Ghost Bears of the Rainforest: Scientists and native Canadians team up to help the world's rarest bears.
On a riverbank in western Canada, a pale white bear hunts for fish. But this animal isn't a polar bear. It's a black bear born with a rare cream-colored coat. The native people of western Canada call these ghostly animals spirit bears.Spirit bears are considered the rarest bears on Earth. There are only about 400 in the wild. Most live in a remote area of Canada called the Great Bear Rainforest (see Coastal Home, below). It's the largest temperate rainforest in the world.
Scientists are tracking spirit bears to better understand their life in this isolated habitat. "It is a peek into the world of these amazing animals that very few people get to see," says Christina Service. She's a scientist with the Spirit Bear Research Foundation based in Klemtu, British Columbia.
Scientists like Service have partners in studying bears. The Kitasoo/Xai'xais (kit-AH-soo/ hiy-hiyss) people are indigenous to this area of Canada. They've shared the region with bears for thousands of years and consider spirit bears sacred. They work with scientists to protect the animals and the rainforest they call home.
Northern Rainforest
The Great Bear Rainforest is sometimes called the "Amazon of the North." But the damp, mossy region looks different from tropical rainforests like the Amazon. In a tropical rainforest, trees are leafy. In a temperate rainforest, most trees have needles instead.
The climate of a temperate rainforest is different too. The Amazon is hot and muggy. The Great Bear Rainforest is cool and gray. Animals from sea otters to mountain goats live beneath its overcast skies.
Spirit bears may have an advantage in this habitat.
To a fish in a river, a black bear stands out against a cloudy sky. But white fur is more difficult to see against that background. Scientists think that makes it easier for spirit bears to catch fish.
Most spirit bears live on two small islands within the
Great Bear Rainforest. On these islands, one in five bears are born with a white coat. Outside the region, only one in a million black bears have white fur.
Tracking Spirits
Following the bears in this remote, wet habitat is hard work. "It's called a rainforest for a reason," says Service. The area gets about 300 centimeters (120 inches) of rain per year.
Service and her colleagues travel by boat or helicopter to reach the islands where spirit bears live. They set up wildlife cameras to record bears that pass by. They also build wire fences that the bears rub against, leaving behind tufts of hair. Analyzing the hair helps scientists determine which individual bears are in the area.
Kitasoo/Xai'xais community members help collect data on the bears. Some adult spirit bears have been monitored since the day they were born.
Protecting Bears
Understanding the habits of bears in the area will help people protect them. For example, scientists want to know when and where the bears hunt fish. As climate change warms rivers and oceans in the region, it could become harder for fish there to survive.
Proposed oil pipelines are another threat to the rainforest. These huge pipes would carry oil from one area to another. But building the pipelines would bring construction and truck traffic to the area. Both are dangerous for bears and other animals. And once a pipeline is built, any oil spills could have devastating effects on the whole forest.
Parts of the Great Bear Rainforest are already protected. Construction and logging aren't allowed in most of the forest. Scientists and Kitasoo/Xai'xais people work together to make rules that help both bears and people in the region.
But climate change and development are still big concerns, says Service. "These animals rely on both a healthy ocean and land environment," she says.
words to know
temperate--in an area of Earth that is not too hot or cold
indigenous--native to an area
tropical--in the area of Earth near the equator, where it is warm or hot all year long
climate--the average weather conditions for a region
climate change-a change in Earth's average temperature and weather patterns caused mainly by human activity
condense--to change from water vapor to liquid water
READING LEVELS: Lexile 770 / Guided Reading Level Q
NEED A LOWER READING LEVEL? To access this article at a lower reading level, go to superscience.scholastic.com
Objective
Combine knowledge of rainforests with a map of rainforests around the world to reason about the factors that influence local climate.
STANDARDS
NGSS:
Core Idea: ESS2.D: Weather and climate
Practice: Analyzing and interpreting data
Crosscutting Concept: Cause and effect
COMMON CORE:
Reading Informational Text: 4.
Determine the meaning of words from context.
TEKS:
Science: 3.9A, 4.9, 5.9A, 6.12E
ELA: 3.4B, 4.2B, 5.2B, 6.2B
Lesson Plan
(1) Observe differences between spirit bears and other types of bears. Reason about what makes spirit bears special.
Collect images online of different types of bears, such as grizzly, polar, and sun bears. Display the images in the classroom along with an image of a spirit bear in this issue. Ask students to work in small groups to identify and record what they notice about each type of bear.
Ask students to compare and contrast the spirit bear with other types of bears. Allow time for groups to share what they notice.
(2) Read the article and discuss what students learned.
Have students read the story "Ghost Bears of the Rainforest" on pages 10-13 in small groups. Then have them complete the "No Sweat Bubble Test" on page T12. Ask:
* What trait do spirit bears have that may help them survive? (When they hunt for fish, their white fur is difficult for fish to see against the background of the cloudy sky.)
* Why are scientists so interested in these bears? (The bears live in an isolated habitat and are very rare.)
* What factors may affect the survival of the spirit bear? (overfishing, climate change, proposed oil lines and potential oil spills, industry expansion, and traffic)
(3) Use a map to answer questions about rainforests.
Review the definitions of temperate and tropical rainforests in the article. Have students work individually or with a partner to complete the worksheet "Where Do Rainforests Grow?" on page T9. Review answers as a class.
