Brown bear: brief description, weight, dimensions. Habits of a brown bear. Animals without fur are barely recognizable (28 photos) What does a bear eat?

Humans are not the only ones who suffer from hair loss. Whether hair loss is caused by illness or old age, the condition can affect our four-legged friends too.

Luckily, the animals and birds on our list don't seem to mind the loss of their hair, fur, or feathers. Do you think they look as cute without their fur or feathers?

Rabbit

This cute bunny was born in 2009 and became an instant internet sensation because he is bald. Luckily, after three months he grew his first fur coat and turned out to be just as normal as his furry brothers and sisters.

Bear



Dolores the bear is one of those bears who suffered from sudden loss wool at the Leipzig Zoo, Germany. Some experts believe it was caused by a genetic defect, although the animals do not appear to suffer from any other afflictions.

Hedgehog



Meet Betty, a cute bald hedgehog from the Foxy Lodge rescue center in the UK. She is a healthy and completely normal animal except for the fact that she is bald and the cause of her baldness is unknown.

Parrot


Oscar was a 35-year-old female Moluccan cockatoo who suffered from a condition that affects birds, Beak and Feather Disease. She pulled out her own feathers because they irritated her so much.

Squirrel


Photo: Murph le


Hairless squirrels are not very rare; their hair loss is usually due to illness caused by ticks.

Guinea pig


Photo: Alina Gerika


Skinny is a breed of hairless guinea pigs. Judging by their pink skin, there is no need to explain why guinea pigs are called "pigs." (Photo: margaretshairlesspigs.webs.com)

Penguin



This hairless baby penguin was born without feathers and was abandoned by his parents at an aquarium in China's Liaoning Province. Aquarium staff determined that the baby penguin's lack of feathers and poor health were due to difficulty digesting and absorbing food. nutrients. Thanks to his keepers, the penguin was able to grow a feathered coat and was successfully reintroduced to his family.

Rat


Photo: CSBeck


Photo: Maxim Loskutov


Hairless rats are produced by breeding different combinations of genes. On the other hand, hairless laboratory rats provide researchers with valuable data on weakened immune system and genetic kidney diseases. (Photo: CSBeck).

Chimpanzee


Chimpanzees, like other apes, great apes and humans, sometimes suffer from alopecia, a disease that causes them to lose hair from all over their bodies. These poor creatures attract many visitors to zoos. (Photo: RedEyedRex)

Dog


Photo: sweet mustache


These are Peruvian hairless dogs. Machu Picchu (the 4-month-old puppy in the photo above) was offered as a pet to US President Barack Obama. He promised his daughters a new pet for the White House, but the dog had to be hypoallergenic because one of them is allergic to most dog breeds. Peruvian Hairless dogs are said to be ideal for sensitive people due to their lack of hair. (Photo: Karel Navarro)

Wombat




Meet Karmann, an orphaned baby wombat from Australia. Wombats must remain in their mother's pouch until they reach seven months of age. However, poor Karmann was rescued from her dying mother's pouch at 3 months old, so she has no hair. She is currently being cared for at a wildlife sanctuary in Melbourne.

Baboon

A hairless female baboon was spotted in rural areas Zimbabwe. The animal may have lost its fur due to alopecia. However, this hairless baboon was spotted in wildlife, so the cause of her baldness is unknown.

Kangaroo




This tiny creature is Sabrina, a female kangaroo who was abandoned by her mother in the Serengeti-Park in Germany. These animals do not grow hair until they emerge from their mother's pouch. Bald Sabrina always had to be carried close to a warm body or wrapped in a blanket to keep her warm.

Hamster


Hairless Syrian hamsters lack fur due to a genetic disorder. Hairless baby hamsters are only born to parents with the hairless gene, so they should not breed. (Photo: The Thicket Rabbitry)

Bears are so different

Bears (lat. Ursidae) are a family of predatory mammals. They live throughout North and South America, northern Europe and Asia.

In the 20th century, the numbers and ranges of all bear species declined sharply, necessitating the introduction of restrictions on shooting and protection. The lists of the International Red Book include: big panda as an endangered species (Endangered), Himalayan, spectacled, polar bears and sloth bears - as vulnerable species (Vulnerable).

Bears have a stocky build. Bears are omnivores, climb and swim well, run fast, and can stand and walk short distances on their hind legs. They have a short tail, long and thick hair, as well as an excellent sense of smell and hearing. They hunt in the evening or at dawn. Bears are not susceptible to bee stings. In nature natural enemies almost none.

