First evidence of a brown bear on Wrangel Island, Russia

Scientists have documented the first confirmed presence of brown bears (Ursus arctos) on Wrangel Island, Russia, located above 71°N in the Arctic Ocean. This discovery was verified through photographic evidence and genetic analysis of hair samples, which revealed that the observed male bear shares a mitochondrial DNA haplotype common across Eurasian brown bears. Additional images from camera traps suggest at least one more individual may be present on the island. Wrangel Island is home to other large mammals like muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), but the implications of this bear population—whether it signifies a range expansion due to climate warming or represents isolated individuals—remain unclear.

Babiy, U. V., Salomashkina, V. V., Kulemeev, P. S., Kholodova, M. V., Gruzdev, A. R., & Regehr, E. V. (2022). First evidence of a brown bear on Wrangel Island, Russia. Ursus, 2022(33e4). https://doi.org/10.2192/ursus-d-20-00024.1