Use the map in the worksheet and the diagram "Watering a Rainforest" on page 12 of the article to discuss where and how temperate rainforests form. Ask: What geographical feature is important to the formation of temperate rainforests? (mountain ranges)
TEACHING TOOLS available at scholastic.com/superscience
Skills sheets:
Where Do Rainforests Grow? (T9): Answer questions about temperate and tropical rainforests using a map of their locations.
No-Sweat Bubble Test (T12): Answer multiplechoice questions about the article.
Word Detective (online only): Define challenging words in the article based on context.
Game:
Rainforest Trivia Challenge (online only): Test your knowledge of temperate and tropical rainforests.
MAP SKILL
Where Do Rainforests Grow?
In "Ghost Bears of the Rainforest" (pp. 10-13), you read about spirit bears living in a rainforest. Many of Earth's rainforests are tropical rainforests, which are hot and humid. But spirit bears live in temperate rainforests, which are cooler but still very wet. Use the map below to answer questions about the locations of rainforests around the world.
Rainforests Around the World
1. Which type of rainforest covers more land?
(A) tropical (B) temperate
2. Which continent has the largest rainforest?
(A) Europe (C) South America
(B) North America (D) Africa
3. On which of these continents are no rainforests found?
(A) North America (C) Australia
(B) South America (D) Antarctica
4. In your own words, describe where on Earth tropical and temperate rainforests are located. (Hint: Use the compass, equator, and tropics lines.)--
5. Think about what you know about tropical and temperate rainforests. Why do you think they're located where they are?--
ANSWERS
1. a 2. c 3. d 4. Answers will vary but should include that tropical rainforests are closer to the equator, between the two tropics lines. Temperate rainforests are north and south of the tropics. 5. Answers will vary but may include that temperatures are generally warmer closer to the equator or that temperate rainforests form near mountains.
READING COMPREHENSION
NO-SWEAT BUBBLE TEST
Directions: Read each question below, then use the article "Ghost Bears of the Rainforest" (pp. 10-13) to determine the best answer. Completely fill in the bubble next to the best answer.
1. Based on the first section, which word best describes spirit bears?
(A) scary
(B) friendly [R] extinct
(C) rare
(D) extinct
2. Which statement about spirit bears is NOT true?
(A) Only about 400 live in the wild.
(B) They live in one area in western Canada.
(C) Some adult bears have been monitored by scientists since they were born.
(D) Most of them live in the tropical rainforest near the Pacific Ocean.
3. Which of the following statements about temperate rainforests is TRUE?
(A) Trees there have needles instead of leaves.
(B) The climate is cool and gray.
(C) They get about 120 inches of rain each year.
(D) All of the above
4. The article mentions a possible advantage that the spirit bears' cream-colored coats gives them compared with bears with dark fur. What is it?
(A) Spirit bears blend into the snow.
(B) Spirit bears are better at catching fish because it's harder for fish to see them against a cloudy gray sky.
(C) Spirit bears' coats are warmer than the other bears' coats.
(D) Spirit bears are more attractive to mates.
5. What is the main reason that Christina Service and Kitasoo/Xai'xais people are studying the bears?
(A) to find out what they eat besides fish
(B) to protect the animals and their habitat
(C) to find out how closely related they are to other bears around the world
(D) to relocate the bears to a warmer climate
6. Which of the following is a way that scientists are collecting information about the bears?
(A) They are using microphones.
(B) They are trapping and relocating the bears.
(C) They are placing wire fences to collect bear fur that rubs off.
(D) They are collecting paw prints.
7. Which of the following statements related to spirit bears is TRUE?
(A) Spirit bears can have parents with black coats.
(B) Outside of the Great Bear Rainforest, black bears with white coats are even rarer.
(C) Spirit bears can have cubs with black coats.
(D) All of the above
8. In the section "Tracking Spirits," the word tufts means.
(A) small sections of the rainforest
(B) changes in climate
(C) small pieces of hair
(D) garbage that the bears accidentally eat
9. Which of the following is NOT a threat to the spirit bear population?
(A) too much fishing
(B) climate changes that could threaten the bears' food supply
(C) industry expansion
(D) competition from wolves
10. Which sentence BEST describes the main idea of the article?
(A) Scientists and native Canadians are teaming up to help a group of rare bears.
(B) There are many threats to all kinds of bears.
(C) Temperate rainforests are very different from tropical rainforests.
(D) Spirit bears are unusual animals.
ANSWERS
1. c 2. d 3. d 4. b 5. b 6. c 7. d 8. c 9. d 10. a
Caption: A researcher from the Kitasoo/Xai'xais community collects spirit bear hairs.
Caption: Coastal Home: Spirit bears live mostly on Gribbell Island and Princess Royal Island within Canada's Great Bear Rainforest.
Caption: This black bear mother had a white-coated cub. White spirit bears can also have cubs with black coats.
Caption: Watering a Rainforest: The Great Bear Rainforest is nestled between the Pacific Ocean and a mountain range called the Coast Mountains. This combination creates a lot of rainfall. Here's how.
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| Title Annotation: | earth science |
|---|---|
| Author: | Tweed, Katherine |
| Publication: | SuperScience |
| Geographic Code: | 1CANA |
| Date: | Oct 1, 2017 |
| Words: | 1952 |
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