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Post by brobear on May 3, 2017 10:47:42 GMT -5
www.thegreatbearshow.com/Bear_Facts.html The Alaskan Brown Bear (Ursus Arctos) This Bear ranges from Norton Sound to Nelson Island. Possibly Nunivak Island also. From there, down to Naknek and as far west as Fox Island. From that point, down to Glacier Bay which is in the Northern Peninsula. From there, back up thru the southwest corner of the Yukon Territory and back east to Norton Sound, with his area covering just above Denal National Park. The largest population density is in Katmai National Park which is on the main land just across from Kodiak Island and 250 miles southeast of Anchorage. Katmai was established as a national park in 1980. It covers over 4 million acres. It contains Novarupta, which is a 6,716 foot high volcano. One of 50 active volcano's in Alaska. It erupted in 1912 and created what is now known as The Valley of 10,000 Smokes. It is impossible to get an estimate of how many there actually are since most people can not tell the difference of the Alaskan Brown and the Grizzly, who both inhabit the same area. The main difference is their size. The Alaskan Brown will weigh between 800 and 1200 lbs. He will stand between 8 and 9 feet tall.
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Post by brobear on Jan 27, 2018 3:06:19 GMT -5
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180116131259.htm Great scat! Bears -- not birds -- are the chief seed dispersers in Alaska Date: January 16, 2018 Source: Oregon State University Summary: In southeastern Alaska, brown and black bears are plentiful because of salmon. Their abundance also means they are the primary seed dispersers of berry-producing shrubs, according to a new study. It's a story of bears, birds and berries. In southeastern Alaska, brown and black bears are plentiful because of salmon. Their abundance also means they are the primary seed dispersers of berry-producing shrubs, according to an Oregon State University study. The OSU team used motion-triggered cameras to record bears, birds and small mammals eating red berries of devil's club, and retrieved DNA in saliva left on berry stalks to identify the species and sex of the bears. Researchers found that bears, while foraging, can disperse through their scat about 200,000 devil's club seeds per square kilometer per hour. Rodents then scatter and hoard those seeds, much like squirrels hoard acorns. The study was published today in the journal Ecosphere. In most ecosystems, birds generally are thought of as chief dispersers of seeds in berries, said Taal Levi, an ecologist in OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences and co-author on the study. The researchers found that birds accounted for only a small fraction of seed dispersal. This is the first instance of a temperate plant being primarily dispersed by mammals through their gut, and suggests that bears may influence plant composition in the Pacific Northwest. It was well-known that bears were dispersing seeds through their scat, Levi said, but it was not known that they were dispersing more seeds than birds, or the relative contribution of brown and black bears to seed dispersal, or whether the two species bears were eating berries at different times of the year. "Devil's club is extremely abundant in northern southeast Alaska, so it didn't seem plausible that birds were dispersing all this fruit," Levi said. "Bears are essentially like farmers. By planting seeds everywhere, they promote a vegetation community that feeds them." The researchers found that in the study area along the Chilkat and Klehini rivers in southeastern Alaska, brown bears dispersed the most seeds, particularly before salmon became widely available. They also found that after the brown bears switched from eating berries to salmon later in the season, black bears moved in and took over the role as principal seed dispersers. Black bears are subordinate to brown bears and avoid them. The fruit on a devil's club stalk is clustered into a cone containing berries. The researchers observed through the camera recordings that brown bears can swallow an estimated 350 to 400 berries in a single mouthful. Birds, on the other hand, consumed on average 76 berries per plant that they visited. "That's pretty remarkable," Levi said. "When birds visit these shrubs, they take a few berries and fly off. They don't eradicate the cones like a bear." Laurie Harrer, Levi's co-author, swabbed devil's club to retrieve environmental DNA from residual saliva left by animals and birds that ate the berries. Harrer, a master's student in OSU's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, analyzed the samples to determine that female brown bears ate more berries than male brown bears, female black bears ate more than male black bears and brown bears ate more than black bears. Brown bears, also known as grizzlies, are extinct in Oregon and California and are nearly extinct in Washington. "The indirect effect of salmon is that they support abundant bear populations that then disperse a lot of fruit," Levi said. "We've lost the salmon-bear ecosystem that once dominated the Pacific Coast. That has implications for the plant community. These seed dispersal pathways through brown bears are all but eliminated. The degree to which black bears can fulfill that role is not clear."