Fur with developed undercoat, rather coarse. The hairline is tall, sometimes shaggy; in most species it is thick, in malayan bear- low and rare. The color is uniform, from coal-black to whitish; The giant panda's color is contrasting, black and white. There are light markings on the chest or around the eyes. Some species have individual and geographic variation in color. The color does not change with the seasons; seasonal dimorphism is expressed in changes in the height and density of fur.

Bears are favorite objects of keeping in zoos and training, including circus training. They are usually afraid of humans, but can be dangerous in places where they are not used to people, especially polar bears and grizzly bears. Mother bears with cubs are especially dangerous. In some cases, bears can harm crops, beekeeping, and livestock.

Bears (lat. Ursus) are a genus of mammals of the carnivorous order. Currently, there are 8 species of bears divided into 5 genera.

According to paleontological information, the genus of bears appeared 5-6 million years ago. Its first representative is currently considered to be the bear Ursus minimus, a relatively small animal whose fossil remains were found in France. All four modern species of the genus, as well as a number of extinct ones (for example, the cave bear Ursus spelaeus) descend from the Etruscan bear (Ursus etruscus), which lived 2-1 million years ago. The youngest species of the genus is the polar bear, which split from brown bear approximately 200,000 years ago.

White, or polar bear(Ursus maritimus) is the largest carnivore of all bears. Males weigh on average 450-500 kg, sometimes reaching 800 kg, in rare cases up to a ton. The weight of females averages 320 kg.

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the most common species of bear, capable of adapting to a wide variety of habitats. Brown bears feel great in the taiga, semi-deserts, mountains and beyond the Arctic Circle. Due to the huge distribution area of ​​the brown bear, many subspecies have formed, which differ greatly from each other in size and appearance. There is no other animal on Earth that exhibits such a range in weight. The smallest bears of this species weigh about 100 kg, and the largest ones sometimes weigh a ton.

Black bear, or baribal (Ursus americanus) is found exclusively in North America, where it is much more widespread than the brown bear. Baribal is in many ways similar to its closest relative, the brown bear, but it is noticeably smaller in size, it has a narrower head and larger ears. The weight of baribal is usually approximately 150-200 kg, sometimes the weight of some males exceeds 250 kg.

Himalayan, white-breasted, or asian black bear(Ursus thibetanus) is approximately the size of baribal, but is noticeably different from it in the structure of the skull. The color of the coat is the same as that of a black bear, but there is always a white spot on the chest in the form Latin letter"V".

The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) has a very distinctive appearance. The color of the sloth bear is similar to the Himalayan bear, with the same characteristic spot on the chest. The coat is long and shaggy. Sponge fish weigh on average 80-100 kg, some males can reach 140 kg. Its diet is based on termites and ants.

Malayan bear, or biruang (Helarctos malayanus) is the smallest of the bear family.

Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) - the only representative of the bear family in South America. The spectacled bear prefers mountain forests, but sometimes descends to more open spaces. Often climbs trees and is a good climber. Along with the giant panda, this is the most herbivorous of the bears. The weight of a spectacled bear is approximately 100-150 kg, with an average of about 130 kg.

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is the most distinctive species of bear.

The importance of bear prey

The object of commercial and sport hunting is the brown bear. The benefits brought by bear hunting are very significant. Previously, heavy and lush bear skins were used for carpets and road fur coats. Mostly they made a cavity into which the sleigh rider was covered.

The bear is a valuable game animal, the skins of which are constantly exhibited at Canadian wild fur auctions. The length of a bear skin can reach 3 meters. The wear resistance of brown bear fur is 65%.

The bear's fur has a thick pile with a high, thick undergrowth. Bear fur can be of different lengths and colors. Rare dark brown color. Bear fur is considered the warmest. According to historical data, high fur boots made of bear hair were worn by Peter II himself. Bear fur - a bear skin can cure a disease such as gout: if you lie on it during an exacerbation of the disease, the pain goes away.

If you were lucky enough to visit Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark, you should have paid attention to the guards in traditional bearskin hats. Traditionally, the Danish and British guards were supplied with the fur of the black bear - baribala - as material for headdresses. Once upon a time, baribals were caught in Russia. The very first samples of hats were presented to the Danish king by his son-in-law, Emperor Alexander III.

If during World War II the royal guard managed to somehow express itself, now it often evokes ironic smiles among tourists: the young and thin guardians of Queen Margrethe II’s peace look very funny in their powerful headdresses. And in vain the onlookers chuckle - they should try to stand in the sun themselves, holding half a kilogram of bear fur on their heads. The guards cap is approximately 40 centimeters high and weighs more than 600 grams.

U polar bear a very special fur, water quickly drains from it, it well retains the heat released by the body. The thick fur of a bear retains heat due to the specific arrangement of the fur hairs, creating an air cushion. Polar bear fur very rarely appears on sale, as it is listed in the Red Book.

