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Post by tom on Feb 19, 2021 18:37:29 GMT -5
WOW ! you could have fooled me! Was there any info on that Bear First pic is Van from 2019.
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Post by theundertaker45 on Mar 13, 2021 19:35:24 GMT -5
tom brobear King Kodiak OldGreenGrolar I was indeed fooled by the fresh appearence of the ears; the picture of the old bear I shared a few weeks ago is indeed Van!!!! He was recovering after a lost fight with a much younger boar and apparently was 22y old at that time. Here is the link to the full post: http://instagr.am/p/B0I79APlvJ3
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Post by King Kodiak on Mar 13, 2021 21:57:56 GMT -5
Great Taker, yeah that definitely looks like Van. That post was from july 2019, this video here is from June 2019, so its about the same time, he was all torn up already here:
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Post by tom on Mar 15, 2021 7:55:28 GMT -5
I thought it looked too much like Van in your original post, but you never know. Van is aging and is looking pretty tough these days, but I'm sure he can still hold his own. I'm sure he's being challenged more and more these days and younger stronger males are likely to dethrone him soon if they haven't already.
In his heyday, Van most certainly gave more than he received in any kind of contest with other Bears.
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Post by brobear on Mar 16, 2021 1:56:40 GMT -5
I thought it looked too much like Van in your original post, but you never know. Van is aging and is looking pretty tough these days, but I'm sure he can still hold his own. I'm sure he's being challenged more and more these days and younger stronger males are likely to dethrone him soon if they haven't already. In his heyday, Van most certainly gave more than he received in any kind of contest with other Bears. Sometimes, when a big "Boss Bear" gets too old to fight the younger bears, he starves to death because he is unable to occupy the better fishing spots. The bigger the bear, the more food is needed. These bears often die in their Winter dens.
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Post by theundertaker45 on Mar 16, 2021 8:07:37 GMT -5
Van pictured in June 2020; he has regained much of his size and is looking more confident than ever!
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Post by tom on Mar 16, 2021 10:51:27 GMT -5
In your opinion would a seasoned Bear biologist be able to estimate a Bears age with some accuracy just from visual observation. Normally this might be done when a Bear is tranquilized and they look at the teeth or by simply following and recording a Bear thru its life from cub to old man in a log.
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Post by theundertaker45 on Mar 16, 2021 11:43:54 GMT -5
tom In Katmai NP the biologists fortunately keep a "diary" on each bear they see in the park; they update this report all the way from the first official sighting as a cub until the time of death. With the help of steady observation they are then able to estimate the age of the bears very accurately. I've also had a short exchange of messages with Scott Stone on Instagram and he told me that they saw Van twice last year during their tours; he will keep me informed on the legend himself and can't wait to see all the bears again in May this year. Van would be 24y old now which is an extremely impressive age for such a "war veteran" of a grizzly.
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Post by tom on Mar 16, 2021 12:26:48 GMT -5
That would be great to hear the latest on Van. Keep us posted if you hear anything.
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Post by brobear on Mar 17, 2021 5:38:06 GMT -5
Quote: In your opinion would a seasoned Bear biologist be able to estimate a Bears age with some accuracy just from visual observation? *Yes. There are a number of physical traits to look for; One being a more concave shoulder hump on an elderly brown bear. But, a seasoned biologist can give a very close ( near accurate ) estimate on both age and weight. In all honesty, it takes a knowledgeable "bear man" to simply distinguish a male from a female ( without peeking ). Reply #546 - This is outstanding news 'Taker. Do we have a name or number for the present 'Big Boss Bear' or does Old Van still wear the crown?
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Post by theundertaker45 on Mar 17, 2021 11:56:19 GMT -5
brobear I unfortunately don't know who the "Big Boss" is right now but I am quite sure Van doesn't hold the crown anymore due to his very advanced age; he's lost mass due to getting bullied by younger/stronger males on some occasions. I know that he lost an intense fight against a younger boar two years ago; this younger boar was estimated to be ~10/11y old, so just entering his physical prime. Hence why he looked so beaten up on his most recent pictures. A side note of mine; these two might also be contenders for the top spot right now along with the alleged 1500lbs Katmai Giant. Especially the second boar on the bottom looks extremely "built"; well rounded like an interior grizzly but much bigger (pictures were taken by Brad Josephs and Scott Stone):
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Post by tom on Mar 17, 2021 12:19:07 GMT -5
It's inevitable that one day every king will be dethroned. Van reigned for many years as the dominant Bear, perhaps longer than many of his predecessors. So now we wait to see who is the next king amongst these large younger males. This story will be interesting to follow. I have to wonder if Van will give way to these bears and not attempt to challenge them any further?
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Post by theundertaker45 on Mar 29, 2021 17:36:00 GMT -5
Update Reply #540
The huge brown bear pictured in reply #37 is indeed Van (summer of 2020); I've held an Instagram conversation with Scott Stone and it seems that the badly wounded veteran had a very successful overwintering from autumn 2019 - spring 2020 and has thus regained much of his size. What an old warrior, he just doesn't let go.
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Post by tom on Mar 30, 2021 6:23:20 GMT -5
Thanks for the update Taker. It'll be interesting to see how long this old battle scarred warrior (van) endures now that the bigger, younger males have let it be known that they will rule from here on out.
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Post by brobear on Mar 30, 2021 15:46:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the update Taker. It'll be interesting to see how long this old battle scarred warrior (van) endures now that the bigger, younger males have let it be known that they will rule from here on out. Reply #540 - Van still looking good enough to make someone a great avatar
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Post by tom on Mar 30, 2021 19:29:41 GMT -5
Reply #525 - avatar for that real... tough look.
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Mar 30, 2021 22:26:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the update Taker. It'll be interesting to see how long this old battle scarred warrior (van) endures now that the bigger, younger males have let it be known that they will rule from here on out. Regardless Van has shown himself to be one of the most powerful males in his time.
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Post by King Kodiak on Mar 31, 2021 13:32:59 GMT -5
Thanks for the update Taker. It'll be interesting to see how long this old battle scarred warrior (van) endures now that the bigger, younger males have let it be known that they will rule from here on out. Reply #540 - Van still looking good enough to make someone a great avatar And since no one took it.....i just took it, thanks.
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Post by brobear on Apr 7, 2022 12:18:00 GMT -5
Polar bear.
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Post by brobear on Apr 19, 2022 13:16:17 GMT -5
Old Veteran from Canada ~
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