Maximum weight of a grizzly bear. The biggest bears in the world. Reproduction and offspring

The bear is one of the most large mammals animals. He is the hero of epics, fairy tales and legends. A brown bear can be seen in a zoo, but to see a grizzly bear you will have to go to the American continent.

That's what they call it subspecies of brown bear living in the territory North America. The distribution area of ​​this animal belongs to Alaska and western regions Canada. In the United States, the bear is found in the famous Yellowstone Nature Reserve, Montana and northwestern Washington.

In fact, today it is not known for certain what kind of bear should be called a “grizzly”. Most often this is what everyone calls the mainland American race.

Many researchers believe that the grizzly bear is better known as the North American Brown bear(its other name), an isolated species living in the depths of the North American continent, as well as on Cape Kodiak.

The very first mention of the grizzly bear dates back to 1784, when he was first written about English naturalist Thomas Pennant. Although the scientist himself did not see the animal alive, much less dead, he drew up a description of the grizzly bear, guided by data taken from the traveling records of American pioneers.

In 1806, the American public, while exploring new territories, was presented with two grizzly bear cubs by General Zebulon Pike, which the military man hastened to present to the then-current President Thomas Jefferson.

The grizzly bear was described again as early as 1815 as a "terrible bear".

Since 1967, “grizzly” has been the name given to all large-sized bears living in Alaska.

Characteristics of the animal

In terms of the structure of its body, the grizzly bear is very similar to its East Siberian relative. This bear has a very impressive large size - from 450 kilograms and above. He prefers to live on the coast and mostly eats salmon fish. Those individuals that are found in the forest are vegetarians and scavengers.

The size of the animal, the color of its coat and its lifestyle determine the conditions in which it constantly lives.

Relationship with a person

The American pioneers, who described the grizzly bear as a harsh and ferocious animal, constantly thirsting for human blood, clearly embellished their stories, as a result of which people had an erroneous idea about the bear.

A bear will never consider a person as its potential prey, unless this same person openly attacks him, or the animal experiences extreme hunger.

Farmers throughout the 19th century, as well as at the very beginning of the 20th century, actively exterminated the grizzly bear population, thereby trying, according to them, to protect their livestock from attacks. Many animals were killed as trophies.

Currently protected by the US federal government, the grizzly bear lives mostly in national parks.

Brown or an ordinary bear usually called a large-sized predatory animal belonging to the bear family.

IN old times The brown bear lived throughout the European continent; it could also be seen in a number of Asian countries (China, Japan).

Today it is found in Scandinavian countries(Scandinavia, Norway), in the western part of Europe (Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines), in Finland, the Carpathians, Russia, Japan, China, the Korean Peninsula and so on. In Finland, this animal has sacred status.

Today there are about 80 subspecies of this animal, among which the most famous are:

1. Apennine.
2. Tien Shan.
3. Japanese.
4. Kodiak.
5. Tibetan and so on.

Appearance of a brown bear

Brown bear weight varies from 400 t(smallest specimens) kilogram up to 1000 kilograms(larger animals). Males are always about 1.5 times larger than females.

The bear has a powerful body with a huge muzzle, on which relatively small ears and eyes are located. The animal's tail is small in size, only about 65 - 210 millimeters, so it is not very visible due to the thick fur. The bear has huge, powerful paws with five fingers, at the ends of which there are long (up to 10 centimeters) non-retractable claws. The animal's fur is evenly colored and thick.

The color of a brown bear can vary not only within different parts distribution area, but also within the same area of ​​residence. The color of the fur can be light fawn, brown, black, grayish-white.

A bear sheds only once a year, this period lasts from spring to autumn.

Life image

The bear is considered a forest dweller: in Russia it prefers to settle in forest areas where windbreaks predominate, in Europe - in mountain forests, in North and South America - on the coast and in open areas (tundra), as well as in alpine meadows.

What is common between a grizzly bear and a brown bear?

• The grizzly bear is a subspecies of the brown bear; in fact, they are the same animal.
• They eat the same food.

Differences

1. Grizzlies live primarily in North America.
2. You can see hair on a grizzly bear's neck white- collar.
3. Grizzly bears have large claws.
4. The brown bear, found in Russia, is much smaller than the grizzly bear, which can grow up to three meters in length.
5. The grizzly bear is more mobile than its brown counterpart.

Average weight bear various types ranges from 150 kg to one ton.

