Conservation status: Least endangered species.
Listed in the IUCN Red List
Few animals capture the human imagination as much as the brown bear. They are priority inhabitants of the animal world, which are so necessary to preserve. Given their dependence on large territorial areas, brown bears are an important part of the control of a number of other animals.
The brown bear is one of the largest predators among animals. On average, adult males are 8-10% larger than females, but sizes vary depending on the species' habitat. Brown bears feed in the morning and evening, and during the daytime they prefer to rest under dense vegetation. Depending on the time of year, brown bears can travel hundreds of kilometers to search for food.
Hibernation
Hibernation lasts from October-December to March-May. In some southern regions, the duration of hibernation is very short or completely absent. The brown bear chooses a place for itself, for example, a hole, which is located on a protected slope under a large stone or among the roots of a large tree. The same hibernation sites can be used for many years.
Dimensions
The brown bear, not the largest among the bear family, takes the lead. However, this species can reach enormous sizes - males weigh about 350-450 kilograms, and females average 200 kilograms. There are individuals whose mass exceeds half a ton.
Color
Although the coat is usually dark brown, other colors are also found - from cream to almost black. Color depends on habitat. In the Rocky Mountains (USA), brown bears have long hair on their shoulders and back.
Habitats
Brown bears live in a variety of habitats from the edges of deserts to high mountain forests and ice fields. In Europe, brown bears are found in mountain forests, in Siberia their main habitat is forests, and in North America they prefer alpine meadows and coasts. The main requirement for this species is the presence of dense vegetation in which a brown bear can find shelter during the daytime.
Life cycle
Newborn bears are vulnerable because they are born blind, without hair, and weighing only 340-680 grams. The cubs grow very quickly and reach 25 kilograms at 6 months. The lactation period lasts 18-30 months. The cubs usually remain with their mother until their third or fourth year of life. Despite the fact that sexual maturity occurs at 4-6 years, the brown bear continues to grow and develop until 10-11 years. In the wild they can live from 20 to 30 years, but despite this life expectancy, most die at an early age.
Reproduction
Mating in brown bears occurs in the warm months (May-July). Pregnancy lasts 180-266 days, and the birth of cubs occurs in January-March; as a rule, at this time the females are in hibernation. Usually 2-3 cubs are born from one female. The next offspring can be expected in 2-4 years.
Nutrition
Brown bears are omnivores, and their diet varies depending on the time of year - from grass in the spring, berries and apples in the summer, to nuts and plums in the fall. Throughout the year, they feed on roots, insects, mammals (including moose and wapiti from the Canadian Rockies), reptiles and, of course, honey. In Alaska, during the summer, bears feed on salmon going to spawn.
Population and distribution
The total population of brown bears on the planet is about 200,000 individuals, with Russia home to the largest number - close to 100,000 individuals.
Scientists believe that 8,000 brown bears live in Western Europe (Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Romania). There are also suggestions that the species can be found in Palestine, Eastern Siberia and the Himalayan regions. Possible habitats are considered to be the Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa and the island of Hokkaido, located in Japan.
Brown bears are still quite common in the mountainous regions of western Canada and Alaska, where their numbers can reach 30,000 individuals. There are fewer than 1,000 brown bears left in other parts of the United States.
Historical distribution
Previously, the brown bear was distributed throughout Northern and Central Europe, Asia, the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria, and the western part of North America south to Mexico. Before the arrival of European settlers, the species lived on the Great Plains of North America. Populations from the Sierra Nevada and southern Rocky Mountains were extirpated, and those remaining in northern Mexico died in the 1960s. In the early 1900s, there were approximately 100,000 individuals in the United States.
Main threats
Brown bears are hunted as large hunting trophies, as well as for meat and skins. Bear gall bladders have a high value in the Asian market, as they are popularly believed to have aphrodisiac properties. The value of the beneficial properties of products obtained from bear body parts does not have medical support, but the demand for them is growing every year.
Other major threats include habitat destruction and persecution. These problems affect the brown bear population to varying degrees, but extend across the entire habitat.
For example, currently, brown bears can be found in only 2% of the previously inhabited territory. Forestry, mining, road construction, and other human activities have contributed to the decline in bear numbers due to the destruction of natural habitat.
In some countries, human-bear conflict occurs, which creates a number of problems, especially in areas where the brown bear encounters livestock, gardens, water supplies and garbage cans.
