Cannibalism, not just for Neandertals anymore

Everyone’s favorite topic, cannibalism, is in the news today because of a a report in the journal Arctic of cannibalism in polar bears. The abstract, from I. Stirling & J.E. Ross, says this:

We report three instances of intraspecific killing and cannibalism of young polar bears by adult males on the sea ice in Svalbard in summer and autumn. During breakup and melting in summer, the area of sea ice around the Svalbard Archipelago declines to a fraction of the winter total, and in many areas it disappears completely. As the area of sea ice that polar bears can use for hunting declines, progressively fewer seals are accessible to the bears, and therefore the bears’ hunting success likely declines as well. Thus, at this time of year, young polar bears may represent a possible food source for adult males. As the climate continues to warm in the Arctic and the sea ice melts earlier in the summer, the frequency of such intraspecific predation may increase.

This is not the first report of cannibalism in polar bears. A quick Google Scholar search reveals this article from Taylor, Larsen & Schweinsberg (1985) on intraspecific aggression and cannibalism in polar bears. This earlier report indicates that polar bears will opportunistically go after young individuals when the opportunity presents itself. The new report ties the behavior to a decline in seal availability as a prey item as a result of declining sea ice.

I raise the issue here because cannibalism is a topic that never ceases to generate anthropological interest. In the fossil record, the most extensive discussions of cannibalism are focused on Neandertals, including the large assemblage from Krapina (Croatia). Just last year, Eudald Carbonell and colleagues published an article arguing for repeated bouts of cannibalism in the TD6 fossil assemblage from Gran Dolina, Atapuera (Spain). Cannibalism has also been extensively documented as a non uncommon feature of recent human groups.

Regardless of what you think of the topic, it seems cannibalism is a fairly widespread natural phenomenon. The polar bear example raises interesting parallels to ecologically-driven versus culturally-prescribed explanations for cannibalism in the human fossil record.

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1. Stirling, I. Ross, J.E. Observations of cannibalism by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) on summer and autumn sea ice at Svalbard, Norway. Arctic, v. 64, no. 4, Dec. 2011, p. 478-482, ill. ASTIS record 75088

2. Taylor M, Larsen T, Schweinsburg RE. Observations of intraspecific aggression and cannibalism in Polar Bears. Arctic, v. 38, no. 4, 1985, 303-309.

3. Eudald Carbonell, Isabel Cáceres, Marina Lozano, Palmira Saladié, Jordi Rosell, Carlos Lorenzo, Josep Vallverdú, Rosa Huguet, Antoni Canals and José María Bermúdez de Castro. Cultural Cannibalism as a Paleoeconomic System in the European Lower Pleistocene. Current Anthropology Vol. 51, No. 4 (August 2010), pp. 539-549. DOI: 10.1086/653807.