is now vanishing. The scientists describe the crisis as “catastrophic”.

Writing in the Journal of Experimental Biology, they warned the decline of both apex predators has implications for the whole planet. A loss of sea ice means a loss of reflectivity of solar rays and further rises in global temperatures.

Dr Pagano and Prof Williams said: “Rapid changes in the Arctic are threatening the survival of marine species that rely on the predictable presence of the sea ice.”