Video
Brown bears choose places for permanent residence in direct proportion to the abundance of food in the area and how often the area is visited by people. The placement of bears during the active (not denning) period of life shares some common features. First, none of the habitats are used throughout the active period. Mountain regions are characterized by migrations of bears along altitudinal zones, depending on the time of year, and the southern slopes are much more attractive for animals than the northern ones. Bears prefer river valleys and the higher the preference, the poorer the vegetation of the area. Brown bears do not like plains and places frequented by people. In autumn, animals tend to areas richer in fattening food.Only a very large harvest of berries can attract brown bears totundra and forest-tundra zones in the European part of the country. In forests European partSpruce and fir forests and large mixed coniferous-deciduous forests are attractive to animals. The southern regions attract forest owners with broad-leaved and dark-coniferous-broad-leaved forests; they are not so interested in small-leaved forests.Forests rich in undergrowth and shrubs are most suitable for bears. Open places (pine forests - moss moss, pure birch and aspen forests) can only interest them in a large harvest of berries. Young, closed forests are chosen by the animal for lying down, but not for feeding.The floodplains of forest rivers, streams and lake shores, rich in lush herbaceous vegetation, berry bushes, etc., are attractive to forest owners. Bears spend the spring and summer there. They avoid clearings and burnt areas, but are interested in young growth. Fields sown with oats, peas or perennial grasses that are far from populated areas are a great treat for brown bears.
Caucasian brown bears live mainly in the mountain forest belt, most often in chestnut, chestnut-oak and oak forests. In late spring, most of the animals rise to a height of up to one and a half thousand meters, in search of the corpses of aurochs killed in avalanches. In beech forests, bears feed on melted beech nuts, and this keeps the animals on the edge of the snow melt. In summer, most of the animals remain in the highlands, but some of them descend into the lowland forests, feeding on the ripe fruits of the fruit trees. In September, all the animals again concentrate in beech, chestnut and oak forests.
In Altai Bears live most densely in the tall grass black taiga, dark coniferous cedar forests and in the alpine highlands. Bears avoid food-poor and poorly protected pine and mixed forests in the north and north-west of Altai. With the beginning of summer, the animals move to the subalpine forest, where they remain until autumn. The southeastern part of Altai is distinguished by unusual living conditions for bears: the area is devoid of not only forests, but also shrubs, and the grass cover is heavily destroyed by livestock. And here the vegetarian diet of bears gives way to animal food. They hunt marmots, gophers, pikas and pick up dead domestic animals.
In Western and Central Siberia, bears stay in taiga forests rich in cedar. Such forests are especially attractive to them in the fall, during the period of ripening and falling of nuts. Floodplain spruce-fir forests are less interesting for animals; here interest depends on the berry harvest. And the rare ones are completely unattractive: larch, spruce and pine forests located on watersheds.
In the Baikal region in the spring, animals often stick to the steppe slopes of mountains and meadows of the forest belt; in the spring-summer period they are attracted to the banks, and with the arrival of summer, bears are drawn to places abounding in succulent grassy food - floodplain forests, swamps, banks of rivers and lakes, overgrown burnt areas, clearings and silkworms. In late summer, when the berries are ripening, bears move into coniferous forests - blueberries, blueberries and lingonberries. In autumn, the bear population concentrates closer to dwarf dwarf thickets and pine trees.
For Yakutia, the concentration of bears is typical in river valleys and floodplains, only occasionally do animals enter the tundra to visit berry fields. Animals are most densely collected in the growing zone of Siberian cedar and dwarf cedar. In northern larch forests the animal is few in number, and in mountain tundras and rocky deserts it is not found at all. In spring, bears gravitate towards warm, heated pine manes with lingonberries, the southern slopes of river valleys and the tops of hills covered with dwarf cedar. As soon as new grass appears, they move to the floodplains of the rivers. Later, ripe blueberries lure them from there into the larch forests. To the south, where larch-pine-cedar forests and cedar trees grow, bears give preference to them.
The Khabarovsk Territory, Primorye and the south of the Amur Region are characterized by bears living in cedar-deciduous forests. In the central and northern regions of the Amur region, animals are attracted by dwarf cedar trees that occupy the upper belt of the mountains. In the spring, bears go to the sea coast and to the foothills of the mountains, and as the snow melts, they move to cedar trees and places rich in succulent herbaceous plants. Midsummer finds animals in berry fields and in the valleys of spawning rivers. And autumn beckons with an undergrowth of dwarf cedar in cedar-deciduous and deciduous forests.
