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Growler Bears and Pizzly Bears: Insights from the Hybrid Family Drama of Polar and Grizzly Bears

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Arctic Grolar Bear

Stephen J. Kazlowski / Alamy

<p>Meet our central figure: a female polar bear. Driven southward by retreating Arctic ice, she journeyed deep into Canada's Northwest Territories. There, she encountered a pair of striking grizzly bears, and fell in love with both. From these unions, she gave birth to three daughters known as "growler bears" and a son, marking the inception of an extraordinary lineage echoing Shakespearean drama.</p>

<p>The next chapter took an unexpected turn. When one of her daughters matured, she mated with her biological father and another grizzly, her stepfather, resulting in a litter of four—siblings, children, and cousins all at once.</p>

<p>In 2006, a hunter in the Canadian Arctic produced a hybrid specimen with both polar and grizzly traits. Later genetic evaluation confirmed this was a growler, part of this emerging hybrid family. A decade later, scientists were intrigued to observe unusual behaviors among these creatures. Typically, hybrids are not fertile, yet these were. Researchers began to ponder whether this heralded a new apex predator for the Arctic. Could these hybrids exemplify resilience in the face of climate change, or signal impending ecological crises? Current studies promise further insights.</p>

<p>As global temperatures increase, the Arctic warms four times quicker than the rest of the globe, pushing polar bears (<em>Ursus maritimus</em>) south in search of sustenance. Their primary diet of fatty seals hinges on sea ice, which is disappearing rapidly, forcing them inland. They frequently encounter their brown bear relatives, the grizzly bear (<em>Ursus arctos horribilis</em>), which is edging northward. Warmer Arctic conditions enhance hunting and breeding opportunities, boosting hybrid occurrences, including growlers and "pizzly bears" (polar bear fathers and grizzly mothers). Some researchers express concern that polar genes may infiltrate grizzly populations, jeopardizing polar bear survival.</p>

<p>Yet, the discovery of the Grolar lineage hints at a more optimistic scenario: polar bears might be adapting to a rapidly changing environment. Recorded growlers exhibit traits of gray-brown polar bears, with slightly larger limbs and skulls reminiscent of grizzlies. These hybrids might exploit a broader diet on land, potentially allowing them to forage without relying on diminishing sea ice. Larissa DeSantis, a paleontologist at Vanderbilt University, notes that these adaptations could be a bittersweet necessity amid rising temperatures, as discussed in a <a href="https://www.livescience.com/pizzly-bear-hybrids-created-by-climate-crisis.html">2021 interview.</a></p>

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<h2>One Happy Family</h2>

<p>However, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12686-024-01359-1">extensive genomic research</a> presented in a recent book reveals alternative insights. In a study led by <a href="https://www.macewan.ca/academics/academic-departments/biological-sciences/our-people/profile/?profileid=millerj253">Joshua Miller</a> at MacEwan University, researchers uncovered that genetic sequences of 371 polar bears, 440 grizzlies, and the Grolar clan showed no other hybrids in nature apart from the known Grolars. The rarity of this mating pattern has led experts to conclude that hybrids may lack the essential skills required for survival in either parent's ecosystem. Recent studies corroborate that hybrids may be unfit for Arctic life, lacking polar bears' specialized "non-slip" foot structure and not fully inheriting grizzlies’ powerful forelimbs and shoulders. Essentially, Growlers and Pizzlies are suboptimal versions of both bears rather than well-adapted hybrids.</p>

