From our icy cold Polar Bear archives: Polar Bear-Grizzly Hybrid Discovered (National Geographic, 2006)
Also known as a Pizzly bear, Grolar bear, or in Inuit, the Nanulak. From Wikipedia:
By one convention the name of the sire comes first in such combinations: the offspring of a male polar bear and a female grizzly would be a “Pizzly bear,” while the offspring of a male Grizzly and a female polar bear would be a “Grolar bear.”
No matter what you call it, this hybrid of a beast is pure awesomesauce. And it’s not the result of some random bear booty call either. From the National Geographic article:
Polar bears and grizzlies require an extended mating ritual to reproduce, Stirling said. Both live by themselves in large, open habitats. To prevent wasting their eggs, females ovulate only after spending several days with a male, Stirling explained. “Then they mate several times over several days.” In other words, the mating between the polar bear and grizzly was more than a chance encounter. “That’s what makes it quite interesting,” he added.
For further reading, see the entry for MacFarlane’s bear.
Party on Nanulak!