In the tundra zone of Chukotka, bears concentrate in mountain river valleys, overgrown with willow and alder bushes, they are interested in slopes with meadow vegetation, dry thickets of dwarf birch and berry fields. In the forest and forest-tundra, animals accumulate in the floodplains of large rivers, overgrown with currants, rose hips and horsetail; larch woodlands, willows, poplar-chozenia forests and thickets of dwarf cedar. But most of all, the coasts of the Okhotsk and Bering Seas are attractive to brown bears. On the contrary, they do not come to the coast of the Chukchi Sea and the Chukotka Peninsula at all. Bears just as strongly dislike open, flat lichen areas, waterlogged areas overgrown with sedges and sparse willows.
Kamchatka is characterized by the concentration of some bears on the sea coast. The remaining animals live in the belt of cedar and alder dwarf trees and in the mountain tundra. As soon as fish begin to flow along the rivers, bears move to floodplain forests and spawning reservoirs. If the fish are not going well, then the ripe berries lure animals into the coniferous spruce-larch forests. The flat tundra, although rich in berries, remains unattractive for animals that avoid open space.
On Sakhalin, bears live in spruce-fir and larch forests, in clearings and burnt areas overgrown with reed grass and bamboo.
Kuril ridge. On the island of Paramushir, bears are found in places overgrown with cedar-alder dwarf and rhododendron. Animals are interested in bamboo forests and thickets of cedar and alder on Iturup Island. On Kunashir Island they are attracted by stone-birch, bamboo and spruce-fir forests, cedar and alder dwarf trees.
Brown bears are very strong and beautiful, and are rightfully considered a symbol of our country. The appearance of this large animal is impressive both in its power and grandeur. Currently, this animal is the largest land predator in the world.
Its lifespan in nature is estimated at 30 years. In captivity, the predator can live up to 50 years. Linguists believe that the name of this beast is made up of two words - “knowing” and “honey”. And this is understandable: despite being a predator, the bear is a big fan of sweet honey and, in general, an omnivore.
Description of appearance features
What is the weight of a brown bear? The weight and height of the animal depends on its habitat. On average, the mass of an individual can vary from three hundred to six hundred kilograms, and its length from one and a half to two meters.
However, bears that live in central Russia are slightly smaller than their counterparts and weigh about one hundred twenty kilograms. Grizzlies and Far Eastern bears are considered the largest.
The record holder in this area was a bear found on Kodiak Island: its mass reached one thousand and one hundred thirty-four kilograms. Closer to hibernation, in the fall, the animal gains about twenty percent fat of its total mass. Usually males are much larger than females approximately twice.
Body type of brown bears very powerful, with a rather massive head. The animal is quite high at the withers, the ears are very small, as is the tail, the length of which is about two centimeters. And on the large paws there are very long and strong claws, ten centimeters long, which help the animal hunt and cut up prey.
The bear's body is covered with thick, evenly colored, slightly stiff and, undoubtedly, very beautiful fur, and what color it will have depends on reddish, dark brown or dark gray, depends on the region where the predator lives. Bear offspring have light spots on the chest or neck, however, they gradually disappear with age.
When bears move, like people, they tend to shift the weight of their entire body weight onto one paw, which is why these predators are classified as plantigrade animals. And also bears periodically change their fur coat, and the first time this happens is immediately after the first hibernation. It should be noted that the very first molt is more intense than all subsequent ones. In the fall, before hibernation, this process proceeds more sluggishly and slowly.
Where does the brown bear live?
Bears inhabit a fairly wide area. If we talk about the European part, these animals can be found in areas such as the Alps, Apennines, Pyrenees, and the Scandinavian Peninsula.
One of the places most populated by brown bears is this is Finland. Rarely, they are found in the central forests of the European part and in the Carpathians.
In the Asian part, the range of bears is separate territories of Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Japan, Korea and even China. In Russia, bears can be found in almost all forests, in addition to those located closer to the south.
The North American continent is almost completely populated by these predators. More individuals live in Canada, Alaska and the islands adjacent to it.
Lifestyle
How and where does a bear live? Bears are uncohesive animals; they are solitary and only come together during the breeding season. They do not have a shelter to which they will return again and again, in other words, a permanent place of residence.