<p><figure class="ArticleImage"><div class="Image__Wrapper"><img class="Image" alt="Two pizzly bears in a stream at the zoo" width="1350" height="900" src="https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg" srcset="https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=300 300w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=400 400w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=500 500w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=600 600w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=700 700w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=800 800w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=837 837w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=900 900w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=1003 1003w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=1100 1100w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=1300 1300w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=1400 1400w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=1500 1500w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=1600 1600w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=1674 1674w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=1700 1700w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=1800 1800w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=1900 1900w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152243/SEI_273018522.jpg?width=2006 2006w" sizes="(min-width: 1288px) 837px, (min-width: 1024px) calc(57.5vw + 55px), (min-width: 415px) calc(100vw - 40px), calc(70vw + 74px)" loading="lazy" data-image-context="Article" data-image-id="2503195" data-caption="Pizzly bears in a German zoo, born from a polar bear father and grizzly mother in the same enclosure." data-credit="Molly Merrow"/></div><figcaption class="ArticleImageCaption" wp_automatic_readability="27"><div class="ArticleImageCaption__CaptionWrapper" wp_automatic_readability="34"><p class="ArticleImageCaption__Title">Pizzly Bear Born from a Polar Bear Father and Grizzly Mother</p><p class="ArticleImageCaption__Credit">Molly Merrow</p></div></figcaption></figure></p>

<p>Short-term, such hybrids may remain uncommon, with new species unlikely. However, what about the long-term evolutionary prospects for polar bears? Insights from the past might illuminate the future. The habitats of polar and brown bears once coexisted during the Pleistocene epoch, defined by recurring glaciation over the last 2.6 million years. Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz discovered that brown bears currently inhabit three Alaskan islands. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23516372/">During that time, gradual male brown bear mating with local polar bear populations resulted in hybridization.</a> If this pattern recurs, the polar bear species could face extinction, leaving only grizzly bears.</p>

<p>However, the Pleistocene was characterized by gradual environmental changes and slow adaptation. Today’s climate change, driven by human activity, is happening at an unprecedented pace, potentially leading us down an alternate path. “The far more significant threat to polar bears today is the loss of ice habitat due to climate change, occurring much more swiftly than any concerns related to hybridization,” states Fiona Galbraith, a geneticist and climate change consultant currently leading a natural habitat expedition into the Canadian Arctic.</p>

<p><figure class="ArticleImage"><div class="Image__Wrapper"><img class="Image" alt="Icebergs are melting at the North Pole" width="1350" height="900" src="https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg" srcset="https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=300 300w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=400 400w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=500 500w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=600 600w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=700 700w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=800 800w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=837 837w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=900 900w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=1003 1003w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=1100 1100w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=1300 1300w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=1400 1400w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=1500 1500w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=1600 1600w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=1674 1674w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=1700 1700w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=1800 1800w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=1900 1900w, https://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/05152237/SEI_273019037.jpg?width=2006 2006w" sizes="(min-width: 1288px) 837px, (min-width: 1024px) calc(57.5vw + 55px), (min-width: 415px) calc(100vw - 40px), calc(70vw + 74px)" loading="lazy" data-image-context="Article" data-image-id="2503193" data-caption="The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet" data-credit="Adisha Pramod/Alamy"/></div><figcaption class="ArticleImageCaption" wp_automatic_readability="26"><div class="ArticleImageCaption__CaptionWrapper" wp_automatic_readability="32"><p class="ArticleImageCaption__Title">The Arctic is Warming Four Times Faster Than the Rest of the Planet</p><p class="ArticleImageCaption__Credit">Adisha Pramod / Alamy</p></div></figcaption></figure></p>

<p>In conclusion, while the Grolar dynasty is fascinating, it serves as a harbinger of ecological distress on Earth. Similar <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10674025/">climate-induced mating</a> has been documented elsewhere, including a **bobcat-lynx hybrid** in North America and the emergence of the **coywolf**, resulting from interbreeding between coyotes and eastern wolves. Like Arctic bears, these hybrids are born from habitat disruption caused by rapidly changing environments. Their ability to adapt is situation-dependent; many hybrids struggle to thrive in new areas, often leading to biodiversity loss and eventual ecosystem collapse. "When both species fulfil similar roles in their ecosystems, increased contact and interbreeding can occur without significantly affecting ecological functions," shares <a href="https://polarbearsinternational.org/what-we-do/our-team/">John Whiteman</a> from Polar Bears International. Neglecting this could lead to dire consequences. For instance, while grizzly bears frequently leave carrion for scavengers, polar bears do not, posing hazards to food webs and disease dynamics.</p>

