Brown bear and its varieties: interesting facts about forest giants

Hello my dear students! We replenish the heading "Projects". If you are instructed to tell about what bears are, then read carefully! This article contains everything that will help to tell about the largest land predators on the planet in an interesting way - both names, descriptions, and something interesting so that the report is not boring.

Lesson plan:

What do all bears have in common?

Bears are animals with thick paws equipped with curved claws. All bears, when walking, rely on the entire foot, therefore they are called plantigrade. That is why they will never be graceful ballerinas, by nature they are clumsy and it is not without reason that the nickname "clubfoot" has stuck to them.

They reach speeds up to 50 km per hour. All breeds eat differently. Only a white bear is a notorious meat eater, others may have plants, berries, and fruits on the menu. Some of them are vegetarians.

The bear family includes 8 species.

Polar bear

The largest, can reach a length of up to 3 meters and at the same time weigh as much as a whole ton! Polar bear fur like solar battery, collects heat. In fact, his hairs are not white, but transparent. Passes through them sunlight and absorbed by the skin.

But the ears of the largest bear are the smallest. So the beast protects the loss of heat. After all, he lives in the middle polar ice in the fierce Arctic.

The polar bear is a real tramp. Because of the harsh climate, he cannot stay in one place for a long time and wanders around in search of food. Sometimes he swims between the continents, since he is an excellent swimmer. Bear's menu includes fish and seals. Only when there is absolutely nothing to eat, polar bears satisfy their hunger with polar berries and plants.

White males never hibernate, only she-bears do this in anticipation of offspring. With human care, bears can live for about 30 years, but in natural conditions - a little less. Today, the polar bear is listed in the Red Book.

Did you know?! The skin of a white teddy bear is charcoal-black! If you want to be sure - look at his "palms". Exactly dark color attracts the warmth of the sun to the body of the beast.

Brown bear

The most famous breed for us: we saw them in the circus, and they are filmed in films, and in fairy tales they are the main characters. Large brown bears, called Kodiaks, live in Alaska and the Far East - they reach 750 kg. Smaller species weigh 80-120 kg each. Their size depends on where the animal lives, and his home is in all of Eurasia and North America.

Its different subspecies can be light fawn and almost black. In mountain grizzlies, the hair on the back is white at the ends, and the Himalayan bear is found all gray. Red-haired representatives live in Syria.

Brown bears more than half feed on vegetation - berries, nuts and roots, love oats and corn. But do not mind eating fish and rodents. And the fishermen and hunters of them are excellent! Sometimes larger forest dwellers become prey. So, with a blow of his paw, a brown bear is able to kill an elk. A delicacy for them is ... ants.

It's no secret that brown bears sleep in winter. For six months they sniffle in their lairs - from October to March. And those who did not eat well before going to bed begin to wander through the forests, they are called rods. Such animals are a danger to all who they meet at this time on the way.

Do you know that?! Bears have an excellent sense of smell. So, a brown bear is able to smell honey almost 10 kilometers away!

black bear baribal

This species lives in the neighborhood of the brown between Canada, Alaska and Mexico, as well as in the area from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Baribal is not very different from its brother - only in size, slimmer paws and a sharper muzzle.

A black bear grows up to a maximum of 120-150 kg. His fur, as the name already made clear, is dark, and his muzzle is white or yellowish. Long claws help baribalu deftly climb trees.

On the menu of the black bear, everything that the brown one eats is mainly plant food.

Did you know?! There is a “white crow” among the baribals - bears in British Columbia have white coat color.

Himalayan bear

Remember the cartoon about Mowgli? He has a white-breasted friend Balu - this is the Himalayan clubfoot. The animal listed in the Red Book, in addition to the southern slopes of the Himalayas, lives in Indochina, on the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Islands, in Afghanistan, the Ussuri region, in the Far East and in the north of the Amur.

Large representatives reach 170 cm and weigh about 150 kg. At the same time, such considerable bears are real merry fellows: in zoos they usually dance and wave their paws, begging for sweets. And in nature they like to spend a lot of time on trees. Smacking sweetly, they eat foliage, because their main food is vegetable.

They are distinguished by the white Himalayan on the chest, and they themselves are black. They have a narrow muzzle and the largest of all species, chic ears.

Do you know that?! The Himalayan bear does not like the lair. He sleeps ... in the hollows of trees.

Gubach

A bear with a strange name is a neighbor of the Himalayan bear, lives in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Yes, and in color it looks like him, only the hair is long and thick, so the shaggy sloth looks like an unshorn hippie.

