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Post by King Kodiak on Nov 6, 2020 16:12:57 GMT -5
Reply #86 - Great find King Kodiak. I remember BigBonns talking about the bear with the 5-foot neck circumference. I believe this is the first time I've seen the picture. You had already seen it, you just dont remember. I posted it at reply #24 of this thread back in March 2019, you even put a like on it.
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Post by brobear on May 13, 2021 3:40:19 GMT -5
blog.explore.org/how-big-are-the-fat-bear-week-bears/ How Big are the Fat Bear Week Bears? By Mike Fitz Fat Bear Week is over for another year, and Holly has claimed the title of the fattest bear of 2019. She is a true champion of Katmai National Park, an individual who exemplifies skill and success in the bear world. In Katmai, fully grown and well fed adult female bears like Holly can often tip the scales at 600-700 pounds and Holly is probably well within, or even exceeds, that weight class. Based on her overall size though, how might she compare to other bears in Katmai? And just how big can a Katmai bear grow? Now, thanks to unusual use of terrestrial laser scanning technology, we have some answers. The size and weight of wild bears has always been problematic to measure. You can’t just walk up to a bear with a tape measure and tell it to hold still or expect it to stand on a scale. Hunter-killed bears can provide some info, but the “record” bears documented by the Boone and Crockett Club are ranked on skull size, not body mass. Biologists will sometimes weigh and measure wild bears as part of their studies, yet this requires tracking and tranquilizing animals. While the methods and procedures used to tranquilize bears are well tested and reliable, biologists cannot eliminate all risk to themselves or the animals. Therefore, the application of non-invasive technology may provide ways for people to satisfy their curiosity and learn more about wildlife without interacting or harming them. Similar to echolocation used by bats, terrestrial laser scanning technology sends out a series of laser beams that “echo” off an object. The returning signal is recorded by the scanner. Specialized computer software is then used to render a three-dimensional computer model of the object or place. The process is frequently used by civil engineers, GIS specialists, and surveyors to document, analyze, and monitor roadways, gravel pits, mining sites, and buildings. The scanning technology also determines an object’s volume very precisely without the need for a person to physically measure it, which brings me back to bears. In their effort to gain as much fat as they can before winter hibernation, dozens of bears have come to rely on Brook Falls as a place where they can wait for salmon to come to them. Experienced and skilled bears know patience is the key to success at the falls. By sitting or standing and waiting for salmon to come to them, they can make a huge profit in calories without expending much energy. Because terrestrial laser scanners need to record thousands and sometimes millions of data points to achieve a reliably accurate rendering of a subject or landscape, the object of interest needs to remain stationary. Where might wild bears remain still long enough to complete an accurate scan? Brooks Falls. On September 16, Joel Cusick, a geographic information specialist with the National Park Service’s Alaska Regional Office, set up a Trimble SX10 scanner on the elevated wildlife-viewing platform adjacent to Brooks Falls. He then waited for good opportunities to scan bears fishing there. Good opportunities came when a bear stood still and did not have a significant portion of its body submerged in the water. To get an accurate scan, a bear had to remain stationary for about 16 seconds. Five bears stood still long enough—32 Chunk, 151 Walker, 480 Otis, 747, and 854 Divot. Two bears, Otis and Walker, were scanned more than once from different locations, which allowed Joel to combine the scan data for a more accurate model of the bear. Other bears were present as well but were too obscured by water or did not remain still long enough to get an accurate scan. On the computer afterward, Joel processed the scans to exclude nearby objects like rocks. Since the scanner only saw the bear from one side, it only recorded half a bear’s volume. Once the images were cleaned of non-bear objects, the animals’ true volumes were calculated by doubling the original value. (Of course, this presumes that bears are completely symmetrical. They are some irregularities, but I don’t think Otis’ floppy ear or any other asymmetry would make a significant difference.) Although volume isn’t the same as mass, it’s somewhat easy to calculate an object’s mass when you know its volume and what it is made of since mass is a product of density and volume. In other words, just multiply an object’s density by its volume and you are left with its mass. With bears, the math is complicated slightly by the fact that bears aren’t made of only one type of tissue. Like our own bodies, they are a combination of water, muscle, bone, organs, and especially at this time of the year, fat. Because the bears at Brooks Falls were not physically handled, only estimates of their body composition were used to calculate their mass. Brown bears in this area are often around 35% body fat in late summer and fall. For simplicity, the rest of the bear was considered to be the lean tissue, which is about the density of water. With the math complete, we now have a good idea of what the bears weighed on the day of the scans. The 2019 Fat Bear Week tournament was full of truly fat bears.