They drive wandering lifestyle, because their main goal is to search for food. However, if the territory is quite rich in various living creatures and other food for bears, then they still prefer not to linger on it, but also do not go too far, so that if something happens, they can return to where they definitely have everything they need for a comfortable existence .
Bears prefer dense and deep thickets and forests, next to which there are any bodies of water. Looking at this huge and powerful predator, it is difficult to imagine what dexterity it has, however, it is so. Bears are skilled hunters. At a young age, they easily climb trees of various heights, and their talent for swimming develops from childhood and remains until the end of their lives.
Most often, bears prefer to rest during the day, but in the late afternoon, at night, they wake up and start hunting. Most brown bears hibernate during the cold season, but some of them lead a very active lifestyle in winter.
How long do bears live? Everything again directly depends on the region in which they live. The lifespan in nature, that is, the natural habitat, varies from twenty to thirty-five years. But in the case when the animal is kept in captivity, this number becomes much more significant, because, if you trust the statistics, many bears in various zoos, where they are provided with the necessary care, reach the age of five decades!
What and how does a predator eat
Despite the fact that the brown bear is a predator, most of its daily diet consists of food of plant origin. These animals do not disdain insects, including various larvae. And as everyone knows, he loves to eat honey.
Animals that are too large are not often the prey of predators, but small animals he eats with great pleasure. A strong bear paw is capable of breaking the backbone of a young elk or deer, as well as roe deer, fallow deer and mountain goats in one blow. Sometimes even wild boars are the prey of these predators.
It should be noted that bears are wonderful fishermen, which is why the presence of a reservoir in the territory inhabited by them is so important. In total, the bear's daily diet is as follows:
- wild berries, such as blueberries or raspberries;
- oats and corn;
- fish, such as trout;
- mice;
- hens, chicks and eggs;
- tubers, nuts, acorns.
Times can sometimes be quite difficult when searching for food is a difficult task. However, the bear is saved by one of its main advantages - omnivorousness and unpretentiousness. Thanks to them, and not just their strength and power, they are able to survive even in the harshest conditions.
Interestingly, clubfooted animals are very thrifty animals. They skillfully hide uneaten food, disguising it under many branches.
Types of brown bears
The brown bear family includes more than one subspecies. Let's look at the most common of them.
Reproduction of brown bears
After the predators feel completely rested and full of strength, the mating period begins, which usually begins in late spring, in May, and lasts about a month.
It's interesting that at this time females tend to mark territory. Males find their chosen ones by special smells and try to protect them from rivals.
Sometimes a serious dispute breaks out about who will get the bear. In this case, the battle is literally life and death. Winners sometimes even eat their dead rivals.
Greetings, dear readers of the site “I and the World”! Today you will learn about the largest bears in the world: their habits and habitat, which specimens are very dangerous and which are quite harmless. But, in any case, it is undesirable to meet with them; the outcome of this meeting is unlikely to be in your favor.
From Russian fairy tales we know about bears as clumsy and stupid animals. Because of their weight, they really seem slow, but this is not so, they can reach such speed that it is difficult to escape from them even on a bicycle. You should get to know them better in order to know what to expect from them if you meet them by chance while traveling around the world, as well as: what they look like, how much they weigh, where they live, etc.
And our rating opens with “Black Bear” or Baribal
His black coat glistens in the sun of the USA and Canada. Less common in northern Mexico. It is in these countries that this animal lives and weighs from 300 to 360 kg.
The largest male is 363 kg. It was killed in Canada - this is the largest Baribal ever caught by man. The animals are quite harmless. They do not attack people or domestic animals and live quietly and peacefully, eating plant foods and fish.
Very rarely, when there is not enough food, Baribal can drag off livestock. With a height of up to two meters, Baribal cubs are born so small that their weight ranges from 200 to 400 grams.
In captivity: in zoos and circuses they can live up to 30 years, but in nature only 10. Now there are about 600,000 individuals.
In 4th place - American Grizzly
Among brown bears, he is the strongest, but not so big. The grizzly bear is very resilient and if there is a fight with another large animal, the animal has an instant grip, which leads to victory. It is considered friendly, but if there is not enough food or feels aggression, the kind nature disappears. The Grizzly's rather strong sense of smell allows it to sense prey at a great distance. It feeds on plant foods, loves fish, and like any predator, does not refuse animal food.
