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Differences in growth, size and sexual dimorphism in skulls of East Greenland and Svalbard polar bears (Ursus maritimus)

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Abstract

Size, growth and sexual dimorphism of nine skull traits was studied in 300 East Greenland and 391 Svalbard polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Two traits were significantly larger in bears from East Greenland compared to Svalbard bears, and trait size was smaller after 1960 in five traits. For both localities and both age groups (subadult, adult), mean trait size values were higher in males than females (all: P < 0.05). Gompertz growth models showed trait size increasing with age in seven traits. Depending on the trait, males reached 95% asymptotic trait size at age 3–10, females at age 2–6. The females of both localities matured at approximately the same age, whereas the Svalbard males generally matured years later than their East Greenland peers. The differences found in the present study between the two polar bear subpopulations support the notion that East Greenland and Svalbard polar bears probably should be managed as separate units.

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Acknowledgments

The Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Denmark and the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Norway are acknowledged for providing access to their collections of polar bear skulls.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Arctic Environment, National Environmental Research Institute, University of Aarhus, Frederiksborgvej 399, P.O. Box 358, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark

    Thea Ø. Bechshøft, Christian Sonne, Frank F. Rigét & Rune Dietz

  2. Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, PO Box 1172, Blindern, 0562, Oslo, Norway

    Øystein Wiig

Authors
  1. Thea Ø. Bechshøft
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  2. Christian Sonne
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  3. Frank F. Rigét
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  4. Øystein Wiig
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  5. Rune Dietz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian Sonne.

Appendix

Appendix

List of institutional catalog numbers of the examined polar bear skulls

Abbreviations

ZM:

Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen

NHM:

Natural History Museum, University of Oslo

Ursus maritimus (M = 320, F = 282, Unknown = 89)

