In Russian folklore, the bear appears as a model of laziness and clumsiness. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the movements of the animal are usually measured and unhurried. But this impression is misleading. If necessary, the beast is able to run fast and easily climb trees.
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The brown bear, it is also called the ordinary, is a rather massive animal of heavy physique, belongs to the class of mammals. It is an independent species and includes 20 subspecies.
The beast has a large head with deep-set small eyes and a short tail, completely hidden in the hair. The length of the bent claws reaches 10 cm. For the peculiarity of walking the waddle among the people, the bear was dubbed clubfoot.
Brown bear is one of the largest predators inhabiting land.
The dimensions and color of an adult beast vary depending on the habitat. It also depends on what the brown bear eats. The largest animals of this species live in the Far East and Alaska. Their growth reaches almost 3 meters, and they weigh about 700 kg. And the smallest representatives of the species live in Europe, their growth does not exceed 2 meters and their weight is 400 kg. Moreover, males are larger than females.
The color of representatives from different subspecies varies from pale yellow to black with a blue tint.
The fur of the beast is thick and shiny.
Once a year, animals molt, molting goes from spring to late autumn, so in summer the clubfoot looks untidy.
These animals in natural conditions live from 20 to 30 years, but in captivity with proper care they can live up to 50 years.
Where does the bear live
A representative of this species lives on almost the entire territory of Russia, more precisely, in its forest part, except for the southern regions and the northern tundra. However, clubfoot can be seen on the island of Hokkaido, in Canada, in some European and Asian countries, in the northwestern United States, and it is also very common in Alaska.
Forests became the favorite place for the beast to live, for the most part it is coniferous forest, with fallen trees and bushes.
The animal is not tied to a specific place: brown bear feeding areas and his dwelling can be in different areas. Thanks to great endurance, the animal travels enormous distances in search of food.
Bear lifestyle
In vivo brown bears are loners. Although females live with cubs. An adult animal has its own territory, which is more than a hundred square kilometers, but males possess noticeably more. On their site, clubfoots leave waste products as a mark, and also scratch trees.
In the afternoon, animals usually rest in secluded places, for example, in a ravine or in a bush. Due to the nutritional characteristics of the brown bear in the taiga, it is active in the morning and evening, when it is not so hot.
Usually, the bear hides from people, but there may be an accidental encounter that can be fatal. The connecting rods and dipper bears with cubs are especially dangerous.
Animals have poor eyesight, but excellent sense of smell and hearing, with the help of which animals are oriented.
Between themselves, bears of different sexes communicate only during the mating period.
What does a brown bear eat
The menu of the brown bear is quite diverse, as it is omnivorous. It should be noted that the brown bear eats in the forest for the most part plant foods. The animal eats berries, nuts, acorns, rhizomes and herbs. The beast is not squeamish and willingly feasts on insects, rodents, frogs and lizards.
Adult animals hunt wild boars and small artiodactyls, sometimes wolves and tigers. It happens that a bear takes prey from less powerful predators. The seasonal food of the beast becomes a fish that spawns in rivers.
The bear is a sweet tooth and, if possible, feasts on honey of wild bees, finding it in the hollows of trees.
The question is: what does a brown bear eat if there is insufficient food? In hungry years, clubfoot wanders into fields and spoils crops. It can also ruin an apiary and attack livestock. Sometimes males eat alien cubs, more often males as possible competitors in the future.
It can be noted that in nature, brown bears also eat carrion.
Breeding
Females from 3 years old are ready for mating, males become sexually mature 1-2 years later. The mating season runs from May to mid-summer. During the rut, the males roar loudly and fiercely fight for the right to leave offspring.
By mid-winter, cubs are born during hibernation. As a rule, a bear produces 2-3 cubs weighing about 500 grams. The first month they are blind and deaf, and at the age of 3 months they already go out of the den for a bear.
Offspring appear infrequently: once every 2-4 years. The lactation period usually lasts at least one and a half years, but after leaving the den, the cubs also begin to join the usual food for bears. Ursa bear raises them herself, they are with their mother for 3-4 years, then they leave and live separately.
Winter preparations
In the summer, animals begin to gain fat, preparing for hibernation. What the brown bear eats depends on the amount of stored fat reserves necessary for a long winter sleep.
However, the beast needs to prepare a shelter for the winter in advance. In autumn, the bears begin to equip the den, usually in a dry, inaccessible place. To do this, they use windbreaks, caves in the mountains, places under the roots of trees or dig a shelter in the ground. The beast diligently disguises its housing.
Little cubs hibernate with their mother. Males spend the winter one by one. But not all representatives of the species hibernate. Bears that live in southern areas where there is little snow do not sleep in winter.
Hibernation
As a rule, when the first snow appears, the bears hide in the den and fall asleep. However, some individuals may hibernate earlier: an old beast that has accumulated a lot of fat can fall asleep long before snow falls, and a young bear sometimes leaves for shelter in December. Before others, pregnant females lie in the den.
The body temperature of animals at this time drops to 34 degrees, in this mode, the stored fat is consumed more slowly.
Hibernation lasts until warm days. However, with insufficient fat reserves, the beast wakes up ahead of time and goes in search of food. However, the cause of early awakening may be a thaw.
A bear awakened in the middle of winter is called a connecting rod. He wanders hungry, because he eats a brown bear in the taiga plant food that can not be obtained in winter. Cranks are very dangerous, as in search of feed they get to the villages, attacking livestock and humans. In most cases, such animals are shot.
This species is under protection and is listed in the Red Book. Currently, there are about 200,000 individuals on the planet. Without natural enemies in nature, brown bears are completely defenseless in front of people.
These animals are an object of sports hunting. Moreover, they are exterminated to get meat and skin, as well as the gall bladder, which is used in oriental medicine.