Bear fur is graded based on the size of the skin. Small bears are practically not valued. Bear skins are now used for interior decoration. The skins are hung on walls, used as carpets, or made into decorative stuffed animals. Bearskin is also used for upholstery of ottomans, car seat covers, toys, souvenirs, and hats.

The best bear skin is obtained in winter, when climatic conditions force the animal to grow thick fur. In winter, the bear remains in its den, so its skin does not have the characteristic damage caused by the activity of the animal. The bear skin obtained in the fall is worse than the winter skin, but is still suitable for dressing. As a rule, the quality of the autumn skin increases from the beginning of September to October, which is associated with the growth of underfur.

Bear meat is highly valued. The meat of young bears has a delicate, pleasant taste; fried or smoked hams of adult fatty bears are considered a delicacy. Paws are especially prized by gastronomes. Bear's head is also considered an excellent dish.

Bear fat is easily sold and paid dearly. Fat white, does not harden or turn bitter in closed containers, and when fresh it has a nasty taste that disappears only when it is boiled with onions. Bear fat is famous as good remedy from hair loss.

Bear bile is also highly valued because it has healing powers: it helps against fever. Therefore, after a happy hunt, its participants generously treat themselves to vodka, to which they mix a little bile of the killed animal. Bear fat and bile are used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine to treat diseases of the liver and bile ducts, kidneys, and severe burns.

Bear in heraldry

In heraldry, a bear, because it foresees the weather, knows how to hide in time in a den, where it prepares a lair for itself, is considered a symbol of foresight and is revered as passing (French passant) when walking, and rising (French leve) when standing on its hind legs .

The bear has been the heraldic symbol of Berlin since March 22, 1280. This day is dated a message from the Berlin Furriers' Guild, which bears a seal with two bears.

The bear is depicted on the coats of arms of Russian ancient cities - Yaroslavl, Sergach, Volsk, Novgorod and Perm. On the coat of arms of Maloyaroslavets, a bear is depicted in a den. The Yaroslavl bear even appeared on a banknote with a face value of 1,000 rubles.

There is also a "golden bear" at the Berlin Film Festival. He visited our country only twice, for the paintings “Ascension” by Larisa Shepitko and “Theme” by Gleb Panfilov.

Rivers, lakes - the Great Bear Lake in Canada, waterfalls, caves, gorges, cities - Medvezhyegorsk, streets in Warsaw - are named after the bear. And even football club- Chicago bears, probably the owners of the team, deep down in their souls, were guided by the same motives as their distant ancestors, who chose the spirit of the bear as their patron. In England there is a monument to a bear at a train station, after which the clubfoot is named.

In the Caucasus, one of the passes is called the Bear Gate. The surname Medvedev is widespread. Bear is the only animal that Russians lovingly call human name- Misha.

In 1950, in the US state of New Mexico, after a forest fire, a bear cub with severe burns was brought to the zoo. He was cured and named Smokey. Now his image has become a symbol of the fight against forest fires. This example shows that good traditions can be born in our time.

Legends about Mount Ayu-Dag - Bear Mountain

Many vacationed in Crimea and remembered Mount Ayu-Dag, translated from Turkic as Bear Mountain. It is very similar to the silhouette of a bear lying by the water. There are two legends explaining the origin of Bear Mountain.

The first legend says that a long time ago bears lived on the shores of the Black Sea. One day a storm washed ashore a boat with a little girl in it. The bears raised her. And then this girl met a young man and sailed with him to people. And the leader of the bears lay down on the seashore and watched the ship disappear over the horizon. It still remains that way.

The second legend says that a long time ago people lived on the shores of the Black Sea. They had a deity that they worshiped. Then they relaxed and stopped worshiping their god. Then God went north, released a huge bear from his den and instructed him to re-educate these people. The bear sailed to the South and began to destroy everything that came under its paws. But when he got to the Partenite Valley, he really liked the local climate and decided to stay in this beautiful region forever. Then the indignant god turned the bear into stone the moment he drank sea ​​water. This is such a sad story.

Legends about bears

The bear is a significant animal of Russian culture, appearing in literary works, folk tales, epics, sometimes as the main character, in Russian proverbs and sayings. In Russian folk tales, the bear is presented as an intelligent, playful animal that lives not far from people.

In Rus', the most popular animal was the bear. One can feel people's sympathy and respect for him. “You, bear, you are my father,” sang in an old song. The bear was called Toptygin, Mikhail Ivanovich.

