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Post by brobear on Mar 26, 2017 9:16:37 GMT -5
From me at WildFact ("Bear Anatomy", Post #22):
Apparently, even black bears can possess shoulder humps like grizzlies:
But I don't think it is so common as those of grizzlies in terms of bears with the feature, but this black bear population features it nonetheless.
Also, from my research about this particular subspecies, they tend to have wider jaw gapes and larger skulls than the average black bear of similar weights:
"The subspecies found on HG /QCI is generally larger than its mainland counterparts with a huge skull and molars, and is only found as a black colour phase. These physical differences are thought to result from retaining characteristics after a long period of isolation during the last ice-age."
HAIDA GWAII BLACK BEAR (URSUS AMERICANUS CARLOTTAE SUBSPECIES)
This might be the primary black bear population that has quite different shoulder characteristics from other black bears in general.
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Post by brobear on Mar 26, 2017 23:36:38 GMT -5
www.binnallofamerica.com/2014/08/08/beasts-bears/ Beasts and Bears By Bruce Priddy On August 8, 2014 · Add Comment On August 5, 2014, Sharon Hill posted this video at Doubtful News, showing a bear walking on its hind-legs, suffering an apparent injury to a fore paw. The bear appears to have taken to life as a biped well. Though we know bears can stand on and walk on their hind-legs, we are much more used to them on all fours. Seeing a bear being so adept at walking upright is a bit unnerving. In the comments section of the same post, a reader linked to two more videos of bears exhibiting human-like behavior. The first is another bipedal bear. The other shows a bear opening car doors with ease. Hill goes on to say that bipedal bears may be responsible for some Bigfoot sightings. Other skeptical outlets have followed suit. And there is no doubt they may be right. Encountering such an animal in low-light, or through thick forest, it would be an understandable mistake. However, I believe that misidentified bears may be responsible for reports of another of cryptid, one of more recent popularity, the Beast of Bray Road or Michigan Dogman. In Linda Godfrey’s The Beast of Bray Road, one witness relates an unnerving tale of a “starved, wolfish creature” peering in her bedroom window. It is not outside the realm of possibility to think the witness saw a bear, made to walk upright due to injury, and emaciated from being unable to feed itself. Other witnesses describe the beast as resembling a bear or having bear-like features. Though rare, bears are not unknown in Walworth County, Wisconsin, home of the infamous Bray Road. Many of the sightings of the beast came at a time the bear population was exploding in Wisconsin. In 1989, there were nine-thousand bears in the state; in the two decades since, the bear population has more than doubled. Some of these bears show little fear of humans. The Wild Mammals of Wisconsin reports a bear in Walworth Country attacked and attempted to drag away a sleeping Boy Scout. The Beast of Bray Road demonstrates a similar lack of fear. One witness saw it climb into the back of a pick-up to retrieve a roadkill deer. Another claimed it tried to claw open windows of a house. Such behavior is not uncommon in bears, who will try to get in homes, cars, and anywhere their curiosity and stomachs take them. None of this is to suggest that bipedal bears, or bears of any sort, are responsible for every sighting of the Beast of Bray Road or Michigan Dogman. Much like all reported paranormal phenomenon, it is doubtful there is a grand unified theory that explains every case. More likely, there are innumerable causes and factors responsible. The purpose of this column is to provide an alternative explanation to some of the accounts, nothing more.
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Post by brobear on Mar 27, 2017 0:00:54 GMT -5
The Grizzly by Enos A. Mills - There is marked difference in the ordinary ways of the black and the grizzly. The grizzly is energetic, thorough, works hard, and takes life rather seriously; while the black bear is lazy, careless, does no more work each day than is necessary, and is more playful. The grizzly's hibernating-den is usually a substantial complete affair, while that of the black bear is more or less of a makeshift. The black bear likes to play with other bears, while the grizzly enjoys playing alone. The black bear climbs a tree easily and often sleeps in a tree-top; the grizzly bear rarely climbs after he passes cubhood.