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Post by brobear on May 13, 2021 3:47:22 GMT -5
Continued: These statistics illustrate that Katmai’s bears are some of the biggest in the world. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, where bears have to work much harder to find nutritious food, adult females average 296 pounds and adult males average 457 pounds during September and October. Even 854 Divot, a mature female who is not particularly large compared to Katmai’s adult males, is almost 700 pounds. I’ve long thought 747 was a very big bear, frequently stating that he’s the largest I’ve ever seen and that he might weigh 1,200 pounds. Now, I know that was likely an underestimate! As Katmai National Park posted on their Facebook page, 747’s volume on September 16 was about the size of a side-by-side refrigerator. At over 1,400 pounds, he’s probably larger than 99% of all brown bears, and he might be within a couple hundred pounds of the biggest wild brown bear ever recorded. When I corresponded with Joel Cusick, he was careful to note that while the weights are impressive, it’s the volume measure that is more accurate since the bear’s body composition could only be estimated. The test project also lacked a control. To ensure its accuracy, it would need to be used on bears from a captive facility where researchers can physically measure and weigh the bears to compare the results with those of the laser scans. Even so, the scans from the falls provide us with a reasonable estimate of their weight, perhaps even within 50 pounds.
This is the first ever application of terrestrial laser scanning technology on wildlife. When we apply technology in an unconventional way, we might be able to better satisfy our curiosity. More importantly, we might be able to track the growth of bears at Brooks Falls without the risks associated with drugging and handling them. That information could be coupled with salmon escapement numbers or an individual bears’ fishing success to more fully understand the factors that influence their summertime growth. Like watching wildlife through a webcam, it could allow us to learn more about them without disturbing or altering an animal’s behavior. Perhaps one day, we’ll be able to do more than just guess how much bears like 747 or Holly weigh in June, July, and September. We’ll be able to follow their growth from skinny to fat with precision. The brown bears of the Alaskan peninsula are second only to the Kodiak bears at being the world's largest brown bears.
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Post by King Kodiak on May 14, 2021 19:34:01 GMT -5
Let me add this to your list of historic phrases. You have like 6/7 already.
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Post by brobear on Nov 16, 2021 6:30:00 GMT -5
Reply #104: What a fantastic post 'Taker. An old on-line friend of mine, who hasn't posted in years, BigBonns, was well educated although I considered him as more of a common sense poster, once stated that, at least within some brown bear populations, the bears might fight each other even more often than lions or tigers do although less often to the death. *Those scars look to me to have been earned in some pretty serious combat. It just might be that those fights between two brutish bludgeoning brown bears might result in less deaths due to the fact that bears are more durable than big cats. I will add, I have seen pictures of brown bears even more severely scared than the great Van.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2021 6:52:29 GMT -5
theundertaker45 Really great photos from this year. I was wondering before that what was wrong with Van because he looked worse than he should have in past. Fur didn´t look good at all, he wasn´t that old after all and also old bears tend to have good fur. Now seeing him again looking like a bear should, it looks like that he had some sickness which he has overcome with time. With any luck he will stay with us still even a decade, time will tell. So nice to see him in good condition again! He is one of those true giant bears.
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Post by brobear on Nov 18, 2021 5:15:55 GMT -5
www.nathab.com/alaska-northern-adventures/alaska-grizzly-adventure/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Remarketing%20-%20Grizzly%20Bears%20-%20Dynamic%20Image&utm_content=Grizzly_Bears-2021.02-Dynamic_Image&utm_term=Facebook_Desktop_Feed&fbclid=IwAR0-feuM0Y5UrE6n6A_Lo2GFKVy8q1TNKUFr-Q5uzzyh2FCg6LZWmN6n8Qc Meet the Mighty Brown Bears of Katmai Up Close from Our Private Small Ship. *What? You don't believe that these bears are impressive? Well, for only $9,495 you can actually look at them and take pictures. Nature puts on few displays as arresting as Alaskan brown bears feeding on summer’s bounty. These bears—the largest coastal grizzlies in the world—gorge on clams, mussels, sedges and spawning salmon as the fish swim up the glacial-fed rivers that pour onto wild beaches. Our private chartered ship, the Natural Habitat Ursus, designed for exploring the Alaskan marine wilderness, offers an exclusive opportunity for just eight guests to follow and photograph bears as they fish, forage and amble along the shoreline. Ashore, we watch safely on foot with our Expedition Leader, an expert bear naturalist who knows these magnificent animals intimately. The grizzlies could not be more nonchalant about our presence! Here in Katmai National Park, experience this rarest of encounters with Ursus arctos in all its untamed majesty.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2021 8:20:30 GMT -5
I don´t know if this has been discussed before, but one reason why it´s very difficult to know how close call "Katmai-bears" are with Kodiak bears is, that there is no hunting allowed in Katmai National Park. So all those big boys, like Otis, 747, Van and others can be and live there in peace as they should be, in my opinion, allowed to be in some parts of the world. So one reason why Kodiak bears dominate trophy statistics can and most likely is, that there is this safe place for one population of coastal brown bears of Alaska.