In western Russia, the bear was revered, and the day before the Annunciation was dedicated to celebrating the bear. On this day, special dishes were prepared - dried turnips and oatmeal jelly, as a sign that the bear loves oats and pea comas, and the holiday itself was called “komoeditsa”. After lunch, everyone, old and young, lay down and every minute, slowly rolled from side to side, imitating a bear in a den. This lasted about 2 hours with the goal of making it easier for the bear to get out of its winter den. It was forbidden to work on this day.

By the way, there is an interesting view on the ancient practice of driving bears through villages. In the Nizhny Novgorod town of Sergach alone in 1813 there were about 2 thousand “scientific” bears. The bear drivers, the buffoons, were considered a kind of wizards, and any driving of the bear was intended to promote the fertility of the fields and women - the bear must step over the lying woman. In Ukraine, a bear was led around the village, and women approached it to experience fertility. A pregnant woman gave him bread; if he accepted it silently, it would be a boy; if he roared, it would be a girl.

Bear is a totem among the Slavs Kievan Rus. For many Slavs, a bear crossing the road means good things. Ukrainians said that a bear is a converted miller. The bear protects the miller, saving him from visiting the merman, the South Slavs believe. In legends about various saints, bears give up their dens to them. According to another belief, God turned a man into a bear who decided to scare him with a roar. Holy hermits, as countless apocrypha testify, often lived in the same cave with a bear.

Russians believe that devilry cannot take the form of a bear. “The bear is from God,” they said in the Olonets province because the first bear was a god. Belarusians call the bear “forest archimandrite.” The human origin of the bear explains the prohibition of killing a bear and eating its meat among the Rhodopean Bulgarians. Bears attack people only at the direction of God, for their grave sins. A bear can remove damage from livestock. A bear seen in a dream portends a return loved one. For Russians, meeting a bear means good luck. In Macedonia, the bear is invited for dinner and hominy is prepared. The bear is a pure animal, a symbol of health and strength.

The legends and traditions of the northern peoples mention the owner of dense forests - the brown bear. Traditions of many peoples consider the bear to be one of the ancestors of man. Compared to other inhabitants of the forest - elk, roe deer, hares, foxes, which were hunted to satisfy the needs of life, the bear was hunted for a different purpose. The fact is that bearskin was considered spectacular protective amulet from evil spirits and all other misfortunes. Among the northern peoples, who still live in unity with nature, it is customary to cover the entrance to the yaranga or tent with a bear skin to scare away evil spirits from the home. The mighty leaders of the tribe and the strongest, most successful hunters sought to make a bed of bear skin in their home. Only an experienced hunter, well-prepared physically and enjoying universal respect, was able to catch a bear. The bear skin he obtained was evidence of the listed qualities.

It has always been believed that shamans have an astral connection with the bear. By dressing in a bearskin, the shaman provided himself with a connection with higher spirits. The skin of a bear was a mandatory attribute of the shaman’s home.

There is a belief that the bear himself was once a man, and was dressed in brown bear skin for bad behavior and disrespect for the gods. In the Arkhangelsk province the mole was called an “earth bear.” And they revered it very much, believing that it scared away a real bear.

A bear hunter in the Urals must carefully guard the skin of the animal he kills, otherwise the girls will steal his claws. According to legend, the claw of the fourth toe of the right front foot has extraordinary miraculous power: if a girl manages to secretly scratch her beloved guy with it, he will fall in love with her passionately.

The Ostyaks attribute mysterious powers to the bear's fangs. The bear tooth serves as a talisman for the Ostyak, saving him from illness and danger. It also has the ability to expose deception and deceit.

The bear is especially respected by the northern peoples - Ostyaks, Ainu, Gilyaks, Samoyeds and Voguls. Among the Ainu, the bear is called the god of the mountains. The Ostyaks call him the son of heaven, who descended to earth, contrary to the will of his father. It is believed that the soul of a bear is immortal. Among the Udmurts, the bear is a totem animal. The Buryats forbade a hunter to kill more than 99 bears in his life. The Evenks believe that you cannot kill more than 60 bears in a person’s life. The Eskimos of Greenland respectfully called the bear “grandfather” - the owner of the land, “big man”.

The bear is the king of groves and forests, say the Yakuts. And yet - the bear is smart, like a person, and if he doesn’t speak, it’s because he doesn’t want to. Or - don’t speak ill of the bear, don’t brag, he hears everything, even though he’s not nearby, remembers everything, and doesn’t forgive. Bear is a thinker. The bear has a lot of thoughts, but none of them. Among the Vilyui Yakuts it was forbidden to attack a bear by surprise; when they approached the den they woke it up. When a Nyuret accidentally came across a bear in the forest, he took off his hat and respectfully said: “Go on your way, venerable one.” The bear took off his fur coat and became a man, say the Gilyaks. The Ostyaks of the Tobolsk province apologize to him before shooting at the bear. The Nenets say that a polar bear taught them how to use fire. The Altaians assured that the bear hears through the ground. In Norway it was believed that a bear that attacks a person is non-Christian; a Christian bear will never attack.