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Post by brobear on May 3, 2017 10:43:06 GMT -5
Bears of North America: www.thegreatbearshow.com/Bear_Facts.html They walk flat footed like man and have 32 to 42 teeth, depending on the species, consisting of molars, incisors and 4 canines in front. The Brown or Grizzly and Black Bear is an omnivore, which means they can survive on plants and/or vegetation. They all live between 20 to 25 years for the Black, 25 to 30 years for the Brown and Polar. On the average. Where as they will live about 10 to 15 years longer in captivity. They are not susceptible to diseases like other animals. Just common parasites such as worms and ear mites. Other parasites are nonexistent because of an oily secretion that they put out on their skin. There hasn't even been any record of a Bear infected with rabies. I believe them to be ammune to this infection, therefore, rabies vaccinations are not required on captive Bears. A Bears anatomy is so different than other species, such as they can eat things that would make other species sick or even die. They are not true hibernators such as the ground hog or squirrel. They will go into their dens and sleep but come out to stretch and search for food under the snow a few times for very short periods at a time and never venturing far from the den. Only the female bearing cubs will stay in the den all winter. While in the den, Bears will not secrete or eliminate at all. The dens remain very clean. The male Bear is a loner. He prefers not to come in contact with others of his kind except during breeding season and late summer fishing in which he will tolerate other Bears nearby. During breeding season which is usually May and June, he will set out in search of a female. Upon finding her, there are usually other males in the vicinity. The males will confront each other, using phycological gestures, making woofing and popping noises, trying to bluff the other male off. When this doesn't work, they will come into physical contact, known as sparing. Only the dominate male will breed the female. This breeding can last for several weeks and each session being up to seven hours at a time. Once she has conceived, the embryo will stay in a dormant state until October to November. It will then develop in to a fetus. The gestation period from conceived until birth is approx. 210 days. The actual development of the fetus is only from 13 to 17 weeks, depending on how many cubs she is carrying. She will give birth to one to three cubs, by usually two, between early January to mid February. When born they are hairless and blind. They will weigh between 8 and 18 ounces. When they emerge from the den, they will weigh between 20 to 30 lbs. They will stay with her, growing and learning how to survive from her for the next two winters. The following April, she will run them off to fend for themselves. She will only then be ready to breed again.
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Post by brobear on May 3, 2017 10:45:11 GMT -5
The North American Black Bear (Ursus Americanus) This Bear ranges throughout the North American continent as shown on the map. There are approx. 700,000. They are very uncommon in Mexico. Extremely rare from Texas and north to North Dakota, and south east to Florida. Other states have populations under 10,000 in each state. The exceptions are California and Montana which have populations between 10,000 and 15,000 each. Alaska is inhabited by approx. 50,000, with the rest of the population in Canada. The bulk of them are in Alberta and British Columbia, with over 100,000 each. This Bear will range from 90 lbs to 400 lbs. and stand about 5 to 6 feet tall. They have been recorded at over 600 lbs. and over 8 feet tall. The larger Bears live in the north, where as the smaller ones in the south, such as in Louisiana and Florida. Sometimes referred to as Swamp Bears. They have short, sharp, hooked claws, which enables them to climb trees, even during adulthood. The Bear will vary in color from a golden brown to black, with 2 exceptions. These other 2 types of Black Bears are classified under a different sub-species.
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Post by brobear on May 3, 2017 10:45:39 GMT -5
The Kermode Bear, known as the White Black Bear or Spirit Bear. (Ursus Americanus Kermodei) This Bear lives on Princess Royal Island, off the west coast of British Columbia. They are not albino's and in every way except for their color, are exactly the same as their black cousins. They are highly protected by The Canadian Wildlife Management Authority. There are only 150 of this species. Only 2 are not on the island. These 2 are residents of the Vancouver Zoo.
The Glacier Bear, also known as the Blue Bear. (Ursus Americanus Emmonsi) This Bear ranges in Canada and Alaska. They are so rare that there are no recorded numbers of how many there are. I have known of only 2. I believe that this Bear is not really a true Black Bear. One of these Bears, I obtained from a park in Canada. It was captive born. Her mother, known as a (sow), was a blonde colored Grizzly and her father, known as a (boar), was a Cinnamon colored Black Bear. She had been classified as a hybrid when I got her. Through my research, she is a Glacier Bear. The Glacier Bear has the hump on the shoulders but not quite as predominate as on the Grizzly. They also have the long claws and temperament of the Grizzly. All of their other features are the same as the Black Bear. I concluded my findings upon seeing a male Glacier Bear, who was temporarily residing at the Evansville Zoo. This Bear belonged to the San Diego Zoo and was in Evansville while the new facility at San Diego was being built for him. This Bear had exactly the same features as my Bear. The information I found on him came from the Zoo in Evansville. As to my findings, the Glacier Bear is morel likely to be a cross between the Grizzly and Black Bear. If my research is actually true and correct then the reason of why this species is so rare, is that the Black Bear tends to avoid the larger Grizzly.