ZM: 851, 852, 856, 857, 859, 860, 861, 862, 864, 866, 868, 869, 1059, 1280, 1281, 1847, 1848, 1849, 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1964, 2434, 2437, 2438, 2439, 2440, 2441, 2442, 2518, 2519, 2599, 2600, 2602, 2603, 2604, 2605, 2606, 2607, 2608, 2609, 2610, 2611, 2612, 2614, 2615, 2616, 2617, 2618, 2619, 2620, 2621, 2622, 2623, 2624, 2625, 2626, 2627, 2635, 2636, 2859, 2887, 2890, 2891, 2892, 3056, 3133, 4243, 4244, 4245, 4246, 4247, 4254, 4271, 4272, 4273, 4274, 4275, 4276, 4281, 4528, 4529, 5224, 5346, 5347, 5348, 5349, 5350, 5351, 5352, 5352, 5353, 5354, 5355, 5356, 5357, 5358, 5359, 5360, 5361, 5362, 5363, 5364, 5365, 5366, 5367, 5368, 5369, 5370, 5390, 5391, 5392, 5393, 5394, 5395, 5396, 5397, 5400, 5438, 5440, 5441, 5442, 5443, 5460, 5461, 5462, 5469, 5471, 5473, 5474, 5475, 5476, 5478, 5480, 5481, 5483, 5612, 5620, 5621, 5622, 5728, 5729, 5747, 5748, 5749, 5751, 5752, 5753, 5754, 5755, 5457, 5758, 5759, 5760, 5761, 5762, 5763, 5764, 5765, 5766, 5767, 5769, 5770, 5771, 5772, 21666, 21668, 21669, 21670, 21673, 21674, 21675, 21676, 21677, 21678, 21682, 21684, 21686, 21689, 21693, 21695, 21702, 21703, 21704, 21705, 21706, 21710, 21711, 21712, 21715, 21717, 21718, 21719, 21720, 21723, 21726, 21727, 21728, 21729, 21730, 21731, 21732, 21737, 21739, 21740, 21742, 21744, 21745, 21747, 21751, 21753, 21755, 21758, 21761, 21762, 21765, 21766, 21769, 21770, 21772, 21776, 21778, 21781, 21783, 21785, 21791, 21792, 22201, 22203, 22205, 22207, 22209, 22210, 22212, 22213, 22215, 22217, 22219, 22220, 22221, 22222, 22226, 22227, 22228, 22230, %nr, 853, 853b, DMU 21679, DMU 21680, DMU 21750, DMU 21759, DMU 21767, DMU 21771, DMU 21775, DMU 21779, DMU 21795, DMU 21796, DMU 22206, DMU 22208, DMU 26370, DMU 26381, DMU 366, DMU 371, DMU 373, DMU 374, DMU 375, DMU 376, DMU 378, DMU 379, DMU 383, DMU 386, DMU 387, DMU 389, DMU 390, DMU 391, DMU 392, DMU 393, DMU 394, DMU 395, Jeppe-1, Jeppe-2, Jeppe-3, Jeppe-4, Jeppe-5, Jeppe-6, Jeppe-7, Jeppe-8, Jeppe-9, ZM 2630, ZM 2631. NHM: 724, 763, 2823, 3429, 3431, 3432, 3434, 3435, 3436, 3437, 3438, 3441, 3445, 3452, 3454, 3456, 3466, 3470, 3472, 3473, 3480, 3483, 3486, 3489, 3490, 3515, 3516, 3518, 3612, 3614, 3963, 3964, 4298, 7314, 10004, 10005, 10006, 10007, 10008, 10009, 10014, 10015, 10016, 10018, 10019, 10020, 10021, 10464, 10465, 10466, 10467, 10468, 11414, 11632, 123-71, 168-82, 169-82, 170-82, 171-82, 172-82, 173-82, 174-82, 175-82, 175-82, 177-82, 178-82, 1990-20, 367/66, 368/66, 370-65 1 (391), 370-65 10 (204), 370-65 11 (217), 370-65 12, 370-65 14 (134), 370-65 15 (152), 370-65 16 (456), 370-65 17 (461), 370-65 18 (474), 370-65 19 (485), 370-65 2 (502), 370-65 20 (492), 370-65 21 (298), 370-65 22 (159), 370-65 23 (410), 370-65 24 (471), 370-65 25 (421), 370-65 26, 370-65 27 (438), 370-65 28 (452), 370-65 29 (228), 370-65 3 (327), 370-65 30 (414), 370-65 31 (107), 370-65 32 (164), 370-65 33 (446), 370-65 34 (447), 370-65 35 (427), 370-65 36 (302), 370-65 37 (381), 370-65 38 (370), 370-65 39 (364), 370-65 4 (475), 370-65 40 (372), 370-65 41 (386), 370-65 42 (276), 370-65 43 (312), 370-65 44 (393), 370-65 45 (358), 370-65 46 (326), 370-65 47 (306), 370-65 48 (129), 370-65 49 (345), 370-65 5 (400), 370-65 50 (174), 370-65 51 (265), 370-65 52 (251), 370-65 53 (275), 370-65 54 (246), 370-65 55 (271), 370-65 56 (337), 370-65 57 (297), 370-65 58 (285), 370-65 59 (290), 370-65 6 (433), 370-65 60 (154), 370-65 61 (318), 370-65 62 (213), 370-65 63 (118), 370-65 64 (177), 370-65 65 (234), 370-65 66 (339), 370-65 67 (139), 370-65 68 (188), 370-65 69 (198), 370-65 7 (322), 370-65 70 (227), 370-65 71 (208), 370-65 72 (262), 370-65 73 (181), 370-65 74 (165), 370-65 75 (239), 370-65 76 (169), 370-65 77 (252), 370-65 78 (110), 370-65 79 (106), 370-65 8 (425), 370-65 80 (114), 370-65 81 (559), 370-65 82 (560), 370-65 83 (561), 370-65 84 (547), 370-65 9 (191), 398-77, 399-77, 4170a, 4170b, 427/66, 429/66, 430/66, 431/66, 432/66, 433/66, 434/66, 435/66, 436/66, 437/66-(2)/TB3, 437/66-(5)/TB7, 437/66-(6)/TB9, 437/66-(7)/TB10, 437/66-(Larsen)/TB8, 437/66-TB1, 437/66-TB11, 437/66-TB12, 437/66-TB13, 437/66-TB14, 437/66-TB15, 437/66-TB17, 437/66-TB18, 437/66-TB2, 437/66-TB4, 437/66-TB5, 437/66-TB6, 437A/66-TB20, 437B/66-TB19, 71-68 1, 71-68 10, 71-68 11, 71-68 12, 71-68 13, 71-68 14, 71-68 15, 71-68 16, 71-68 17, 71-68 18, 71-68 19, 71-68 2, 71-68 20, 71-68 21, 71-68 22, 71-68 23, 71-68 24, 71-68 25, 71-68 26, 71-68 27, 71-68 28, 71-68 29, 71-68 3, 71-68 30, 71-68 31, 71-68 32, 71-68 34, 71-68 35, 71-68 36, 71-68 37, 71-68 39, 71-68 4, 71-68 41, 71-68 42, 71-68 43, 71-68 44, 71-68 45, 71-68 46, 71-68 47, 71-68 48, 71-68 49, 71-68 5, 71-68 50, 71-68 51, 71-68 52, 71-68 53, 71-68 54, 71-68 55, 71-68 56, 71-68 57, 71-68 58, 71-68 59, 71-68 6, 71-68 60, 71-68 61, 71-68 62, 71-68 63, 71-68 64, 71-68 65, 71-68 67, 71-68 68, 71-68 7, 71-68 71, 71-68 72, 71-68 73, 71-68 76, 71-68 78, 71-68 79, 71-68 8, 71-68 80, 71-68 82, 71-68 83, 71-68 9, 71-68/TB22, 71-68/TB23, 71-68/TB25, 71-68/TB26, 71-68/TB27, 71-68/TB28, 71-68/TB29, 71-68/TB30, 71-68/TB31, 818-69, 819-69 (2), 820-69, 821-69, 822-69, 823-69, 824-69, 82-50 (small), 82-50 (big), 825-69, 826-69, 827-69, 828-69, 829-69, 830-69, 831-69 (1), 833-69, 834-69, 835-69, 836-69, 837-69, 838-69, 839-69, 840-69, 841-69