The cult of the bear is widespread among the Zyryans. On September 1, according to the old style, the Zyryan villages celebrated the holiday “Osh Chualan Lun” - which means “the day of the bear’s favorite adventures.”

Among the Mari, the bear embodied the divine masculinity. Hunting for it is prohibited; the places where it lived were preserved. Mari were known to Novgorodians in ancient times as bear worshipers - they had a system of bear calendar holidays. During one of them, people in bear skins walked around the village and gave gifts. A bear is a creature equal to man, demanding respect. Who doesn’t remember the fairy tale about the bear on a fake leg? This ancient hunting story, shared by the Russians and the Mari, says that meanness towards an animal will always be punished, just like meanness towards a person. The old man cut off a leg from a sleeping bear and paid severely for his dishonorable act.

The Dagestanis have a curious epic “Sultan Bey and the Bear”. One winter, the hunter Sultan-bek walked through the forest at night and fell into a bear’s den. There was a bear there, with whom he began to live as “husband” and “wife.” For this, she soon helped him escape from snow captivity. When Sultan-bek returned to his village and told the people about everything that had happened, they, as a sign of gratitude, brought the most well-fed bull to the bear.

Among the Iroquois, bears were considered saints. In India and some American tribes, the bear is treated like a baker. One Indian myth tells how a man lived with a black bear, and he taught him how to catch salmon and build boats. When there were difficulties, the man went to the bear and he always helped him. For this, a man painted an image of a bear on his house.

The predatory mammal polar bear, or polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a close relative of the brown bear and the largest land predator on the planet today.

Characteristics and description

The polar bear is one of the largest terrestrial representatives of mammals from the order of predatory animals.. The body length of an adult individual is three meters and weighs up to a ton. The average weight of a male, as a rule, varies between 400-800 kg with a body length of 2.0-2.5 m. The height at the withers does not exceed one and a half meters. Females are much smaller, and their weight rarely exceeds 200-250 kg. The category of the smallest polar bears includes individuals inhabiting Spitsbergen, and the largest specimens are found near the Bering Sea.

This is interesting! A characteristic feature of polar bears is the presence of sufficient long neck and a flat head. The skin is black, and the color of the fur coat can vary from white to yellowish shades. In summer, the animal's fur turns yellow as a result of prolonged exposure to sunlight.

The fur of polar bears is completely devoid of pigmentation, and the hairs have a hollow structure. A feature of translucent hairs is the ability to transmit only ultraviolet light, which gives the wool high thermal insulation characteristics. There is also fur on the soles of the limbs to prevent slipping. Between the fingers there is a swimming membrane. Large claws allow the predator to hold even very strong and large prey.

Extinct subspecies

A closely related subspecies to the well-known and fairly common polar bear today is the extinct giant polar bear or U. maritimus tyrannus. Distinctive feature this subspecies had significantly larger body sizes. The body length of an adult individual could be four meters, and the average weight exceeded a ton.

On the territory of Great Britain, in Pleistocene deposits, it was possible to discover the remains of a single ulna belonging to a giant polar bear, which made it possible to determine its intermediate position. Apparently, the large predator was perfectly adapted to hunting enough large mammals. According to scientists, the most likely reason for the extinction of the subspecies was an insufficient amount of food at the end of the glaciation period.

Habitat

The polar bear's circumpolar habitat is limited to the northern coasts of the continents and southern part distribution of floating ice floes, as well as the border of the northern warm currents of the sea. The distribution area includes four areas:

• permanent habitat;
• habitat of high animal numbers;
• place of regular residence of pregnant females;
• territory of distant calls to the south.

Polar bears inhabit the entire coast of Greenland, the ice of the Greenland Sea south to the islands of Jan Mayen, the island of Spitsbergen, as well as Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya in the Barents Sea, the islands of Bear, Vaigach and Kolguev, and the Kara Sea. A significant number of polar bears are observed on the coast of the continents of the Laptev Sea, as well as the East Siberian, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The main habitat of the highest possible abundance of the predator is represented by the continental slope of the Arctic Ocean.

Pregnant female polar bears regularly den in the following areas:

• northwest and northeast Greenland;
• southeastern part of Spitsbergen;
• western part of Franz Josef Land;
• the northern part of the island of Novaya Zemlya;
• small islands of the Kara Sea;
• Severnaya Zemlya;
• northern and northeastern coast of the Taimyr Peninsula;
• the Lena delta and the Bear Islands of Eastern Siberia;
• coast and adjacent islands of the Chukotka Peninsula;
• Wrangel Island;
• southern Banks Island;
• Simpson Peninsula coast;
• northeastern coast of Baffin Island and Southampton Island.