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Post by brobear on Jan 27, 2018 3:14:21 GMT -5
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160601112703.htm Kodiak bears track salmon runs in Alaska Date: June 1, 2016 Source: The University of Montana Summary: Brown bears are faced with a challenge: They need to consume lots of salmon each year, but salmon only are available for a few weeks in each shallow spawning ground. Now new research shows that bears greatly extend their use of salmon resources by migrating from one run to another. A University of Montana graduate student's research on Alaskan brown bears and red salmon is the May cover story of the high-profile journal Ecology. Will Deacy, a UM systems ecology graduate student under the direction of UM Professor Jack Stanford, researched brown bears on Kodiak Island, Alaska, in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Brown bears are faced with a challenge: They need to consume lots of salmon each year, but salmon only are available for a few weeks in each shallow spawning ground. However, salmon spawn at different times in different habitats, which could allow bears to eat salmon for long periods of time if they move to different spawning grounds. GPS collars allowed Deacy to observe where and when bears foraged for salmon. "We found that the bears greatly extend their use of the salmon resource by migrating from one run to another," Stanford said. "We call this 'surfing the salmon red wave.'" "This research shows wildlife have very sophisticated foraging behaviors," Deacy said. "The bears benefited from variation in spawning timing, which is ultimately created by complex natural watersheds. This highlights the need to conserve complexity in wild places." Deacy conducted his field work over the course of five years in the soggy and remote Karluk area of southwestern Kodiak Island, which is accessible only by float plane. The area has one of the most dense brown bear populations on Earth. It also has hundreds of rivers, streams and lake beaches used by spawning Pacific salmon. The researchers' studies of Alaskan bears are ongoing. They want to understand how human activities, like bear viewing and low-level flying, impact brown bear salmon foraging behavior.
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Post by brobear on Sept 30, 2018 6:20:26 GMT -5
Peninsular brown bear (Ursus arctos gyas)* This was removed some years ago. There were some huge number of grizzly subspecies given in the distant past. But today, in N. America, there are only two: U.a. middendorffi ( Kodiak brown bear ) and U.a. horribilis ( grizzly bear ). The Alaskan peninsula brown bears are classified as U.a. horribilis... for now.
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Post by brobear on Oct 2, 2018 14:35:40 GMT -5
www.bearconservation.org.uk/dall-brown-bear/ Accepted scientific name: Ursus arctos dalli (Clinton Hart Merriam, 1896); however many authorities recognise only two subspecies of brown bear in North America: the grizzly bear (U.a. horribilis) and the Kodiak bear (U.a. middendorffi). This places these bears of the Alaskan panhandle in the subspecies U.a. Horribilis. In 1918 Clinton Hart Merriam divided the North American brown bears into 86 subspecies based upon small physical differences, mainly relating to skull measurements. Over time this list has been reduced but some experts believe that there is still sufficient evidence to warrant classifying five North American subspecies in addition to the widely accepted grizzly and Kodiak bear subspecies. In this website we include those five subspecies; the Dall brown bear (U.a. dalli) being one of them. However, much of the following information, other than range, is similar or identical to that given on the pages for the Alaskan (U.a.alascensis), Peninsula (U.a. gyas), Sitka (U.a. sitkensis) and Stickeen (U.a. stikeenensis) brown bears. Description: A large bear, most commonly dark brown in colour but can range from blonde through to black. The often grizzled appearance is caused by the light coloured tips of the long guard hairs over the shoulders and back. The bears have a distinctive hump on the shoulders and a slightly dished profile to the face. The front claws are noticeably long. There is considerable variation in size depending upon the food available. Adult males typically weigh 135 to 390 kg, females 95 to 205 kg. Adults are usually between 90 and 110 cm at the shoulder. These bears are usually larger than those of the interior. Range: Found in the north of the Alaskan panhandle region containing Yakutat Bay and Hubbard Glacier. Habitat: Coastal zone, including the Yakutat foreland and inland in forests. Status: Brown bears are listed as “of least concern” by the IUCN and listed in CITES Appendix II. There are around 30,000 brown bears in total in Alaska (excluding the subspecies U.a.middendorffi). Populations in Alaska appear healthy and productive. Densities vary depending on the quality of the environment. Life span: Around 20 to 30 years in the wild. The oldest recorded bears in Alaska were a 38 year old male and a 39 year old female. Food: The bears are omnivorous and eat plants, grasses, sedges, roots, tubers, seeds, berries, salmon, small mammals and carrion. They will also predate upon moose, particularly newborn animals. Behaviour: The bears reach sexual maturity between the ages of four and seven years. Mating occurs between May and July. The bears go into winter dens usually in October or November and emerge in April, May or June. Cubs are born in the den in January and February, litters usually being of two or three cubs but can be of one or four. They will remain with the mother for two to three years during which time she will not become pregnant again. Except for mating and for mothers with cubs, grizzly bears are solitary although they will congregate in groups where there are plentiful sources of food, such as spawning salmon, whale carcasses and sedge fields. Threats: As with other Alaskan bears there is the risk of Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and the resultant conflicts with humans. Poaching including for body parts to be used in medicine seems to be an increasing threat for all bears although the relative isolation of some Alaskan populations may afford them some protection from this. Hunting is generally well regulated and based upon reliable population estimates. It seems likely that these bears are or will soon be affected by climate change either directly or indirectly as habitat and food sources change or disappear. 390 kilograms is equal to 859.80 pounds (avoirdupois)
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Post by brobear on Jan 26, 2019 17:23:34 GMT -5
Alaska Peninsula Brown Bear - Ursus arctos ( gyas or horribilis )?