<p>Reflecting on our initial question about the Grolar dynasty as the next chapter in polar bear evolution, the resounding answer is a grim "no." This phenomenon showcases not adaptation but the tragic decline of a species amid drastic environmental fluctuations. However, this festive season, let’s contemplate the potential for a different outcome, where polar bear tracks continue to mark the Northern landscapes for winters yet to come. It hinges on our actions.</p>

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The Race is On: How Scientists are Using Drones to Track Grizzly Bears

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TThe first time Terry Vandenbos saw a bear run away from a drone was on a spring day two years ago when he was chasing a bear himself. After seeing a grizzly bear cross a road near his property, a Montana rancher hopped in his all-terrain vehicle and planned to chase it away from his cattle if necessary.

However, when the bear was still far away from him, he began to sprint as fast as he could, looking over his shoulder, and Vandenbos also looked up. A small drone was chasing the bear overhead, its four propellers emitting a high-pitched whine as it flew toward a nearby lake.

“I don’t think I need to be here,” Vandenbos remembers thinking. He drove home. The bear never touched the cow.


At the other end of the drone was Wesley Sarmento, a grizzly bear management specialist with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP). For the past six years, he has been testing various non-lethal methods to scare bears away from human settlements. An act commonly referred to as “hazing.”

Sarmento, a doctoral student at the University of Montana, said in a study to be published in the journal Frontiers of Conservation Science that aerial drones outperformed all other hazing methods he tested in his experiments. These provide a way to keep grizzly bears away from humans that is safe for both humans and animals.

“Drones are now a tool that you can’t do your job without,” Sarmento said. “That’s how convenient it is.”

Increase in human-wildlife conflict


For nearly two centuries, prairies like those around Vanden Bosch Farm in northeastern Montana have had few large predators.

“The really good news is that we’ve done a good job recovering some of the large carnivores,” said Julie Young, a Utah State University wildlife biologist who studies ways to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Washington state set to reintroduce grizzly bears in an effort to preserve population

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The federal government announced this week that grizzly bears will be reintroduced to Washington state’s North Cascade Mountains. The decision follows many years of intense and divisive debate.

But due to the complex process of capturing bears from British Columbia and northwestern Montana, transporting them by truck and helicopter, it will take many years before bears can venture into the remote and rugged terrain. It may also be costly.

“There’s a lot of work to do before we can schedule it,” said Jason Ransom, a wildlife biologist with North Cascades National Park. “Getting the planning right is critical to the success of a project like this.”

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday that over the next 5 to 10 years, a “founder population” of bears will be released into a secluded part of the forest.

This reintroduction will restore a keystone species to the North Cascades, one of the most protected landscapes in the United States. Grizzlies once roamed throughout the region, but were extensively hunted for their fur. The National Park Service reports that there has not been a confirmed bear sighting since 1996.

Both agencies plan to release between three and seven bears each year with the goal of reaching a population of 200 bears within 60 to 100 years.

The North Cascades are one of six areas where federal agencies are working to rehabilitate grizzly bears. Supporters believe that this effort will improve the overall ecosystem health.

Ransom mentioned that grizzly bears play a vital role in turning soil, spreading seeds, and adapting to various habitats for reproduction. Their versatility makes them resilient to environmental changes, including those caused by climate change.

But opponents express concerns about the safety risks grizzly bears may pose to humans, as well as the potential conflicts with farmers and ranchers in the surrounding areas. The reintroduction project is addressing these concerns by selecting a release site in high-quality habitat far from populated areas.

The federal government has designated the project’s grizzly bears as a “nonessential experimental population” under the Endangered Species Act, providing legal flexibility to manage potential conflicts and protect both humans and bears.

The process of capturing and releasing bears involves using culvert traps, anesthesia, veterinary examinations, and radio collars for tracking purposes. The gradual reintroduction process aims to allow humans and bears to adapt to each other in an environment that has been bear-free for decades.

Starting with 25 bears allows the population to grow slowly, giving both humans and bears a chance to coexist in the area that has been without bears for a long time.

Source: www.nbcnews.com