Dens with pregnant polar bears have also been observed on pack ice in the Beaufort Sea. From time to time, usually in early spring, polar bears make long trips towards Iceland and Scandinavia, as well as the Kanin Peninsula, the Anadyr Bay and Kamchatka. With ice and when crossing Kamchatka, predatory animals sometimes end up in the Sea of ​​Japan and Okhotsk.

Nutritional Features

Polar bears have a very well developed sense of smell, as well as hearing and vision, so it is not difficult for a predator to notice its prey at a distance of several kilometers.

The diet of a polar bear is determined by the characteristics of its distribution area and the characteristics of its body. The predator is ideally adapted to the harsh polar winter and long swims in icy water, so its prey is most often marine representatives of the animal world, including sea ​​urchin and walruses. Eggs, chicks, young animals, as well as carrion in the form of corpses of sea animals and fish that are washed up on the coast are also used for food.

If possible, the polar bear's diet can be very selective. In captured seals or walruses, the predator first eats the skin and fat layer. However, a very hungry beast is capable of eating the corpses of its fellows. It is relatively rare for large predators to enrich their diet with berries and moss. Change climatic conditions had a significant impact on nutrition, so in Lately Polar bears are increasingly hunting on land.

Lifestyle

Polar bears make seasonal migrations, which are caused by annual changes territories and boundaries of polar ice. In summer, animals retreat towards the pole, and in winter, the animal population moves to southern part and enters the mainland.

This is interesting! Despite the fact that polar bears mainly stay on the coast or ice, in winter the animals lie down in dens located on the mainland or island part, sometimes at a distance of fifty meters from the sea line.

Duration hibernation Polar bear life usually varies between 50-80 days, but hibernates, most often pregnant females. Males and young animals are characterized by irregular and fairly short winter hibernation.

On land, this predator is fast, and also swims well and dives very well.

Despite the apparent slowness, the slowness of the polar bear is deceptive. On land, this predator is distinguished by its agility and speed, and among other things, the large animal swims well and dives very well. To protect the polar bear's body, it has very thick and dense fur, which prevents it from getting wet in icy water and has excellent heat-retaining properties. One of the most important adaptive characteristics is the presence of a massive layer of subcutaneous fat, the thickness of which can reach 8-10 cm. The white color of the coat helps the predator to successfully camouflage itself against the background of snow and ice..

Reproduction

Based on numerous observations, the rutting period for polar bears lasts about a month and usually begins in mid-March. At this time, predators are divided into pairs, but there are also females accompanied by several males at once. The mating period lasts a couple of weeks.

Polar bear pregnancy

Lasts approximately eight months, but depending on a number of conditions, can vary between 195-262 days. It is almost impossible to visually distinguish a pregnant female from an unmarried polar bear. About a couple of months before giving birth, behavioral differences appear and females become irritable, inactive, lie on their stomachs for a long time and lose their appetite. A litter often contains a pair of cubs, and the birth of one cub is typical for young, primiparous females. A pregnant bear comes to land in the fall, and spends the entire winter period in a snowy den, most often located near the sea coast.

Caring for cubs

In the first days after birth, the polar bear lies curled up on her side almost all the time.. Short and sparse hair is not sufficient for independent heating, so newborn cubs are located between the mother’s paws and her chest, and the polar bear warms them with her breath. The average weight of newborn cubs most often does not exceed a kilogram with a body length of a quarter of a meter.

The cubs are born blind, and only at the age of five weeks do they open their eyes. A mother bear feeds her month-old cubs while sitting. The mass emergence of female bears occurs in March. Through a hole dug outside, the bear begins to gradually take her cubs out for a walk, but with the onset of night the animals return to the den again. During walks, the cubs play and dig in the snow.

This is interesting! In the polar bear population, approximately 15-29% of cubs and about 4-15% of immature individuals die.

Enemies in nature

IN natural conditions polar bears, due to their size and predatory instinct, have practically no enemies. The death of polar bears is most often caused by accidental injuries as a result of intraspecific clashes or when hunting walruses that are too large. Also, the killer whale and polar shark. Most often bears die from starvation.

Man was the most terrible enemy of the polar bear, and such peoples of the North as the Chukchi, Nenets and Eskimos hunted this polar predator from time immemorial. Fishing operations that began in the second half of the last century became disastrous for the population. During one season, St. John's worts destroyed more than a hundred individuals. More than sixty years ago, polar bear hunting was closed, and since 1965 it has been included in the Red Book.