This dangerous and graceful predator It’s hard to accuse him of being overweight: despite not having a model appearance, he is capable of moving at speeds of up to 60 km/h, which is comparable to a horse running at the races! The impressive mass of the bear is also not an obstacle to its acrobatic abilities. The animal easily climbs to a height of up to 30 meters. In order for a person to be at the same height (and this is no less than the ninth floor of a high-rise building) he will need at least professional rock climbing skills and mountaineering equipment. If such data were available, the winner in an athletics competition would obviously not be a human.

Since it is difficult for people to compete with this majestic creature, let’s try to find out which species among bears is the largest, the strongest and endowed with decent intelligence.

How much does a brown bear weigh?

The average weight of a bear of various species ranges from 150 kg to one ton.

The weight of a brown bear depends on the sex of the animal. Females have more modest parameters, their weight ranges from 120 to 150 kg. Representatives of the stronger sex “get better” up to 200-300 kg, although among them there are also males with a more respectable weight of up to 450 kg. For all its heaviness, the brown bear is endowed with a unique quality - it can move through brown and dense bushes absolutely silently. This big beast is quite careful when he is not hungry and calm,

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He avoids meeting a person in every possible way, unless he has invaded the territory where he gets food. His “accidental” collisions with people are explained by the fact that the brown bear is nearsighted and cannot distinguish a person at a distance of more than fifty meters. To arouse the animal's curiosity, it is enough to simply move; the animal's hearing is very acute.

The brown bear is not a record holder in the heavy weight category. Closer to North Pole lives his taller and larger brother.

How much does a polar bear weigh?

Female polar bear weighs 200-300 kg, and the male can reach 350-450 kg.

How much does this giant weigh and can he compete with his Siberian and Far Eastern relative? The physical characteristics of the animal are truly impressive. The length of its body is about three meters. If the animal rises to its full height on its hind legs, then even the tallest basketball player will be below its shoulder. The weight of some individuals reaches half a ton. The average weight is 200-300 kg for females, 350-450 kg for males.

Although the bear is called white, this is not entirely true. The animal's skin is completely black. This is due to the fact that the color of the skin allows one to maintain the necessary thermoregulation of the body, and the color of the coat provides camouflage against the background of polar snows. Animal hair is completely transparent and sunlight easily penetrates the hair and heats the dark skin of the animal.

The polar bear, like its brown counterpart, not only runs well, but also has serious wrestling skills - the paw span of the animal is more than three meters.

The weight of a grizzly bear can exceed 700 kg.

But even such remarkable strength cannot withstand a grizzly bear.

Not only representatives of the animal world avoid meeting with this giant; it also poses a danger to humans - at one time, the beast was known as a cannibal. Its extremely evil disposition, aggressiveness and the presence of sharp, curved claws up to 13 cm long make it a killer machine. This situation arose due to the fault of man; animals began to be exterminated at the beginning of the twentieth century, as cases of attacks on livestock were observed. Today, the grizzly bear population is negligible and protected.

To find out how much a grizzly bear weighs, you will need to put at least three brown bears on one scale. It may turn out that the advantage will not be in their favor; there is documentary information about when a specimen weighing 726 kg was shot. If such a “guest” decides to pay a visit to a person, he will easily look into the windows of a two-story house if he rises on his hind legs; his height reaches three meters or more. Grizzlies are excellent swimmers, and the myth about slowness and clubfoot gait is based on the fact that when walking, the bear simultaneously steps on two paws located on one side of the body.

People have always been in awe of the greatness and strength of this powerful beast, on coats of arms and heraldic symbols different countries you can see an image of a bear. Interest in studying the habits and lifestyle of an animal is still relevant in our time. Scientists and researchers install sensors and cameras to track the number and habitat of individuals. The devices transmit information about how much the bear weighs and the number of babies born. Difficult and important matter The task of preserving these graceful and majestic animals is only within the power of man.

Grizzly bear - a subspecies of brown bear, reaching four meters in height and weighing about a ton, lives mainly in Canadian forests, Rocky Mountains and Alaska in North America. From a distance, the bear appears gray, so the settlers, when they first saw it, gave the bear a name that means “gray” in English.

Previously, the animal’s habitat, in addition to the indicated territories, covered northern Mexico and the state of Texas, but the advancing civilization pushed the animal far to the north and high into the mountains.