It is named so because to eat food, it folds its long lips with a tube and stretches them out, making faces.

He can blow out of the bark like a vacuum cleaner to suck up termites, and he does it so loudly that the whole neighborhood can hear. Another assistant in obtaining food is long claws, with which he breaks trees. The sloth bear also has plants, berries and honeycombs on its menu. The lipped bear is small in size, weighs up to 100 kg.

Did you know?! Gubach creeps on date palms and easily sucks juice from fruits.

Malayan bear

The sloth's neighbor in Indochina is the Malay bear. This is the smallest of all clubfoot, only a meter - forty meters tall and weighing up to 65 kg. And he is also the most "cut" - the coat of the Malayan bear is short and shiny, even skin folds are visible. Yes, and his muzzle is unusual, as if big birthmark on it orange color. The Malay bear and shirt-front have the same shade.

They break the whole miniature view of the decent-sized claws that serve as a tool for climbing trees. Malay bears are omnivores. Due to their size, they can only hunt small animals. And they don't sleep in the winter.

Did you know?! The tongue of a Malayan bear can be up to 25 cm!

spectacled bear

A truly southern resident, who can be found in the mountains and foothill forests from Colombia to Chile. You probably guessed why he has such a name? Yes, he has glasses! These are white stripes around the eyes.

The length of the spectacled bear is about 1.5 meters, sometimes a little more. And it weighs from 70 to 140 kg. This species has been poorly studied, since the bear “with glasses” is a rare animal listed in the Red Book. To stay on the branches, he bends them under himself, forming a rough nest. As soon as it becomes suitable in size and durable, the bear settles there comfortably for three or four days, eats there, and sleeps there.

In nature, a spectacled beast can live up to 25 years, and in captivity up to 35. It usually feeds on roots, leaves, nuts and seeds, and loves corn. Only in exceptional cases, when there is not enough plant food, bears can attack small oleshek and livestock.

Did you know?! Many bears crawl through trees, and the spectacled one crawls over cacti. They are attracted to sweet cactus fruits. And they only have 13 pairs of ribs (the rest of the species of bears have 14 of them!).

Big panda

You can’t even call her a bear, what kind of predator is this?! The question of whether to leave a panda in a bear family haunts scientists to this day. Many would gladly send a panda to the raccoon squad. But genetic tests say: it's a bear!

One of the cutest animals is a vegetarian, with whom only a “false bear” can compete in “cuteness” marsupial koala. How did his seamstress-nature cut it? Black paws, black ears and black glasses were sewn to the white bear!

You can meet a panda in China among the bamboo thickets. White and black bears grow up to one and a half meters and weigh from 100 to 150 kg. Try to get better from one bamboo!

These animals are listed in the Red Book, and the death penalty is provided for killing a panda in China.

Did you know?! In pandas, unusual front paws consist of six fingers: five are folded into a brush, and the sixth, like in humans, is located separately. They pandas skillfully cope with bamboo shoots.

That's all for today. This information will be enough for you to get an excellent mark. See you soon!

Evgenia Klimkovich.

The common brown bear is a predatory mammal of the bear family. This large predator considered one of the most dangerous. There are about 20 subspecies, which differ in habitat and appearance.

Appearance

All subspecies of the brown bear have a well-developed powerful body, a fairly large head with small eyes and rounded ears, and a high withers. The tail is not long (from 6.5 to 21 cm). Strong paws with powerful non-retractable claws up to 10 cm long, five-fingered feet, wide enough. The appearance of the subspecies varies significantly. Males are about one and a half times larger than females.

Dimensions

The individuals inhabiting Europe are the smallest, they reach two meters in length, with a mass of 200 kg. Brown bears living in central Russia are larger and weigh about 300 kg. The largest are grizzlies and Far Eastern bears, their length reaches three meters, and their weight reaches 500 kg or more.

Color

What a bear looks like, what color its skin is, depends on the habitat. There are bears from pale yellow to black with blue. Brown fur is considered standard.

Grizzlies of the Rocky Mountains have white on the tips on their backs, which creates a greyish tint. The brown bears living in the Himalayas have a completely grayish color, and those living in Syria have a light, brown-red skin.

Shedding brown bears once a year, from spring to autumn. Share often spring molt and autumn. spring molt most intensively takes place during the rut and lasts quite a long time. Autumn flows almost imperceptibly and ends by the time the bears hibernate.

Lifespan

The life expectancy of a bear directly depends on the conditions in which it lives. How many years do bears live? The average life expectancy in the wild under favorable conditions is 20-30 years.