Danger to humans

Cases of attacks are well known polar bear on people, and the most striking evidence of the predator’s aggression is recorded in the notes and reports of polar travelers, so you need to move around in places where a polar bear may appear, you need to be extremely careful. In the territory settlements located near the habitat of the polar predator, all containers with household waste must necessarily be inaccessible to a hungry animal. In the cities of the Canadian province, so-called “prisons” have been specially created in which bears approaching the city limits are temporarily kept.

Brown bear, short description which we will consider in this article, is a characteristic inhabitant of taiga-type forests. It can be found almost throughout Russia, especially in Siberia and the Far East. It is found in coniferous, deciduous, and even mixed areas different countries, including Central Asia and the Caucasus. So, meet: the owner of the Russian taiga is the brown bear!

Brief description of the species

Brown or common bear is carnivorous mammal, representing the bear family. Currently, the brown bear 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

Nutrition

The diet of clubfoot consists of ¾ plant foods. These are various berries, nuts, acorns, rhizomes and tubers of plants. Sometimes these predators even eat grass. In lean years, brown bears, like foxes, encroach on oat crops at the stage of their milky ripeness and animal food consists of various insects, reptiles, amphibians, small rodents, fish and, of course, large ungulates. For example, it costs nothing for a clubfooted giant to kill an adult large elk with one blow of his powerful clawed paw!

Brief description of subspecies

The numerical difference between brown bears is so great that these animals were once classified as independent species. Currently, all brown bears are united into one single species, which combines several subspecies or geographical races. So, brown bears include:

• ordinary (Eurasian or European);
• Californian;
• Siberian;
• satin;
• Gobi;
• grizzly or Mexican;
• Tien Shan;
• Ussuri or Japanese;
• Kodiak;
• Tibetan.

Giant heavyweights

As you already understand, the brown bear, which we describe in this article, is the most common species of clubfoot all over the world. Although it is called brown, it is not always painted exactly this color. In nature you can find black, beige, yellow, and even fiery red bears. But we'll talk about the color of their fur a little later. Now we are interested in their sizes.

The sizes of these animals vary depending on their gender, age and habitat. But males are in any case larger than females and weigh 30% more. Most brown bears have a height at the withers ranging from 75 to 160 centimeters. Body length generally ranges from 1.6 to 2.9 meters.

The weight of a brown bear directly depends on its habitat. One of the largest animals are bears that live on Scandinavian Peninsula and, of course, on the territory of our country. Their weight is 350 kilograms. Their American relatives, who live in and also inhabit Canada, can sometimes weigh more than 400 kilograms of net weight. Their name is grizzly, or gray-haired.

The brown bear, whose size is considered impressive throughout the world, is also found in Kamchatka and Alaska. There, these predators weigh more than 500 kilograms. Cases of hunting brown bears are described, supposedly reaching a weight of 1 ton! However, for the most part, these furry heavyweights do not exceed 350 kilograms of net weight. The maximum recorded weight, for example, of a Kamchatka bear was 600 kilograms. The animals preserved in Europe are small in size. Their weight does not exceed 90 kilograms.

Appearance

The brown bear, the dimensions of which we discussed above, has a pronounced barrel-shaped and powerful body with high withers (height at the shoulders). This body is supported by massive and high paws with flat, clawed soles. The length of the claws of this shaggy giant ranges from 8 to 12 centimeters. These animals practically do not have a tail, since its length does not exceed 21 centimeters.

The shape of the brown bear's head is round. There are small blind eyes and small ears on it. The muzzle is elongated and the forehead is high. The owner of the Russian taiga is covered with thick and evenly colored fur. Bears, like their size, are of a variable nature. It all depends on the particular habitats of these animals. For example, famous ones may have brown fur with a silver tint. For this, by the way, they were called gray-haired.

Spreading

As mentioned earlier, bears are forest dwellers. Let us repeat that their typical habitats, for example, in Russia, are continuous forested areas with dense growth of grasses, shrubs and deciduous trees. The brown bear, a brief description of which we are considering in this article, is found in both tundra and high-mountain forests. In Europe, it prefers mountain forests, and, for example, in North America it can be found on alpine meadows, in coastal forests.

Once upon a time, these animals inhabited the whole of Europe, including Ireland and Great Britain, and in the south globe its habitat reached the African Atlas Mountains. To the east, this species of furry heavyweights was distributed through Siberia and China to Japan. Scientists believe that brown bears came to North America from Asia about 40 thousand years ago. They are confident that these animals were able to independently cross the Bering Isthmus, settling in the west of America from Alaska to Mexico.

