From Spikeworld. | Spikeworld - The blog of Spike Dennis | Artist, Maker, Curator and Colloaborator
If you’ve seen some of my earlier posts then you will have noticed that I have been working on a new costume based upon the polar bear. However, it seems I have some stiff competition in the Arctic polar bear costume stakes!
Joel Berger is an American biologist who has been studying the muskox in North America. Whilst polar bears are very much the face of climate change appeals there are numerous other creatures in the far north who will be feeling the effect of climate change – including the muskox.
Berger had set out to try and find out how muskox populations are adapting to the increasing presence of polar bears on dry land as arctic sea ice retreats. Clearly the only way to approach this task was to dress up as a polar bear and chase after some muskox!!
As you can see in the video above, whether or not the muskox considered Berger to be a real polar bear, they certainly reacted to him as if he was a predator.
In addition to his polar bear costumed antics, Berger also donned a caribou costume in order to ensure some form of scientific control!
According to Berger there was a noticeable difference between the ways in which the muskox reacted to him dressed as a polar bear and the way they reacted to his appearance as a caribou. However, the scientific results of these experiments are still being worked out.
This is certainly one of the most unique scientific experiments that I’ve come across in sometime. Whilst Berger donned a polar bear costume to roam around the arctic I can guarantee my own polar bear costumed activities will be quite different.
I most definitely won’t be chasing after herds of muskox, or any other animals that might trample all over me for that matter!
via www.inverse.com
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