# Polar bears in Antarctica **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 6, 2004, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears-in-antarctica/278333 "2004-12-06T06:36:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears-in-antarctica/278333/21 "2004-12-07T20:05:24Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I’m not sure this is a 100% safe assumption. The Antarctic as a whole is considerably colder than the Arctic. However, coastal portions of the Antarctic would probably do just fine for polar bears. Yeah, the Antarctic on average is 30 degrees Celsius colder than the Arctic, so we shouldn’t assume polar bears could live just anywhere down there. Assuming this introduction could be accomplished with a minimum of impact, it deserves (almost wrote “bears”) consideration. It’s expected that the Arctic ice cap could become seasonal ice within the next few decades, which means polar bears could become extinct if something isn’t done. The polar bear’s range has already shrunk in historic times. In pre-Columbian Europe they were known as “white bears” because they ranged much farther south than just the Arctic. Temperature Cite: [http://www.visitandlearn.co.uk/deployment02-03/wilderness5.asp](http://www.visitandlearn.co.uk/deployment02-03/wilderness5.asp) Couldn’t find a cite about “white bears,” so I won’t swear to it. ---
**Author:** ![jgroub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b77776/32.png) [@jgroub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jgroub)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears-in-antarctica/278333/22 "2004-12-07T20:12:41Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Unless there is already a variant for white pups (or one randonly shows up pretty quickly), it won’t do anything. They’ll die. You mean two, don’t you? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears-in-antarctica/278333/23 "2004-12-07T20:58:49Z")
If the gene is dominant, it only takes one. ---
**Author:** ![Milkman\_Dan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Milkman\_Dan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milkman_Dan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears-in-antarctica/278333/24 "2004-12-07T21:11:45Z")
> [@Fiver](#): > > Assuming this introduction could be accomplished with a minimum of impact, it deserves (almost wrote “bears”) consideration. How could it be accomplished with a minimum of impact? The bears would be able to eat everything in sight, seeing as how most Antarctic species have no defence against land-based predators. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears-in-antarctica/278333/25 "2004-12-08T00:58:15Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > …and most important of all, that meddling Encyclopedia Brown will be shown up for once and for all! 🙂 I love this board. ---
**Author:** ![Aceospades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Aceospades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aceospades)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears-in-antarctica/278333/26 "2004-12-08T01:27:13Z")
> [@RandomLetters](#): > > No, No, No. We should introduce dogs to handle the feral cats. > > And then have the polar bears handle the feral dogs. 😃 And then of course we’ll have to introduce mutated giant animatronic rats from the future to handle the feral polar bears. And then all will be right. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears-in-antarctica/278333/27 "2004-12-08T03:32:36Z")
> [@Milkman Dan](#): > > How could it be accomplished with a minimum of impact? The bears would be able to eat everything in sight, seeing as how most Antarctic species have no defence against land-based predators. Beats me. Do I look like a marine biologist? Maybe they’d have to fence off an island or something. I’m not saying it would be easy. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears-in-antarctica/278333/28 "2004-12-08T03:36:58Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > “Honest, officer, that’s not my polar bear! I don’t KNOW how it got into my pants!” Say, is that a polar bear in your pants…? ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2004, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears-in-antarctica/278333/29 "2004-12-08T03:52:30Z")
> [@Fiver](#): > > Beats me. Do I look like a marine biologist? Um… [no!](http://www.imagestation.com/mypictures/inbox/view.html?id=4132116030&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imagestation.com%2Fpicture%2Fsraid146%2Fp65109b3288013ce50da6146f764834cc%2Ff64b163e.jpg&caption=dorothy) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-bears-in-antarctica/278333.md?page=1)