Winter dream

As is known, physiological criterion The brown bear population is such that these animals hibernate for the winter. They do this in October-December. They emerge from hibernation in the spring - in March. In general, the winter sleep of these furry heavyweights can last from 2 to 6 months. It all depends on the subspecies of the bear and external factors. It is curious that in the most warm regions On our planet, provided there is an abundant harvest of fruits, berries and nuts, bears do not lie down in a den at all.

Preparation for sleep

Clubfoots begin to prepare for their wintering in mid-summer. It's a brown bear! The description of his preparation for bed is probably known to many people, because there is nothing secret or surprising about it. Six months before the onset of cold weather, they need to find a suitable place for their winter shelter, equip it and, of course, increase their reserves of subcutaneous fat. More often bear dens are located under logs and inversions, under the roots of huge and massive trees - cedars or spruces.

Sometimes these predators dig themselves “dugouts” directly in the coastal cliffs of rivers. If during this time the bear has not found a secluded place for its winter shelter, it digs a large hole, after which it strengthens its walls with vertically protruding branches. Brown bears use them to block the entrance hole, simultaneously camouflaging themselves and isolating themselves from outside world for several months. Immediately before going to bed, an animal that has gained a sufficient amount of subcutaneous fat carefully confuses its traces of being near the den.

It is worth noting that the most solid and practical bear dwellings are considered to be unpaved dens. If the predator is lucky, it will lie in the ground for the entire winter. Such dens are located deep underground and keep the clubfoot warm. Near the entrance to the soil den you can find various trees and shrubs covered with yellowish frost. Experienced hunters They know that the hot breath of a clubfoot gives this color to frost.

Hibernation

In most cases, adult animals while away the cold winter days in their dens alone. Only a female bear can hibernate with last year’s cubs. Scientists who observed the life of these predators (see photo of a brown bear and a description of its lifestyle) noticed that in certain areas of the globe, where there are no particularly suitable places for wintering, bears use the same shelters several times.

In some areas, dens can generally be located in close proximity to each other, resulting in something like a bear “apartment” building. If the choice of “winter apartments” is very difficult, some particularly arrogant bears encroach on other people’s homes. For example, an adult male brown bear can, without any pity, expel a weaker relative from a den he likes.

Brown bears sleep curled up. They tuck their hind legs to their belly, and cover their muzzle with their front legs. By the way, it was this fact that gave rise to many tales and sayings that bears suck their paws in winter. This is not entirely true. Clubfoot animals, of course, can lick their front paws from time to time, while in one phase or another of sleep, but this has absolutely nothing to do with their sucking.

Be careful, connecting rod!

Scientists say that bears do not sleep soundly. During short-term thaws, these predators can awaken and even leave their winter shelters for a while. At this time, the clubfooted ones walk through the winter forest, stretching their bones. As soon as it gets colder again, the furry heavyweights return to their shelter, covering up the traces of their stay outside the den. However, such habits of a brown bear are just flowers!

It also happens that some bears, due to malnutrition in the autumn-winter period, cannot gain weight. required weight, find and arrange your home. In this case, they do not lie in the den at all. Not having time to accumulate the reserves of subcutaneous fat necessary for a comfortable winter, the animal simply staggers around. snowy forest as if restless. People called such poor fellows “connecting rods.” The connecting rod bear is a very dangerous and extremely aggressive animal! At this time, it is better not to mess with him at all, since the beast is very hungry, incredibly angry and attacks almost everything that moves.

Reproduction

Female brown bears give birth 2 to 4 times a year. Their mating season usually falls in May, June and July. At this time, the males behave aggressively: they begin to roar loudly, serious fights arise between them, sometimes ending in the death of one of the bears. Pregnancy in females lasts from 190 to 200 days. At one time they can bring up to 5 cubs with a body weight of up to 600 grams and a length of up to 23 centimeters.

Offspring

The young are born blind, with overgrown ear canals and covered with short, sparse hair. After two weeks, the cubs begin to hear, and after a month - to see. Within 90 days after birth, all of their baby teeth grow in and they begin to eat berries, plants and insects. As a rule, male brown bears do not breed offspring; raising young animals is the prerogative of females. Bear cubs become sexually mature by the age of 3, but continue to grow until they are 10 years old.

Brown bear. Red Book

Unfortunately, this one is listed in the Red Book as an endangered animal. Currently, in many areas and regions of the globe, hunting of brown bears is limited or completely prohibited. Nevertheless, no one has canceled poaching. Bear skin mainly used for carpets and the meat for cooking. Such an important commercial animal is this brown bear! The Red Book, in which this species large predators was once included, currently out of print. It is possible that data on the number of bears as of this year will change dramatically for the worse.