Brendan Kelly, a marine biology professor at UAF's International Arctic Research Center, said the presence of sea ice has resulted in the isolation of numerous animals in the Arctic during the past 10,000 years or more. Those animals have evolved gradually into distinct species, such as walruses, ringed seals and polar bears.
But without ice to separate them in the future, Kelly believes many of those distant cousins will start to mingle again. The result could be more breeding between species, resulting in a biological stew that could reshape animal life in the Arctic.
The mixing may already be happening, Kelly says. Bears that are half grizzly, half polar bear are starting to be spotted, as are a seal that looks like a mix of harp and hooded seals and a beluga-narwhal whale mix.
Although it seems unlikely that distinct species could create offspring together, Kelly said, species classification is often subjective. There often isn't a bright line between differing species, and some significantly different animals can mate and reproduce.
"This really kind of pushes our definition of species," he said. "It kind of shows our dirty underwear as biologists."
Important warning about e-mails purporting to be from the adn.com staff.