How long does a brown bear live in captivity? At good care brown bears reach the age of 45-50 years.

Subspecies

Population differences in the brown bear are very large, and they used to be subdivided into many separate species. Today, all browns have been combined into one species, with several subspecies. Consider the most common.

European (Eurasian) brown

A large powerful animal with a strongly pronounced hump.

Main characteristics:

• body length - 150-250 cm;
• weight - 150-300 kg;
• height at the withers - 90-110 cm.

The fur is yellowish-gray to dark brown, quite long and thick.

Caucasian brown

There are two forms of this subspecies - large and small.

Big Caucasian:

• body length - 185-215 cm;
• weight - 120-240 kg.

Small Caucasian:

• body length - 130-140 cm;
• weight - no more than 65 kg.

This subspecies combines external signs Syrian and European bears. Short coarse coat from light yellowish to brownish-gray. There is a dark spot in the withers area.

Siberian brown

One of the largest subspecies.

Its dimensions:

• body length - 200-250 cm;
• weight - 300-400 kg.

It has a large head, long and soft shiny coat from light brown to brown-brown. Some individuals have a yellowish or black tint in color.

Ussuri brown

Also known as Asian black grizzly or Amur.

• length - up to 2 m;
• weight - 300-400 kg.

It is distinguished by a developed skull with an elongated nose and a very dark, almost black skin. Long hair on round ears will also distinguish it from other subspecies.

Far Eastern (Kamchatka) brown

The largest subspecies found in Russia.

Its dimensions:

• length - up to 2.5 m;
• weight - 350-450 kg. Some males reach 500 kg or more.

This subspecies has a massive head with a rather short nose and a wide front elevated above it, small rounded ears. Dense, long and soft coat from fawn to blackish-brown. Nails dark up to 10 cm.

habitats

The brown bear inhabits almost the entire forest zone from the west of Russia and the forests of the Caucasus to the Pacific Ocean. It can also be found in Japan on the island of Hokkaido, in some Asian countries, in Europe, Canada and in the northwestern states of America.

For life, he chooses forests, with windbreaks and shrubs, prefers coniferous forests. It can wander into the tundra or settle in high mountain forests, with an undergrowth of plants suitable for food.

The habitat is not tied to a specific place, often the places for feeding and the dwelling of the bear are located far from each other, and the bear has to make long transitions during the day.

Habits and lifestyle

The brown bear is a loner. Males live apart, and females raise cubs. Each adult its own territory, the size of which can reach several hundred square kilometers. Males "own" much larger area than females. The boundaries of the territory are marked by scratches on the trees and the smell of the owner.

The habits of bears are typical of a predator. During the day, as a rule, animals rest, choosing for this secluded areas among grass or shrubs. They go in search of food in the morning or evening. In spite of poor eyesight, bears are perfectly oriented with the help of smell and hearing.

Despite its impressive size and seeming sluggishness, this is a rather dexterous and fast animal that can climb trees, swim and run at speeds up to 60 km/h.

Nutrition

The diet of the brown bear is very diverse, because bears eat almost everything. Its main diet consists of plant foods: berries, nuts, acorns, stems, tubers and root parts of plants. If possible, he will not miss the opportunity to wander into the fields to feast on oats and corn. It also eats various insects, frogs, lizards and rodents.

Adults prey on young elk, fallow deer, deer, roe deer and wild boar. A large predator is able to break the ridge of its prey with one stroke of its paw, then hides the carcass, filling it with brushwood, and guards it until it is completely eaten. For the Far Eastern brown, the main diet in the summer-autumn period is salmon, which goes to spawn.

With an insufficient food base, bears often ruin apiaries and attack livestock.

These animals have an amazing memory. Having found mushrooms or berries that bears eat in the forest, they remember the places and then easily find their way to them. The life expectancy of a brown bear in the wild largely depends on proper nutrition.

reproduction

How do bears breed? The mating season starts in May and lasts a couple of months. The rut is active, accompanied by fights between males and a roar. After 6-8 months, cubs are born. Bear cubs are born in the middle of winter, when the bear hibernates.

Cubs are born weighing only 400-500 grams, blind, with sparse hair. As a rule, there are 2-4 cubs in a litter. More than a year after birth, they feed on mother's milk, but immediately after leaving the lair, the mother begins to accustom them to various foods.

