Climate change has led to the emergence of hybrids of polar and brown bears in Kunashir

Climate change is the main reason for the appearance of hybrids of polar and brown bears in Kunashir.

Melting Arctic ice is forcing polar bears to move south, while brown bears are moving north, causing the species' ranges to overlap.

Crossing occurs naturally, without human intervention.

MOSCOW, September 27 - RIA Novosti. Climate change is the main reason for the appearance of hybrids of polar and brown bears in Kunashir in the Sakhalin region - the melting of Arctic ice forces polar bears to move south, and brown bears move north, which is why the ranges of the species intersect and interbreeding occurs naturally, biologists told RIA Novosti.

Kunashir is the southernmost island of the Great Kuril chain. Its climate is temperate, humid, and maritime: summers are cool and foggy, and winters are mild and snowy.

“Biologists say the main reason for the appearance of hybrids of polar and brown bears in Kunashir is climate change, due to which the ranges of the two species began to overlap. The melting of Arctic ice forces polar bears to move south in search of food, while brown bears, on the contrary, move north,” explained Dmitry Fedorov, candidate of biological sciences, member of the public council of Rosprirodnadzor.

According to biologist Dmitry Safonov, as a result, closely related species that previously occupied completely different ecosystems end up in the same territories.

“Crossbreeding occurs naturally, without human intervention,” he said.