Travelin' Fullers Blog: Amazing Day of Wildlife!

IWhat an amazing day out in the Rover! We saw sixteen bears and a rare sighting of an arctic Fox hunting lemmings and "vols"--(think mouse). The Fox was very busy running and digging and as he caught and killed his prey, he then went over and buried it. He had eaten his fill and was doing what they refer to as "cacheing". He was saving it for harder times this winter! We saw him do this at least for times. It was the first Arctic Fox our guide has seen this year!

The early morning started out with finding a very old and thin bear. As he walked , you could see the bones on his back and see his skin flapping. All bears are thin this time of year because they really haven't eaten since July when the ice disappears and seal hunting is over. They can eat up to 150 pounds at one sitting. They put on as much fat as they can from capturing the seals. The live off the fat in the summer. Females mate in March or April, but they don't make a den until August. There are many more males then females so the competition is fierce during the mating season. A male bear must be at least eight years old before he can mate. Females can mate at age six. They have recently discovered that when females are "in season" they have "scent pads" on their feet which will leave a trail of pheromones for her male "suitors "! When more then one male shows up, this ensues with a battle to win the ladies "paw"! The loser slinks away for another day. Females may mate with several different males and she can have cubs with multiple fathers, While a blastocyst is formed and divides a couple of times, it won't implant until August when she'll make her den and not reappear until her cubs are just a little smaller then mom. She needs the extra time from March until August to put on as much weight as she can since she won't be eating for 6 months and she has to nurse the cubs after they're born. The cubs will be with her for the next two and a half years. After that she will breed again.

Though we saw lots of bears, their activity level was low because it is so warm. They're preserving their energy . So, when we saw a group of four young males and two of them were "play" sparring, it was unusual since most are lying low to save their energy.

We also found a mom and cub. Sometimes the number of cubs is determined by how successful a hunter mom was. If she doesn't gain enough weight to support two or three cubs, her body will only implant one. The little guy was adorable! They were digging in the dirt and eating the lichens.

Next came a younger solitary male. He actually walked in front of our parked rover. The bears are normally solitary except for this time of the year when they come together in Churchill to go out on the ice when it forms (which is really late this year)! Bears can be seen drinking water at this time of year, but during hunting season they get all the water they need from the seals they eat. The bears have extremely strong jaws which are needed if they are

pulling up to a thousand pound seal out of the water. The bears will patiently wait above a seal breathing hole to get their prize. They pounce as soon as the seal pops his head up!

Today was such a beautiful sunny day we were hoping the skies would stay clear tonight so we'd have a chance to see the Northern Lights. The Lights weren't particularly strong, but you could definitely see them! So beautiful! Although Churchill gets a view of the Northern Lights about 200 days a year, November is not one of those months. It is still warm enough that there is almost always a cloud cover! We got very lucky! The photos I got were with a handheld camera and to really get a good shot, you need a tripod.

Before dinner at the Tundra Lodge, we had a very interesting speaker! She is an elderly woman who is part Cree Indian and part Scottish. She calls herself a "storyteller" and even she doesn't know what she's going to talk about until she begins. She is a member of the Metis nation of people. She is the daughter of a fur trapper and has done a lot in the last decade to recreate some of the lost arts of the Cree nation. She has taught lots of people these "lost" arts so they will be passed on, hopefully, to future generations. She was awarded a very high medal from the government for her work in the preservation of these art techniques. I don't think today could have been any better!

Our guide , Fred, is really an awesome teacher. I wish I could : 1. Remember everything he tells us and 2. Had the time to write it all down. I try to give you the highlights that I've found interesting. But, it's like being in a classroom for 8 hours and trying to write down everything thing you were taught and you only have an hour! Trust me when I tell you there are so many fascinating things to learn about the wildlife and the geology of this area.

Some of the photos will give you the sense of the harshness of the landscape as winter nears. What's harsh for most species is a vacation wonderland for polar bears. They are suitably adapted for their environment! The bears stay warm because of the amount of fat they

consume. The Arctic Fox has a different method and stays warm with a very high metabolism!

They must constantly eat to keep their metabolism revved up. So many cool things ( no pun intended) happen every day out on the Tundra!

Stay tuned for day two on the Tundra!