The cubs live with their mother for three or four years, then they separate and begin to live on their own. Females reach puberty in the third or fourth year, males develop 1-2 years longer.

hibernation

From the middle of summer and all autumn, bears are actively preparing for hibernation, feeding heavily and accumulating fat. The hibernation of a bear differs from the hibernation of other mammals, this is not suspended animation, but simply a sound sleep, during which neither the breathing nor the pulse of the animal practically changes. A bear in hibernation does not fall into a complete stupor.

Training

Shelters for the winter are arranged in deaf and dry places, under the roots of trees or under a windbreak. A clumsy can dig a lair on its own, or it can occupy a crevice in the mountains or a small cave. Pregnant females equip a spacious and deep den, warming it from the inside with moss, foliage and spruce branches.

One-year-old cubs always spend the winter in their mother's den, often two-year-old lone bears join them. Adult individuals lie in the den one at a time.

Hibernation duration

How long does a bear sleep? It all depends on weather conditions and other factors, the brown one can hibernate for up to six months.

The hibernation of a bear in winter and its duration depend on the weather, age, gender, state of health and the amount of fat gained during the summer-autumn period. So, for example, an old and fattening individual will go into hibernation long before the snow cover falls, and young individuals go to the den only in November or December. Pregnant females are the first to settle down for the winter.

Bear rod

A rod is called an animal that did not have time to accumulate the required amount of fat, which is why it cannot hibernate, and is forced to look for food all winter.

Why is a rod bear dangerous? In severe frosts, with an acute shortage of food, the connecting rods often get close to settlements in search of food. More than one case of connecting rod attacks on domestic animals and even humans is known.

Video

Jackals. Unlike them, clubfoot are more stocky and powerful. Like other canids, bears are predators, but sometimes they feast on berries, mushrooms and honey.

There are also pseudo-toed, not related to canines and even predatory animals. The name bear is given only because of resemblance with true representatives of the genus.

real bears

The second name of bears is plantigrade. Having wide legs, clubfoot fully step on them. Other canids, as a rule, touch the ground with only part of their paws, as if walking on their toes. This is how animals speed up. Bears, on the other hand, cannot develop a speed of more than 50 kilometers per hour.

Brown bear

Included in Russian bear species, the largest and most popular in the country. However, the largest clubfoot was caught outside the Federation, on the American island of Kodiak. From there they took the animal for the Berlin Zoo. I got a bear weighing 1134 kilograms at a rate of 150-500 kilos.

It is assumed that brown came to America about 40 million years ago through the Bering Isthmus. Animals came from Asia, representatives of the species are also found there.

The largest clubfoot in Russia are found on the Kamchatka Peninsula. There giants live 20-30 years. In captivity, with good maintenance, bears live up to half a century.

Polar bear

According to its habitat, it is called polar. The scientific name of the species in Latin is translated as "sea bear". Predators are associated with snow, the expanses of the ocean. In the water, polar bears hunt, catching fish and seals.

The ocean does not prevent the migration of polar clubfoot. On the water, they overcome hundreds of kilometers, working with wide front feet, like oars. The hind legs act as a rudder. Going out onto the ice floes, the bears do not slip, because they have rough feet.

Among terrestrial predators, the animal is the largest. In length, the predator reaches 3 meters. The standard weight is 700 kilograms. So that kind of polar bear awesome. In nature, an animal has no enemies other than man.

studying types of bears, only at the polar you will find hollow wool. The hair is empty from the inside. Firstly, it gives an additional layer of air in the fur coat. Gas is a poor conductor of heat, it does not release it from the skin of a predator.

Secondly, the cavities in the white hairs are needed to reflect light. In fact, clubfoot hair is colorless. White hair only looks, allowing the predator to merge with the surrounding snow.

Himalayan bear

Otherwise called the black Asian bear. It is distinguished by large ears, an elegant physique by the standards of clubfoot, and an elongated muzzle.

The habitat of the Himalayan extends from Iran to Japan. The predator prefers mountainous areas. Hence the name of the species. In Russia, its representatives live beyond the Amur, as a rule, in the Ussuri region.

Black bear is named for the dark color of the coat. It is longer on the head and neck, forming a kind of mane. There is a predator on the chest White spot. However, there are subspecies of the animal without it.

Maximum weight Himalayan bear is 140 kilograms. The length of the animal reaches one and a half meters. But the claws of a predator are thicker and larger than those of brown and polar individuals. The reason is the way of life of the black bear. Most he spends his time in the trees. Claws help climb them.