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Post by King Kodiak on Jan 26, 2019 18:46:08 GMT -5
Alaska Peninsula Brown Bear - Ursus arctos ( gyas or horribilis )? Well if we go by the majority of bear biologists, its Ursus arctos horribilis. Remember that gyas was removed long time ago. But i guess if we use both names its ok.
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Post by King Kodiak on Jan 26, 2019 21:05:39 GMT -5
Alaska Peninsula brown bear The Alaska Peninsula brown bear or peninsular grizzly (Ursus arctos gyas) is a subspecies of brown bear that lives in the coastal regions of southern Alaska, although according to some sources it is a population of the mainland grizzly bear subspecies (Ursus arctos horribilis), or the kodiak brown bear subspecies (U. a. middendorffi). Alaska Peninsula brown bears are a very large brown bear subspecies, usually ranging in weight from 800 to 1,200 pounds (363 to 544 kg). They are found in high densities along the southern Alaskan coast due not only to the large amount of clams and sedge grass but also to the annual salmon runs; this allows them to attain huge sizes, some of the biggest in the world. They may gather in large numbers at feeding sites, such as Brooks Falls and McNeil Falls, both in Katmai National Park near King Salmon. There is debate as to if Alaska Peninsula brown bears should be referred to as "grizzlies" along with all other North American subspecies of the brown bear. There is confusion experienced when referring to inland and coastal ones separately, but biologists still maintain that coastal ones are truly brown bears. However, it is considered correct to place all North American members of U. arctos in the subspecies horribilis except the giant Kodiak bears of Kodiak Island. To avoid confusion, many simply refer to all North American members, including Kodiaks, as "grizzly bears." Prized by hunters for their skulls and hides, up to 500 of Alaska's 1,500 brown bears killed yearly by hunters come from the Alaska Peninsula. To hunt this large bear, hunters must follow a variety of regulations, including bear bag limits, hunting fees and proper rifles. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Peninsula_brown_bear
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Post by King Kodiak on Jan 26, 2019 21:07:08 GMT -5
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Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2019 0:32:19 GMT -5
This bear is now larger than the kodiak and probably on par with most polar bears in weight range.
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Post by King Kodiak on Jan 27, 2019 5:39:37 GMT -5
This bear is now larger than the kodiak and probably on par with most polar bears in weight range. Who told you that? Thats wrong. You have a chart? Kodiaks weight more on average and at max weights also.
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Post by King Kodiak on Jan 31, 2019 21:39:33 GMT -5
CALIFORNIA GRIZZLY BOOK: SOME WEIGHTS GIVEN FOR THE ALASKA PENINSULA BROWN BEAR (URSUS ARCTOS GYAS) SOME MORE THAN 1000 LBS.
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Post by tom on Feb 1, 2019 7:37:17 GMT -5
Here is a picture of Van from the documentary "The Great Bear Stakeout". Van was a coastal Brown bear and dominant male at that. They casually mentioned in the film that Van was 1000+ pounds. I would guess that van was at least 1200 if not more. He was the biggest male in the area. Any guesses?
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Post by tom on Feb 1, 2019 7:43:00 GMT -5
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Post by brobear on Feb 1, 2019 7:54:57 GMT -5
Park Rangers would rather under-estimate a bear's weight so as not to sound like a rooky fan-boy. I would agree than 1200 pounds is probably closer to accurate.
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Post by King Kodiak on Feb 1, 2019 13:04:39 GMT -5
Brobear: You had Van on you profile pic correct?
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Post by brobear on Feb 1, 2019 13:10:36 GMT -5
Brobear: You had Van on you profile pic correct? Correcto-mundo.
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Post by brobear on Feb 1, 2019 13:24:56 GMT -5
Everyone knows he is a tough guy who sleeps out in the open no matter the weather.
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Post by King Kodiak on Feb 1, 2019 17:14:40 GMT -5
Everyone knows he is a tough guy who sleeps out in the open no matter the weather. Is this Van?
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Post by brobear on Feb 1, 2019 18:15:33 GMT -5
Shhhh... No... Van's right ear is misshapened from a fight.
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