M 3430, M 3433, M 3439, M 3440, M 3446, M 3447, M 3448, M 3449, M 3450, M 3451, M 3453, M 3455, M 3457, M 3458, M 3460, M 3461, M 3462, M 3463, M 3464, M 3465, M 3467, M 3468, M 3469, M 3471, M 3474, M 3475, M 3476, M 3477, M 3478, M 3479, M 3481, M 3482, M 3484, M 3485, M 3487, M 3488, M 3491, M 3492, M 3493, M 3494, M 3495, M 3496, M 3497, M 3498, M 3501, 10/11800, 11/11797, 12/11795, 13/11801, 14/11799, 15/11149, 16/11151, 17/11418, 18/11416, 19/11415, 20/11798, 21/11796, 22/11417, 23/11419, 24/11148, 25/11150, PH1/16, PH10, PH11/44, PH12, PH13/X, PH14/20, PH15, PH16, PH17, PH18/42, PH19, PH2/56, PH20, PH21, PH22, PH23, PH24, PH25, PH26, PH27/10, PH28, PH29/VI, PH30, PH31, PH32, PH4/30, PH5/31, PH6/1, PH7/43, PH8/58, PH9, TB16, TB32, TB33, TB34, Unknown series I, Unknown series II, Unknown series III.

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Bechshøft, T.Ø., Sonne, C., Rigét, F.F. et al. Differences in growth, size and sexual dimorphism in skulls of East Greenland and Svalbard polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Polar Biol 31, 945–958 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-008-0435-y

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