The Asian clubfoot cannot be called a formidable predator. From animal food, the bear usually consumes only insects. The basis of the diet are herbs, roots, berries, acorns.

baribal

Alternative name - black bear. He lives in the North, especially in the east of the continent. The appearance of the predator is close to the appearance of the brown clubfoot. However, the baribal has more protruding shoulders, lower ears and, as the name implies, black hair. However, on the muzzle it is lighter.

The name of the animal is similar to the name of the family to which it is assigned. There are no other members of the family. By the way, this also applies to the little panda. She is also one of a kind.

The closest relative of the koala is, but not a bear at all, and not even little panda.

About 30 million years ago, 18 species of marsupial "bears" lived on the planet. There were also unseen modern man true clubfoot. Among them, 5-6 species became extinct.

extinct bears

The number of extinct bears is vague, as the existence of one species is in question. There is a glimmer of hope that the Tibetan clubfoot still exists, although for a long time it does not fall into the eyes of people and into the lenses of video cameras. If you meet, let the scientists know. The bear looks like a brown one, but the front part of the body is reddish. The withers of the animal are almost black. In the inguinal region, the hair is red. The rest of the hair behind the predator is dark brown. The bear lived in the east of the Tibetan plateau.

California Grizzly

It is depicted on the flag of California, but has not been found in or out of the state since 1922. Then they killed the last representative type of animal.

Bear had a golden coat color. The beast was a totemic among the Indians. The Redskins believed that they were descended from the grizzly, so they did not hunt the ancestor. The clubfoot was exterminated by white settlers.

mexican grizzly bear

Officially declared extinct in the 60s of the last century. The animal was large, weighing approximately 360 kilograms.

The Mexican grizzly was distinguished by whitish claws on its front paws, small ears and a high forehead.

Etruscan bear

fossil view lived in the Pliocene. This geological period ended 2.5 million years ago. The second name of the predator is the short-faced bear. This is the one with 13 pairs of ribs.

Skeletons of Etruscan bears are found only in southern latitudes. Therefore, scientists suggest that the beast was thermophilic. It is also known that the extinct animal was large, weighing about 600 kilograms.

Atlas bear

Inhabited the lands from Morocco to Libya. The last individual was killed by hunters in 1870. Outwardly, the animal was distinguished by reddish hair below the body and dark brown above. There was a white spot on the bear's muzzle.

Unlike most bears, the Atlas preferred desert and arid areas. The name of the species is associated with a chain of mountains where clubfoot lived. Zoologists attributed them to subspecies of the brown bear.

Giant polar bear

Appearance of a polar bear was similar to the modern one. Only here in length the beast reached 4 meters, and weighed 1200 kilograms. Such giants lived on the planet 100 thousand years ago.

So far, scientists have found the only ulna of a giant bear. Found a bone in the Pleistocene deposits of Great Britain.

The survival of modern polar bears is also in question. The number of species is sharply reduced. This is due to climate change. Glaciers are melting. Animals have to do more and more long swims. Many predators get to the shore exhausted. Meanwhile, and full of energy it is not easy for bears to get food in the snowy expanses.

The bear is the largest predator on earth. This animal belongs to the class of mammals, carnivorous order, bear family, bear genus (lat. Ursus). The bear appeared on the planet about 6 million years ago and has always been a symbol of power and strength.

Bear - description, characteristics, structure. What does a bear look like?

Depending on the species, the body length of a predator can vary from 1.2 to 3 meters, and the weight of a bear varies from 40 kg to a ton. The body of these animals is large, stocky, with a thick, short neck and big head. Powerful jaws make it easy to gnaw both plant and meat food. The limbs are rather short and slightly curved. Therefore, the bear walks, swaying from side to side, and rests on the entire foot. The speed of a bear in moments of danger can reach 50 km / h. With the help of large and sharp claws, these animals extract food from the ground, tear apart prey and climb trees. Many bear species are good swimmers. The polar bear has a special membrane between the fingers for this. The life expectancy of a bear can reach 45 years.

Bears do not have sharp eyesight and well-developed hearing. This is offset by a great sense of smell. Sometimes animals stand on their hind legs in order to obtain information about the environment with the help of scent.

thick bear fur, covering the body, has a different color: from reddish-brown to black, white in polar bears or black and white in pandas. Species with dark fur turn gray and gray in old age.

Does a bear have a tail?

Yes, but only the giant panda has a noticeable tail. In other species, it is short and almost indistinguishable in the fur.

Types of bears, names and photos.