It lives in Alaska and western Canada and reaches 450 kg.
Grizzly in translation means “terrible”, but it does not try to attack people just like that, but only when it is hungry or very angry. In such rare cases, Grizzly was said to be a cannibal. During the rest of the time when it is rich in prey, it is not dangerous.
Brown Siberian bear takes third place
The dimensions of the Russian Siberian reach: weight up to 800 kg, and height up to 2.5 meters. This is a big fish lover, living near the Anadyr, Kolyma and Yenisei rivers. Sometimes found in Chinese provinces.
Although the warm season in these places is short, there is a lot of plant and animal food and allows you to gain a lot of weight.
Siberians are loners and hibernate during the winter. They fish very interestingly: when salmon jump out of the water, the bears try to catch them in the air.
2nd place – one of the brown specimens – Kodiak
They live on the shores of Alaska on Kodiak Island. The brown beast got its name from this island. The largest bear in the world among the brown species. A muscular animal with long legs, the Kodiak easily obtains numerous foods.
They grow 2.6 meters long and gain up to 1000 kg. The height of an adult predator can be up to 2.8 meters.
There was a time when animals could completely disappear, and therefore they were prohibited from being shot. Now their number is increasing, but so far only 3000.
They do not attack people, and therefore do not pose a danger to tourists. But for the animals themselves, these encounters are quite unpleasant. Animals, frightened by strangers, stop eating normally and gain too little fat before hibernation. And an animal caught for the sake of keeping it in a zoo may simply not survive in captivity.
And finally, first place - Polar Bear
Wikipedia believes that the white bear is the world's largest bear, living in the Arctic and reaching a mass of 1 ton or even more. This predatory animal reaches 3 meters in length - how huge!
This is a real record in weight among all species. Can you imagine such a huge beast, like a white steamer, slowly moving among the snow. There is also fur on the paws, so they move easily on the ice and do not freeze in the most severe frosts.
On the island of Spitsbergen there are even more polar bears than people living there. The long neck with a flat head allows it to stretch out and see far.
It is clear that living among the snow on drifting ice, it feeds on animal food: sea hare, fish, walruses, arctic foxes. Just like brown ones, they live alone and until about 30 years old. Only females hibernate when they are pregnant, in order to gain strength to raise the next generation.
There are 28,000 polar bears all over the world, and about 6,000 in Russia alone. And although hunting them is strictly prohibited, poachers kill up to 200 bears every year.
In the photo you saw the largest bears on earth. They are all listed in the Red Book, but poachers do not think about this, destroying animals for the sake of a beautiful skin. Over the entire history of mankind, so many of these animals have been destroyed that many populations are difficult to increase again.
We say goodbye to you until our next meetings on the pages of our website. If you liked the article, share it with your friends, they will also be interested in it.
The formidable animal, the largest of the land predators, has become a symbol of the taiga depths and dense forests. The powerful nature of the bear has always aroused the admiration and respect of people.
It is no coincidence that the image of the mighty master of the taiga has entered the cultural heritage of many peoples. Brown bear is familiar to residents of mountainous regions of many countries, but is best known in Russia.
Description and features
The appearance of the bear is striking in its size and features of a real predator. The mass of a forest dweller reaches 350-400 kg, the body length is on average about 2 meters. Three-meter giants are found in the Far East. Kamchatsky brown bear weighs more than 500 kg.
The record heavyweight at the Berlin Zoo weighed 780 kg. In the middle zone, a typical representative of the bear family is slightly smaller than its relatives - weighing up to 120-150 kg. Males are approximately one and a half times larger than females.
The barrel-shaped body with pronounced withers is supported by high five-toed paws with non-retractable claws up to 12 cm. The five-toed feet are wide. There is practically no tail, its length is so small in relation to the body, only 20 cm. Small ears and eyes are located on the massive head. High forehead. The muzzle is elongated.
The color of the thick coat varies depending on the habitat: from a fawn shade to a blue-black tone. Brown bears are considered the most common. Brown-red bears live in Syria. A grayish coating is found among the Himalayan inhabitants. Molting lasts from spring to autumn, until they go into the den. Sometimes the period is divided into two stages:
- early - intense, during the rut;
- late - slow, during cold weather.