I´m not saying, that Kodiak bears wouldn´t be still number 1 in that statistic even if Katmai bears could be hunted, but difference might be a lot smaller and in my opinion most probably would be. But it´s great to know, that some bears are safe, at least if not going to wrong place at wrong time. But then again why would they leave so good food source.
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Post by tom on Nov 18, 2021 9:04:38 GMT -5
I don´t know if this has been discussed before, but one reason why it´s very difficult to know how close call "Katmai-bears" are with Kodiak bears is, that there is no hunting allowed in Katmai National Park. So all those big boys, like Otis, 747, Van and others can be and live there in peace as they should be, in my opinion, allowed to be in some parts of the world. So one reason why Kodiak bears dominate trophy statistics can and most likely is, that there is this safe place for one population of coastal brown bears of Alaska. I´m not saying, that Kodiak bears wouldn´t be still number 1 in that statistic even if Katmai bears could be hunted, but difference might be a lot smaller and in my opinion most probably would be. But it´s great to know, that some bears are safe, at least if not going to wrong place at wrong time. But then again why would they leave so good food source. I would also include genetics to some degree with Kodiak Bears being so large, more so than with other Bears due to being confined to an island. The Bears have been secluded for thousands of years. Hunting is controlled on Kodiak but the population is managed very well and in some cases is used as a model of wildlife management. Yes there is a certain amount of inbreeding that does take place but not enough to negatively affect the population according to wildlife managers at Kodiak. Those genetics keep getting played over and over and you combine that with ample food supply it makes some sense.
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Post by brobear on Apr 20, 2022 2:53:22 GMT -5
Alaska Peninsula Brown Bear animals.fandom.com/wiki/Alaska_Peninsula_Brown_Bear The Alaska Peninsula brown bear is any member of the grizzly bear(Ursus arctos horribilis) that lives in the coastal regions of southern Alaska. Alaska Peninsula brown bears are a very large brown bearsubspecies, 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 Parknear 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.
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Post by brobear on Apr 20, 2022 2:54:57 GMT -5
Alaska Peninsula Brown Bear - continued: Naming and etymology The Alaska Peninsula brown bear's name most likely arose because, until 1975, they were considered a different species from the inland grizzly bear. They were never considered closer to European brown bears than inland grizzlies, but were given a different name, due to the size and colour differences of coastal browns and inland grizzlies. From 1975 onward, they were considered to be the same species, but coastal ones retained the name "brown bear." Appearance Alaska Peninsula brown bears are the second largest type of brown bear in the world, only after the giant bears of Kodiak Island. They usually measure 8 feet (2.4 m) in length, usually have a shoulder height of about 4-4-1/2 feet (1.2-1.4 m), and a hindfoot length of 11 in (28 cm). One study found that the average weight for a coastal male was around 408 kilograms (900 lb). For a female, this average weight would be 227 kilograms (500 lb). On the other hand, an occasional huge male brown has been recorded which greatly exceeds ordinary size, with weights reported up to 680 kg (1,500 lb). A large coastal male of this size may stand up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall on its hind legs and be up to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) at the shoulder. Although variable from blond to nearly black, grizzly bear fur is typically brown in color with white tips. A pronounced hump appears on their shoulders; the hump is a good way to distinguish a black bear from a grizzly bear, as black bears do not have this hump.
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Post by brobear on Apr 20, 2022 2:56:23 GMT -5
Alaska Peninsula Brown Bear - continued: Diet Brown bears on the Alaskan Peninsula usually feed on spawning salmon, and use many different ways to catch them. These include waiting at the bottom of the falls for the fish to jump, or standing at the top of the falls waiting to catch the fish in midair (sometimes in their mouths). Bears also have much experience at chasing fish around and pinning the slippery animals with their claws. After the salmon runs, berries and grass make the mainstay of the bears' diets, after which they put on sufficient fat reserves and go into hibernation. *Quote: One study found that the average weight for a coastal male was around 408 kilograms (900 lb). For a female, this average weight would be 227 kilograms (500 lb).
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Post by skibidibopmmdada on Oct 5, 2022 14:53:50 GMT -5
I could watch these bears all day. they are beautiful, my favourite bears by far. It is my dream to visit alaska and just watch them catch salmon and enjoy the views. Hopefully I don't end up like grizzly man timmothy though.
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Oct 6, 2022 2:42:10 GMT -5
I could watch these bears all day. they are beautiful, my favourite bears by far. It is my dream to visit alaska and just watch them catch salmon and enjoy the views. Hopefully I don't end up like grizzly man timmothy though. Just stay a respectful distance away from these bears and it will be fine. May your dream come through.
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