In the bear family, zoologists distinguish 8 species of bears, which are divided into many different subspecies:

Brown bear (common bear) (lat. Ursus arctos). The appearance of a predator of this species is typical for all representatives of the bear family: a powerful body, rather high at the withers, a massive head with rather small ears and eyes, a short, slightly noticeable tail, and large paws with very powerful claws. The body of a brown bear is covered with thick hair with a brownish, dark gray, reddish color, which varies from the habitat of the "clubfoot". Baby bear cubs often have large light tan marks on the chest or in the neck area, although these marks disappear with age.

The distribution range of the brown bear is wide: it is found in mountain systems Alps and on the Apennine Peninsula, distributed in Finland and the Carpathians, feels comfortable in Scandinavia, Asia, China, in the northwestern United States and in Russian forests.

Polar (white) bear (lat. Ursus maritimus). It is the largest representative of the family: its body length often reaches 3 meters, and its mass can exceed one ton. It has a long neck and a slightly flattened head - this distinguishes it from its counterparts in other species. The color of the bear's coat is from boiling white to slightly yellowish, the hairs inside are hollow, therefore they give the bear's "fur coat" excellent thermal insulation properties. The soles of the paws are densely “lined” with tufts of coarse wool, which allows polar bear easy to move on the ice cover without slipping. Between the toes of the paws there is a membrane that facilitates the process of swimming. The habitat of this species of bears is the polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Baribal (black bear) (lat. Ursus americanus). The bear is a bit like a brown relative, but differs from it in its smaller size and blue-black fur. The length of an adult baribal does not exceed two meters, and the female bear is even smaller - their body usually has a length of 1.5 meters. A pointed muzzle, long paws ending in rather short feet - this is what this representative of bears is remarkable for. By the way, baribals can become black only by the third year of life, at birth getting a gray or brownish color. The habitat of the black bear is vast: from the expanses of Alaska to the territories of Canada and hot Mexico.

Malayan bear (biruang)(lat. Helarctos malayanus). The most "miniature" species among its bear counterparts: its length does not exceed 1.3-1.5 meters, and the height at the withers is slightly more than half a meter. This type of bear has a stocky build, a short, rather wide muzzle with small, round ears. The paws of the Malayan bear are high, while large, long feet with huge claws look a little disproportionate. The body is covered with short and very hard black-brown fur, the chest of the animal is “adorned” with a white-red spot. The Malayan bear lives in the southern regions of China, in Thailand and Indonesia.

White-breasted (Himalayan) bear(lat. Ursus thibetanus). The slender physique of the Himalayan bear is not too different large sizes- this representative of the family is two times smaller than the brown relative: the male has a length of 1.5-1.7 meters, while the height at the withers is only 75-80 cm, the females are even smaller. The body of a bear, covered with shiny and silky hair of dark brown or black, is crowned by a head with a pointed muzzle and large round ears. An obligatory "attribute" of the appearance of the Himalayan bear is a spectacular white or yellowish spot on the chest. This type of bear lives in Iran and Afghanistan, is found in mountainous areas The Himalayas, on the territory of Korea, Vietnam, China and Japan, feel at ease in the open spaces Khabarovsk Territory and in the south of Yakutia.

spectacled bear (lat. Tremarctos ornatus). Medium-sized predator - length 1.5-1.8 meters, height at the withers from 70 to 80 cm. The muzzle is short, not too wide. The wool of a spectacled bear is shaggy, has a black or black-brown hue, around the eyes there are always white-yellow rings, smoothly turning into a whitish "collar" of fur on the animal's neck. The habitat of this species of bears is the countries of South America: Colombia and Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama.

Gubach (lat. Melursus ursinus). A predator with a body length of up to 1.8 meters, at the withers, the height varies from 65 to 90 centimeters, females are approximately 30% smaller than males in both indicators. The trunk of the sloth is massive, the head is large, with a flat forehead and an overly elongated muzzle, which ends in mobile, completely devoid of hair, protruding lips. The bear's fur is long, usually black or dirty-brown in color, often forming a semblance of a shaggy mane in the neck of the animal. The chest of the sloth bear has a light spot. The habitat of this species of bears is India, some parts of Pakistan, Bhutan, the territory of Bangladesh and Nepal.

Big panda (bamboo bear ) (lat. Ailuropoda melanoleuca). This type of bear has a massive, squat body, which is covered with dense, thick fur. black and white color. The paws are short, thick, with sharp claws and absolutely hairless pads: this allows the pandas to firmly hold the smooth and slippery bamboo stems. The structure of the front paws of these bears is very unusually developed: five ordinary fingers complement the big sixth, although it is not a real finger, but is a modified bone. Such amazing paws enable the panda to easily manage the thinnest bamboo shoots. The bamboo bear lives in the mountainous regions of China, especially large populations live in Tibet and Sichuan.

