El grizzly bear it is mostly in North America, previously it was in the west and the Great Plains of the USA, something natural knowing that they need up to 1554 square km to feel “at home”. Some characteristics of this species will be explained and finally the dangers that threaten them every day.
Grizzly bear
This is a species native to Europe as a subspecies of the mexican brown bear, years later they underwent certain transformations that separated them from them, but they still have some features in common such as the brown bear speed y how much does a grizzly bear weigh, although the latter varies depending on the place where they are.
His scientific name is Ursus arctos horribilis that belongs to the genus Ursus of the family Ursidae, which is part of the order carnivorous, class: Mammalia, phyla: Chordata of the kingdom Animalia.
Features
In principle, some traits of the grizzly bear can be described in the following list, to then talk a little about the behavior they usually have when they are in the wild, what they feed on, where they currently live and what type of ecosystem they prefer and then how is the reproduction of these bears.
- The grizzly bear can be up to a meter tall and they stand on all fours and can reach two meters if they stand on two of them. As for the weight, they can reach 360 or 550 kilos or they can weigh a little less depending on where they are.
- Unlike the brown bear, the grizzly has a hump on its back that favors the excavation of this animal.
- Another thing that differentiates them from other bears is that they are much heavier than them, not because of their diet but because of their bone structure.
- Their claws can measure up to 10 centimeters.
- They seem like a bit of a slow species if you see them just walking as they usually do throughout the day, however, they can be very fast and can reach 55 kilometers running.
Behavior
Regarding the behavior of this species, they are usually very aggressive, protective of their territory and quite competitive with other males and even with females. In fact, when they are in heat these three characteristics are much more powerful in males. Meanwhile, the females increase their aggressiveness when their young are born, they become much more protective of them and their territory, at this time is when humans are in more danger.
Actually the diet of the grizzly bear does not include human beings, later we will see that they usually eat daily, but when a person gets too close it is inevitable that they will kill them or eat them if they are seen as a threat to the young. When they are not in heat or having babies they are a little calmer, but they are still very dangerous for those who are close.
Food
These mammals are omnivores, that is, their diet is based on organic substances such as those belonging to the kingdom Plant and also in beings of the kingdom Animals. Other animals can eat hard or soft grasses, they can eat roots of trees and plants, as well as the bark of a TreeThey like both tropical fruits and nuts, vegetables, caterpillars and bugs.
Of the animal species, fish such as salmon are their favourites, young bears begin to practice their fishing until they become experts in salmon, bass, trout or other fish fishing, a diet based on marine species seems give them much more protein than the food they get inland, this is evidenced by comparing the sizes of grizzlies of the coasts and grizzlies of the forests.
They may also hunt elk, reindeer, caribou, Canadian deer, deer, bison, and have even been seen eating black bears. They keep eating during the day not only to feed themselves but to prepare for their hibernation period, in which they can wake up weighing up to 180 pounds.
Habitat
Currently it is possible to find them in the following locations:
- Mountain,
- Washington D.C.,
- yellowstone,
- Canada
- Durango,
- Idaho,
- chihuahua,
- Alaska,
- Wyoming,
- Siberia, specifically on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
In Europe they can only be seen in national parks where they live in captivity thanks to certain organizations, this because the Europeans dedicated themselves to destroying their ecosystems over time until now.
Their habitat must really be quite large because they spend much of the day walking to find food, it must also be isolated and with reliefs that allow them to dig to create dens. Examples of ideal habitats are coniferous forests where two species with which grizzlies sympathize very well abound: pines and firs. They can also survive in scrubland or grasslands.
Reproduction
Between May and July these bears tend to mate, at this time the males are much more aggressive than they are the rest of the year because they protect their territory much more ferociously, not only from other males but from females that can get a little closer. . Although when a female gets a male they begin their entire courtship process that is characterized by chasing each other and playing for many hours until after copulation they separate completely.
The egg does not implant in the uterus of females immediately after copulation, it takes a few months for this to happen. During that time they may have various heats. When the egg is finally implanted, hibernation begins for them, which could last about six months while the cold months pass. They can have one or two pups in each pregnancy and when they are born they usually spend between two or four years together.
Threats
It is important to remember that this species, like others, is threatened by many factors that, if they continue, may add it to the list of Endangered animals in the world, for example, the destruction of their habitats by human activity: massive felling of trees, burning of hectares, urbanization of certain areas, etc. Likewise, climate change, forest fires and the hunting of these bears are one of the many dangers they face almost daily.
Previously, grizzly bears numbered more than 50.000 worldwide, however, this large number has shrunk dramatically as humans have taken over more of the land these bears are found on. Their habitat was gradually urbanized and at the same time the brutal hunting of these bears caused many casualties in their population. By 1960 there were an estimated 600 to 800 grizzly bears in the United States in the wild.
However, this specific species may be one of the very few that have been successfully conserved in various areas. This thanks to the laws that protect them and placed them on the list of protected and endangered species in the United States. Little by little, the population of these bears has been increasing and they have been located in recovery zones, where in addition to taking care of them as animals, they have taken care of these ecosystems and tried to improve the behavior that the public has with them.
Currently it is estimated that there are between 1.400 and 1.700 grizzly bears in the United States alone, this nation has been very well responsible for legally protecting this species. An example of this was the court cases against the Fish and Wildlife Service that sought to eliminate this species in 2017 (for the second time), recognized companies such as the Disney Conservation Fund and the National Geographic Society have worked together to support these actions. to protect this species.