A distinctive feature of the grizzly is its long fifteen-centimeter claws, which are its formidable weapon. Due to the long claws, a grizzly bear can only climb trees when it is a child.

This bear has a notorious reputation as a bloody killer. However, in its diet the bear gives preference to young shoots of plants and nuts, berries and fruits, algae and roots. Sometimes this bear eats bird eggs, feasts on fish and honey, does not neglect reptiles, frogs, insects and their larvae, and does not even disdain carrion, the smell of which it can smell at a distance of almost 30 km.

Since the grizzly bear is a predator, its diet includes large animals, among which the old and sick, or inexperienced young people predominate.

Therefore, the bear is considered an omnivore and its teeth are adapted to a varied diet.

Among North American Indians it is considered a great honor to wear a necklace made from the teeth and claws of a grizzly bear.

The animal with enormous force, striking with its paw and tenacious claws, can overwhelm a deer, and when chasing prey at a speed of about 60 km/h, it shows miracles of dexterity. In pursuit of a grizzly bear victim without special effort can swim across the river.

During salmon spawning, bears gather near the river, occupying a certain area, and begin fishing, using all sorts of techniques: sticking their heads into the water and grabbing fish with their mouths or paws. Some individuals manage to catch a fish when it jumps out of a stormy river.

Like a brown bear, a grizzly bear, having accumulated fat reserves over the summer and autumn, goes into hibernation. During the thaw, the grizzly leaves the den and begins to wander through the forest in search of food, and when the frost intensifies, it goes back to the den.
Grizzlies keep to themselves, avoiding company except during mating season. After romantic meetings between a female and a male, naked, blind and toothless cubs weighing less than 700 grams are born in a den 250 days later in January. The mother looks after her offspring for about two years. Therefore, with the onset of the next winter, the bear settles down for the winter together with the cubs that have grown over the summer.

Small grizzly bear cubs are easy to tame. They quickly get used to a person and even rush to his defense in case of danger.

Under natural conditions, grizzlies are afraid of humans and try to go home.

Grizzlies can attack a person, but this happens extremely rarely in cases where the person himself provokes the animal. If this bear is wounded, it will defend itself fiercely and become very dangerous.

Video: Grizzly bear hunting (lat. Ursus arctos horribilis)

Film: Grizzly Cauldron - Yellowstone Battleground (2009)

Movie: Wild America: Grizzly vs polar bear

Brown bears appeared in Eurasia approximately 50,000 years ago. Some of them moved to North America, where they spread and live for about 13,000 years. In the 19th century, scientists classified 86 individual grizzly bears living on the North American continent. However, by 1928 the scientific community had narrowed the number to seven, and by 1953 only one species had been recognized.

In 1963 it became clear that the grizzly bear was not separate species, but a subspecies of brown bear, and this has been confirmed by modern genetic testing. By external differences and habitat, several of its subspecies were identified, but the classification was revised along genetic lines, and today there are two morphological forms: Continental and coastal grizzly bear. IN scientific sources it is commonly called the North American brown bear.

External features

Like other subspecies of brown bear, Brown color The coat of a grizzly bear can range from light beige to almost black. The latter has a darker coat color on the legs and a lighter shade on the back. Representatives of the Rocky Mountains have white tips on their guard coats, which gives the animal a grayish coloration.

The external signs of a grizzly bear and a brown bear have a number of characteristic features. As animals grow older, a clearly defined hump appears in the withers area, which is good way distinguish a grizzly bear from a black bear that lives in the same areas. Small round ears and a croup located below the shoulder line are anatomical structure, also distinctive for a brown bear and not inherent in a black one. These two species are also distinguished by the length of the front claws, which in the black representative is 2.5-5 cm, and in the grizzly it is about 5-10 cm, which corresponds to the size of the claws of other subspecies of brown bear.

Size and weight

The main difference between the grizzly bear and the Eurasian brown bear is size and weight. Coastal representatives of the species are larger than those that live in the interior of the continent, and just like all of the bear family, females are smaller than males. Most adult female bears reach 130-180 kg, and males usually weigh 180-360 kg; newborn cubs do not exceed 500 grams. The average weight of coastal grizzlies is 408 kg for males and 227 kg for females. The corresponding weights of continental bears are 272 and 227 kilograms.

Average sizes of the subspecies:

• length -198 cm;
• height at withers -102 cm;
• the length of the hind legs is 28 cm.