The brown or common bear is predatory mammal from the bear family. This is one of the largest and most dangerous species of terrestrial predators. About twenty subspecies of the brown bear are distinguished, differing in appearance and distribution area.

Description and appearance

The appearance of a brown bear is typical for all representatives of the bear family. The body of the animal is well developed and powerful.

Appearance

There is a high withers, as well as a fairly massive head with small ears and eyes. The length of the relatively short tail varies between 6.5-21.0 cm. The paws are quite strong and well developed, with powerful and non-retractable claws. The feet are very wide, five-fingered.

Brown bear sizes

The average length of a brown bear living in the European part, as a rule, is about one and a half to two meters with a body weight in the range of 135-250 kg. Individuals inhabiting middle lane our country, are somewhat smaller in size and can weigh approximately 100-120 kg. The Far Eastern bears and are considered the largest, the sizes of which often reach three meters.

Skin color

The color of the brown bear is quite variable. Differences in coloration of the skin depend on the habitat, and the color of the fur can vary from a light fawn shade to bluish-black. Brown color is considered standard.

It is interesting! A characteristic feature of the grizzly is the presence of hair with whitish ends on the back, due to which a kind of gray hair is present on the coat. Individuals with a grayish-white coloration are found in the Himalayas. Animals with reddish-brown fur inhabit Syria.

Lifespan

AT natural conditions The average life span of a brown bear is approximately twenty to thirty years. In captivity, this species can live for fifty years, and sometimes more. Rare individuals live in natural conditions up to the age of fifteen.

Brown bear subspecies

The type of brown bear includes several subspecies or so-called geographic races, which differ in size and color.

The most common subspecies:

• European brown bear with a body length of 150-250 cm, a tail length of 5-15 cm, a height at the withers of 90-110 cm and an average weight of 150-300 kg. A large subspecies with a powerful physique and a pronounced hump at the withers. The general color varies from light greyish-yellow to blackish-dark brown. The fur is thick, rather long;
• Caucasian brown bear with an average body length of 185-215 cm and a body weight of 120-240 kg. The coat is short, coarse, of a paler coloration than that of the Eurasian subspecies. The color varies from a pale straw color to a uniform gray-brown color. There is a pronounced, large dark-colored spot in the withers;
• East Siberian brown bear weighing up to 330-350 kg and large skull. The fur is long, soft and dense, with a pronounced sheen. The coat is light brown or blackish brown or dark brown in color. Some individuals are characterized by the presence in the color of fairly well-marked yellowish and black shades;
• Ussuri or Amur brown bear. In our country, this subspecies is well known under the name black grizzly. The average body weight of an adult male can vary between 350-450 kg. The subspecies is characterized by the presence of a large and well-developed skull with an elongated nose. The skin is almost black. Distinctive feature is the presence long hair on the ears.

One of the largest subspecies on the territory of our country is the Far Eastern or Kamchatka brown bear, average weight whose body often exceeds 450-500 kg. Large adults have a large, massive skull and a broad, raised front of the head. The fur is long, dense and soft, pale yellow, blackish brown or completely black in color.

The area where the brown bear lives

area natural distribution brown bears has undergone significant changes over the past century. Previously, subspecies were found in vast territories stretching from England to the Japanese islands, as well as from Alaska to central Mexico.

Today, due to the active extermination of brown bears and their eviction from inhabited territories, the most numerous groups of the predator are recorded only in the western part of Canada, as well as in Alaska and in forest areas our country.

Bear lifestyle

The period of activity of the predator falls on twilight, early morning and evening hours. The brown bear is a very sensitive animal, orienting itself in space mainly with the help of hearing and smell. Low vision is typical. Despite their impressive size and large body weight, brown bears are almost silent, fast and very easy to move predators.

It is interesting! The average running speed is 55-60 km/h. Bears swim quite well, but they are able to move through deep snow with great difficulty.

Brown bears belong to the category of sedentary animals, but young animals separated from the family are able to roam and actively look for a partner. Bears mark and defend the boundaries of their territory. AT summer period bears rest directly on the ground, nestled among forbs and low shrubs. With the onset of autumn, the beast begins to prepare a reliable winter shelter for itself.

