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Before the LGM there were no brown bears in southern…

“Before the LGM there were no brown bears in southern Canada, but they had spread across there by 13,000 years ago. Their mitochondrial group suggests that they arrived there, not from Alaska through the ice corridor, or by re-expansion from Alaska after the melt, but from refuges on west-coast…” quote by Stephen Oppenheimer
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““Before the LGM there were no brown bears in southern Canada, but they had spread across there by 13,000 years ago. Their mitochondrial group suggests that they arrived there, not from Alaska through the ice corridor, or by re-expansion from Alaska after the melt, but from refuges on west-coast islands. As””

Stephen Oppenheimer

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Evidence shows brown bears entered southern Canada via coastal islands, not the ice corridor, reshaping migration theories.

In simple terms: Bears arrived by islands, not ice.

Key Takeaway

Consider alternative migration routes.

Themes

migration geography evolution

Mood

curious analytical

Type

scientific historical

When to use this quote

  • archaeology
  • conservation
  • climate studies

Key Concepts

phylogeography refugia species dispersal

Questions to Reflect On

  • How might other species have used similar routes?
  • What does this imply about climate resilience?
A Different Perspective

Coastal routes may be harder to detect in fossil record.

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