However, individuals have been recorded that are significantly larger than normal in size and weight. There is a well-known example big bear grizzly bear - a coastal male weighing 680 kg and 1.5 meters high at the withers. Standing on its hind legs, this bear reached almost three meters in height. Sometimes there are superior sizes and weights of grizzlies, but they are erroneous, since they correspond to the parameters of the Kodiak, another larger subspecies of brown bear.

Range and numbers

In North America, grizzlies once lived from Alaska to Mexico. Now, including Canada and the United States, their range has been halved, and their number is 55,000 wild bears. Grizzly bear habitats are limited to Alaska, a large area of ​​western Canada, the northwestern United States including Idaho, Washington, Montana, and Wyoming, as far south as Yellowstone and the Big national parks.

Most of population lives in Alaska. Canada has the largest number of bears recorded: about 25,000 individuals inhabit British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon, the northwest territories of Nunavut and northern part Manitoba. The University of Alberta estimates that there were 16,014 grizzly bears in British Columbia in 2008, up from 15,075 in 2012. Modern population estimates rely on DNA sampling, capture-recapture techniques, and an improved multiple regression model.

There are about 1,500 grizzly bears left in the United States. Of these, approximately 800 individuals live in Montana, 600 bears live in the Yellowstone-Teton region of Wyoming, and 70-100 are observed in northern and eastern Idaho.

Population decline

The grizzly bear's original range in the United States included much of the southwestern states, but the population has been extirpated from most of these areas. Before California joined the United States, its state flag featured the figure of a California grizzly bear, which was a symbol of the republic. The last bear in all of California was killed in the Sierra foothills in August 1922. In Colorado, the last representative was seen in 1979. And in the vast Cascade Mountains of Washington state, there are now fewer than 20 grizzly bears.

The population decline has been significantly impacted by hunting and human developments occupying the grizzly bear's former habitats. Other factors:

• competition with other, more adapted predators;
• attacks on grizzly bear cubs;
• reproductive, biological and behavioral properties of brown bears.

Lifestyle and reproduction

Apart from females with cubs, all brown bears are solitary animals. Exceptional Feature big grizzlies bears in coastal areas of North America - gather in groups near streams, lakes and rivers during salmon spawning. Each adult male grizzly bear tends personal property with an area of ​​up to 4000 km 2. Such large territory and low population density significantly complicate the search for the scent of a female. The grizzly bear hibernates 5-7 months a year.

Grizzly bears have one of the lowest reproductive rates of any species. terrestrial mammals North America. Animals reach sexual maturity only at the age of at least five years. After summer mating season the female may delay implantation of the embryo until hibernation, which explains big difference in pregnancy - from 180 to 250 days. If the bear did not receive proper nutrition, the necessary calories and substances, then the embryo is miscarried.

Litter size ranges from one to four cubs, but more often twins or triplets are born, which the female produces during hibernation. The female bear takes care of the cubs for two years, during which she does not mate. Often bear cubs do not live to this age, becoming victims of predators. During the time spent with their mother, the cubs gain weight up to 45 kg. When two-year-old bears leave their mother, the mother bear cannot produce another litter for three or more years, depending on conditions environment.

Lifespan

The grizzly bear is a long-living animal. Males, on average, live up to 22 years, and the age of female bears often exceeds 26 years. Females live longer than males due to more safe behavior and the fact that they do not participate in the seasonal mating fights of males. The oldest wild grizzly Of the continental ones, it was recorded in Alaska; he lived for 34 years. The oldest coastal bear lived to be 39 years old. At least 50% of captive grizzlies live to be 44 years old. But most bears die in the first years of life from predators or hunting.

Attacks on people

Like the polar bear, the grizzly bear is considered more aggressive than other species. However, threatening behavior is more often due to the protection of offspring. Mother bears guarding cubs are most prone to attack. They are responsible for 70% of cases of bear attacks on humans. At the same time, the heavy grizzly bear is rather slow and, unlike smaller black bears, does not climb trees well, and prefers to react to danger by standing still and driving away attackers with waves of its paws, growls and menacing nods of the head.

Cardall and Peter Rosen's article "Grizzly Bear Attacks," published in the journal Emergency Medicine, noted that there were 162 reported bear injuries, some fatal, in the United States from 1900 to 1985. This amounts to approximately two cases per year. For comparison: in the USA and Canada, up to 15 people die annually from dog attacks, and lightning strikes kill nearly 90 people per year.