Food and prey of the brown bear

Brown bears are omnivorous, but the basis of the diet is vegetation, represented by berries, acorns, nuts, roots, tubers and stem parts of plants. In a lean year, oats and corn serve as a good substitute for berries. Also, the diet of a predator necessarily includes all kinds of insects, represented by ants, worms, lizards, frogs, field and forest rodents.

Large adult predators are able to attack young artiodactyls. Roe deer, fallow deer, deer, wild boar and elk can become prey. An adult brown bear can, with a single blow with its paw, break the spine of its prey, after which it fills it with brushwood and guards it until the carcass is completely eaten. Near water areas, some subspecies of brown bears hunt seals, fish and seals.

Grizzlies are able to attack the baribal bear and take prey from smaller predators.

It is interesting! Regardless of age, brown bears have an excellent memory. These wild animals are able to easily memorize mushroom or berry places, as well as quickly find their way to them.

Spawning salmon becomes the basis of the diet of the Far Eastern brown bear in summer and autumn. In lean years and poor food supply, a large predator is able to attack even domestic animals and grazing livestock.

Reproduction and offspring

The mating season of a brown bear lasts a couple of months and begins in May, when males enter into fierce fights. Females mate with several adult males at once. Latent pregnancy consists in the development of the embryo only at the stage of hibernation of the animal. The female carries the cubs for about six to eight months.. Blind and deaf, completely helpless and covered with sparse hair cubs are born in a den. As a rule, the female bears two or three babies, whose growth at the time of birth does not exceed a quarter of a meter and weighs 450-500 g.

It is interesting! In the den, the cubs feed on milk and grow up to three months, after which they have milk teeth and they become able to feed on berries, vegetation and insects on their own. However, on breastfeeding cubs are up to a year and a half or more.

Not only the female takes care of the offspring, but also the so-called foster daughter, who appeared in the previous litter. Next to the female, the cubs live until about three or four years old, until they reach puberty. The offspring of the female acquires, as a rule, once every three years.

Hibernation of the brown bear

The sleep of a brown bear is completely different from the period of hibernation characteristic of other mammalian species. During hibernation, the brown bear's body temperature, respiration rate, and pulse remain practically unchanged. The bear does not fall into a state of complete stupor, and in the first days it only dozes.

At this time, the predator listens sensitively and reacts to the slightest danger by leaving the den. In a warm and snowy winter, if available a large number food, some males do not dive into hibernation. Sleep comes only with the onset of severe frosts and can last less than a month. In a dream, the reserves of subcutaneous fat, which was accumulated in the summer and autumn, are wasted.

Preparation for sleep

Winter shelters are arranged by adults in reliable, deaf and dry places, under a windbreak or the roots of a fallen tree. The predator is able to independently dig a deep lair in the ground or occupy mountain caves and rock crevices. Pregnant brown bears try to equip for themselves and their offspring a deeper and more spacious, warm lair, which is then lined with moss from the inside, spruce branches and fallen leaves.

It is interesting! Bear cubs of the year always spend winter period along with his mother. Such a company can be joined by cubs-lonchaks of the second year of life.

All adult and lone predators hibernate alone. The exception is individuals living on the territory of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Here, the presence of several adults in one den at once is often observed.

Hibernation duration

Depending on weather conditions and some other factors, brown bears can stay in a den for up to six months. The period when the bear lies in the den, as well as the duration of hibernation itself, may depend on the conditions imposed by weather conditions, the yield of fattening forage base, gender, age parameters and even the physiological state of the animal.

It is interesting! Old and fat wild beast goes to hibernation much earlier, even before a significant snow cover falls, and young and underfed individuals lie in a den in November-December.

The period of occurrence stretches for a couple of weeks or several months. Pregnant females are the first to winter. Lastly, the dens are occupied by old males. The same place for hibernation in winter can be used by a brown bear for several years.

Rod Bears

Shatun is a brown bear that did not have time to accumulate a sufficient amount of subcutaneous fat and, for this reason, is not able to hibernate. In the process of searching for any food, such a predator is able to roam around the neighborhood all winter. As a rule, such a brown bear moves unsteadily, has a shabby and relatively exhausted appearance.

It is interesting! When meeting with dangerous opponents, brown bears emit a very loud roar, stand on their hind legs and try to knock down their opponent with a strong blow from their front powerful paws.

Hunger makes the beast often appear in close proximity to human habitation. The connecting rod bear is typical of the northern regions, characterized by harsh winters, including territory Far East and Siberia. A mass invasion of connecting rod bears can be observed in lean seasons, about once every ten years. Hunting for connecting rod bears is not a fishing activity, but a forced measure.