1.Previous
3.Next

A 2010 study estimated that the polar bear lineage split from other brown bears around 150,000 years ago.More extensive genetic studies have refuted the idea that polar bears are directly descended from brown bears and found that the two species are separate sister lineages. The genetic similarities between polar bears and some brown bears were found to be the result of interbreeding. A 2012 study estimated the split between polar and brown bears as occurring around 600,000 years ago. A 2022 study estimated

1.Previous
3.Next