(Photo credit: Doug Clark, USask)

While working on grizzly bear research, scientists from the University of Saskatchewan have discovered a large number of previously undocumented polar bear dens.

Dr. Doug Clark and his team found the dens north of Churchill, Manitoba – more than 100 kilometres further north than any other documented polar bear dens.

He explains they knew they were polar bear dens because of the hair in the dens and because they are in peat deposits.

The discovery was recently published in Arctic Science.

Clark says this discovery is positive for both researchers and for polar bear populations.

Although the dens were a discovery to the researchers, Clark notes that many Churchill residents confirmed they’d seen the tracks of polar bears with cubs in that area in the spring.

He doesn’t know how long the dens have been there.

Dr. Clark explains that some dens further south have been dated as older than 250 years.

The next step is to determine the best approach for figuring out how many of these dens are used, how regularly, and by which bears.