An important period in the life of a predator is wintering. How long does a brown bear spend in hibernation?– depends on external factors. Winter sleep lasts from 2 to 6 months, but in warm regions with rich harvests of nuts and berries, bears do not sleep at all.
The bear has been preparing for the harsh taiga winter since the summer - looking for a place, settling in, accumulating subcutaneous fat. Shelters are most often located in holes between the roots of cedars and spruces, in places where trees have been turned upside down, and under logs.
The most reliable dens of predators are ground ones, going deep into the ground. Hunters recognize such places by the yellowish coating on the trees and bushes around the den. The bear's hot breath settles like frost on the branches.
The dens inside are reinforced with vertically located branches. Animals block the entrance with them, closing themselves off from the outside world until spring. Before the final hiding, the tracks are carefully obfuscated.
Brown bear in the taiga hibernates curled up. The hind legs are tucked to the belly, and the front legs cover the muzzle. Pregnant mother bears hibernate with cubs in their second year of life.
Every year, predators tend to change their hibernation place, but in cases of a shortage of “apartments” they return to the dens of previous years. They spend the winter mostly alone. But brown bears of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin can unite in one den.
The animal's weak sleep is disturbed, thaws disturb predators and force them to leave their dens. Some animals cannot lie down in a den in the fall due to lack of food.
Connecting bears are extremely aggressive in winter - hunger makes the animal ferocious. Meetings with him are very dangerous. The connecting rod has little chance of surviving until spring. The animal's physical weakness, lack of food supply and cold make the animal vulnerable.
Kinds
The modern systematization of brown bears did not come immediately due to many population differences. Today, there is one species and twenty geographical races (subspecies), differing in color, size, and distribution area.
The most famous brown bears include the following large subspecies:
European brown bear(Eurasian or common). Many peoples cultivated the mighty ruler into a deity. The inhabitant of coniferous and deciduous forests settles as far as the tundra swamps in the north and climbs mountains up to 3000 meters in the south in search of coolness.
Active day and night, when there is an abundance of berries and fruits in nature. A lover of plundering honeycombs. The color varies from light brown to black-brown.
California bear(grizzly). The subspecies, which became extinct with the arrival of white people, is depicted on the California flag. It was an important component of the region's ecosystem. The subspecies was exterminated by hunters. Remains a symbol of the state.
Siberian brown bear. It is this subspecies that is called the owner of the Russian. Characterized by a dark brown color with a thicker coat of hair on the legs. Ruler of the Eastern part of Siberia, found in Mongolia, Kazakhstan.
Atlas bear. Extinct subspecies. Lived in territories near the Atlas Mountains, from Morocco to Libya. The bear had a reddish tint to its fur. It ate plant roots, acorns, and nuts.
Gobi bear(mazalay). A rare inhabitant of the desert mountains of Mongolia. The fur color is light brown, there is always a slightly bleached stripe along the chest, shoulders and throat. Brown bear in the photo elegant and recognizable.
Mexican(grizzly). A rare animal in danger of extinction. Dimensions of a brown bear large. A predator with a pronounced hump in the area of the shoulder blades. It lives at the foot of the hills, in mountain forests at an altitude of up to 3000 meters. The last reliable record of grizzly bears was in 1960.
Tien Shan brown bear. A rare subspecies that lives in the mountain ranges of the Himalayas, Pamirs, and Tien Shan. The main feature is the light claws of the front paws. Protected by nature reserves in Kazakhstan.
Ussuri (Himalayan) bear. The animal is small in size compared to its relatives. Weight does not exceed 150 kg, length is approximately 180 cm. The color is dark, on the chest there is a triangular spot of white or yellowish tint.
Inhabitant of the forests of the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, the Japanese Islands, Pakistan, Iran, Korea, China, Afghanistan. Excellent climbs trees and swims.
Kodiak. One of the largest predators on land. The average mass of giants is half a ton. An abundance of food and a short winter are characteristic of their habitats - the islands of the Kodiak archipelago. A keen sense of smell and keen hearing help the predator in the hunt. The beast is omnivorous. In addition to fish and meat, you won’t mind eating berries, nuts, and juicy fruits.
Tibetan bear(food eater). It got its name from the way it feeds on grasses and pikas on the Tibetan Plateau. A very rare subspecies, described in the 19th century. It is possible that the subspecies can be preserved high in the mountains. Prototype of the yeti. The piece of fur found as confirmation of the legend belonged to a brown bear.
