Grizzly Bear in Yellowstone National Park (Ursus arctos horribilis)
"The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear (Ursus arctos) that generally lives in the uplands of western North America.
This subspecies is thought to descend from Ussuri brown bears which crossed to Alaska from eastern Russia 100,000 years ago, though they did not move south until 13,000 years ago.[1]
Grizzlies are normally solitary, active animals, but in coastal areas, the grizzly congregates alongside streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds during the salmon spawn.
Every other year, females (sows) produce one to four young (commonly two) which are small and weigh only about 500 grams (1 lb).
A sow is protective of her offspring and will attack if she thinks she or her cubs are threatened."
Name one ferocious animal species who has the nerve/guts/balls to attack/harass a powerful and grisly grizzly bear.
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"Coyotes, foxes, and wolverines are generally regarded as pests to the grizzlies rather than competition, though coyotes and wolverines may compete for smaller prey, such as rabbits and deer. All three will try to scavenge whatever they can from the bears. Wolverines are aggressive enough to occasionally persist until the bear finishes eating, leaving more than normal scraps for the smaller animal."
"Conflicts with humans
Grizzlies are considered by some experts to be the most aggressive bears[citation needed] even by the standards of brown bears.[28]Aggressive behavior in grizzly bears is favored by numerous selection variables. Unlike the smaller black bears, adult grizzlies are too large to escape danger by climbing trees, so they respond to danger by standing their ground and warding off their attackers. Increased aggressiveness also assists female grizzlies in better ensuring the survival of their young to reproductive age.[29] Mothers defending cubs are the most prone to attacking, being responsible for 70% of fatal injuries to humans.[30] Historically, bears have competed with other large predators for food, which also favors increased aggression.
Grizzly bears normally avoid contact with people. In spite of their obvious physical advantages and many opportunities, they almost never view humans as prey; bears rarely actively hunt humans.[31] Most grizzly bear attacks result from a bear that has been surprised at very close range, especially if it has a supply of food to protect, or female grizzlies protecting their offspring. In such situations, property may be damaged and the bear may physically harm the person.[32]
Exacerbating this is the fact that intensive human use of grizzly habitat coincides with the seasonal movement of grizzly bears.[32] An example of this spatiotemporal intersection occurs during the fall season: grizzly bears congregate near streams to feed on salmon when anglers are also intensively using the river. Some grizzly bears appear to have learned to home in on the sound of hunters' gunshots in late fall as a source of potential food, and inattentive hunters have been attacked by bears trying to appropriate their kills.[citation needed]
Increased human-bear interaction has created "problem bears", which are bears that have become adapted to human activities or habitat.[33] Aversive conditioning, a method involving using deterrents such as rubber bullets, foul-tasting chemicals or acoustic devices to teach bears to associate humans with negative experiences, is ineffectual when bears have already learned to positively associate humans with food.[34] Such bears are translocated or killed because they pose a threat to humans. The B.C. government kills approximately 50 problem bears each year[34]and overall spends more than one million dollars annually to address bear complaints, relocate bears and kill them.[34]
For back-country campers, hanging food between trees at a height unreachable to bears is a common procedure, although some grizzlies can climb and reach hanging food in other ways. An alternative to hanging food is to use a bear canister.[35]
Traveling in groups of six or more can significantly reduce the chance of bear-related injuries while hiking in bear country.[36]"
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Look at the maxicard from Romania, above.
Do you see a heart-shaped stone, between the front paws?
No, that doesn't mean that somebody has a stone-cold heart...:)
I see the heart! :) I was reading this morning about the attack. :( In fact, I still have a page about it open: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14065432 Thanks for posting this info! We want to visit a national park sometime soon, and I've been nervous about bears. The one we want to visit only has black bears, though.
ReplyDeleteI see the heart too! And I had no idea wolverines were that aggressive with bears - though I have heard they can be ferocious with other animals (and people).
ReplyDeleteI heard about the attack as well - we were told when we were backpacking in the Olympic National Forest to make lots and lots of noise, and that usually keeps the bears away from the trail. My friend and I got behind the rest, and heard a bawling sound. We turned around and there were two baby bears in a tree right next to the trail. We ran all the way down the hill and to the parking lot - about 2 miles. Packs and all!
P.S. ThanK you for noticing the typo in my post - I've fixed it!!! And I meant every word - I really appreciate you and your blog so much! I love coming here, I know I will always learn something I didn't know before. And I always leave with a smile :=}
Oh Such a beautiful heart ;D Loved the bear cards so much ! Thanks for sharing !
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