Lifestyle and habitat
The forest dweller prefers areas with windbreaks, dense growth of grasses and shrubs in burnt areas. Mountain regions, tundra, and coastlines are also developed by the predator. Once upon a time, a wide distribution of the brown bear was recorded from England to.
But changes in inhabited territories and the extermination of the beast led to a significant compression of the range. The forest zones of western Canada, Alaska, and the Russian Far East are its main habitats.
Each bear has a separate territory, ranging in size from 70 to 140 km², marked by smells and noticeable scratches on the trees. The male's area is 7 times larger than that of the female. The territory is defended from strangers. The separated young animals, in search of a partner, can actively wander beyond the boundaries of the site.
The predator is active during daylight hours, often in the early morning and evening. In search of food, the sedentary animal sometimes makes seasonal movements, following to areas where berries and nuts ripen.
Despite the large size of the animal and its clumsy appearance, the predator runs quickly. Average brown bear speed is 50-60 km/h. The physical activity and plasticity of the animal is manifested in the ability to climb trees, swim across rivers, and cover significant distances.
The bear has the ability to approach prey silently and with light movements. A strong blow from the paw can break the back of a deer.
The sense of smell allows the animal to smell the decomposition of meat 3 km away. Hearing is sharp. The bear often stands up on its hind legs and listens to its surroundings, catching smells. A difficult obstacle for a bear is deep snow cover.
The life of a predator has a seasonal cycle. In the summer, well-fed bears rest on the ground, among herbs, bask in the sun, and take care of their offspring. In the fall, they are busy looking for a winter shelter, arranging it, and accumulating subcutaneous fat.
In winter, a deep sleep occurs, which lasts from one month to six, depending on many factors. It is interesting that the physiological parameters of the animal (pulse, temperature, etc.) practically do not change, unlike other mammals.
Spring awakens weakened animals. Weight loss over the winter can be quite significant - up to 80 kg. The accumulation of strength for a new life cycle begins.
Nutrition
Animals are omnivores, but two-thirds of their diet is based on plant foods, which they consume in different seasons. Brown bear. Animal eats acorns, roots, plant stems. Berries and nuts are delicacies. In times of famine, crops of corn and oats become food sources. All kinds of insects, lizards, frogs, and forest rodents are eaten.
Large predators hunt artiodactyl animals - wild boars, moose, roe deer, deer. In early spring, after hibernation, the bear gives preference to animal food, since it needs to gain strength, and there is little plant food. The animal is especially active when hunting.
The brown bear does not eat large prey immediately; it hides it under brushwood and guards it until its supply runs out. It hunts for carrion and can take prey from smaller predators - wolves. There are known cases of attacks on domestic animals and grazing livestock.
Near bodies of water, bears become excellent fishermen, especially during salmon spawning. The abundance of fish leads to the fact that the bear eats only the fattest parts of the carcasses, leaving other pieces.
Bears have good memory. Foraging areas with an abundance of berries, mushrooms, nuts, and fruit-bearing trees will be visited more than once by a predator with the hope of feasting on them.
Reproduction and lifespan
The mating season of brown bears begins in May and lasts a couple of months. Males fight for females; the fights between competitors are fierce and can result in the death of the animal. During the rutting season, bears are very dangerous due to their aggressiveness. A wild roar signals the determination of the opponents.
The offspring appears in the den after 6-8 months. 2-4 babies are born completely helpless - bald, blind and deaf. The weight of newborns is only 500 g, length is approximately 25 cm. After a month, the cubs open their eyes and begin to catch sounds. By 3 months, baby teeth grow in.
In spring, kids are ready to find berries and insects on their own. But they feed on milk for another six months. The mother feeds the cubs with the prey she brought. The young are always close to their mother, learning to hunt and preparing for their first winter.
The father does not take care of the children. The independent life of bear cubs begins at 3-4 years of age, but the growth period continues up to 10 years.
The lifespan of brown bears is approximately 20-30 years. In the harsh conditions of nature, many individuals die, becoming victims of hunting and climate change. Human activities affect the reduction of the predator's range. In nature reserves, the life of bears increases to 50 years.
Big brown bear It has long been included in the Red Book, and fishing for it is prohibited. Conservationists are making efforts to save the endangered subspecies. The future of brown bears is under state protection.
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