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Post by King Kodiak on Oct 24, 2018 5:25:25 GMT -5
The cinnamon bear (Ursus americanus cinnamomum) is a subspecies of the American black bear. Its only big difference from the common black bear is that the cinnamon bear has a reddish brown coat from which its name is derived. It is believed by many not to be a separate subspecies. Habitat Cinnamon bears can be seen in Southwestern Canada and Northwestern United States, Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, Idaho, Western Montana, Western Wyoming, Eastern Colorado, and Northeastern Utah (regions with drier climate). Black bears found in moist climates are much more likely to actually be black. Characteristics The cinnamon bear is very similar in shape and size to the common American black bear. It stands about 3 feet high when on all 4, and it can weigh anywhere from 200 to 600 pounds, depending on food availability. It has a thicker coat of longer and finer hair than the common black bear. Diet Cinnamon bears are omnivorous creatures, eating mainly vegetation, nuts, fruit, and honey, and occasionally feeding on insects, small rodents, fish, and carrion. Cinnamon Cub In Tree Breeding Females become sexually mature at 4 or 5 years, males at 5 or 6 years. Mating usually occurs from June to mid July. The gestation period lasts about 7 months. There is a delayed implantation in which the fertilized eggs are not implanted into the mother's womb until the fall in order to give her time to build a reserve of fat for her cubs. The mother gives birth to usually 2 or 3 cubs in January or February during hibernation. They remain with their mother for about 17 months. www.bearsoftheworld.net/cinnamon_bears.asp
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Post by brobear on Oct 24, 2018 5:33:57 GMT -5
In zoo environments of the 1800s and early-to-mid 1900s, most bears were fed as vegetarians and rarely given meat or fish ( expensive ). Therefore most zoo bears and circus bears were not so huge. However, nearly all bears are referred to as "big or huge" bears.
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Post by King Kodiak on Nov 9, 2018 12:31:42 GMT -5
What Black Bears Can Teach Us About Bone Strength When biomedical student Seth Donahue ran into a black bear while hiking in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, he felt inspired rather than frightened. He wondered how the Ursus americanus, which hibernates for up to seven months a year, can wake with bones that are just as strong as they were when it first settled down for a snooze. Taking a long nap might sound like a great plan, but if a human were to do the same for only two weeks, its bones would begin to wear down from disuse. Throughout our lifetimes, our bones are constantly being rebuilt. Over time, we lose more bone than we replace. As a result, many elderly people suffer from osteoporosis, the significant bone loss that can increase the risk of fracture. This disease affects more than 10 million Americans and is the underlying cause behind 1.5 million fractures every year (Jennings et al., 2011). Rather than develop osteoporosis, these black bears’ bodies have made evolutionary adjustments to prevent bone loss during disuse. But how? Tapping into the reason behind this bone restoring mechanism could offer new treatments for osteoporosis. That’s exactly what Seth Donahue, a biomedical engineer at Michigan Technological University, hypothesized. For over a decade, Donahue and a team of research scientists have been investigating the secret behind the integrity of bears’ bones (Jennings et al., 2011). They have discovered that in bears, the trabecular, or spongy, bone that forms tissue does not lose density or volume. Working with bears was tricky, however. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Donahue said that bears are “not like rats where you can get 100 animals and bring them into the lab…” (Oransky et al., 2008). Donahue relied on colleagues at Virginia Tech and Washington State University to obtain samples from anesthetized hibernating bears. These samples showed that black bears have a uniquely strong form of parathyroid hormone (PTH), which regulates the levels of blood calcium (Donahue et al., 2006). In both humans and bears, PTH is 84 amino acids long. When Donahue’s team sequenced the gene for PTH, they found nine differences in the amino acid sequence (Jennings et al., 2011). They believe that the bears evolved their distinct amino acid sequence to protect against the debilitating effects of bone disuse during hibernation. Additionally, bears maintain a constant level of PTH in their bodies throughout their dormancy, increasing the hormone’s beneficial effect. Continuing to investigate hormonal effects on black bear bones during hibernation, the lab measured PTH in bear blood, cloned the gene for bear PTH, and used synthetic and recombinant PTH to reverse bone loss in rodent models of osteoporosis (Jennings et al., 2011). Notably, mice that received bear PTH injections over a period of weeks developed stronger bones. This suggests that a treatment of bear PTH could also help humans with diseases, like osteoporosis, that involve bone atrophy. People who are affected by osteoporosis lose density in their spongy bone. Finding a more effective treatment could mean fewer fractures. People who are affected by osteoporosis lose density in their spongy bone. Finding a more effective treatment could mean fewer fractures. What are the next steps for getting black bear PTH available to patients suffering from osteoporosis? A 5-year-old Kalamazoo-based biotechnology company, Aursos Inc., has been developing a drug based upon Donahue’s technology. The company plans to target the smaller market of people suffering from Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD) before making its product, bear PTH1-84, available to the millions of people with osteoporosis. DMD is an inherited neuromuscular disease that has harmful consequences for muscle and bone, causing osteoporosis. Clinical trials on patients with this rare disease may show the efficacy of the bear PTH1-84 treatment. If black bear PTH passes the test of DMD treatment, it could compete with currently available osteoporosis drugs. These include biphosphonates and calcitonin, which can reduce bone loss and fracture risk (Kerriem-Norwood et al., 2011). A synthetic PTH drug, Forteo, builds new bone, but comes with black box warnings for cancer risks. If the bear PTH treatment with its unique amino acid sequence is more effective in humans than Forteo, a smaller and less dangerous dose can be delivered. The scientific study of black bears could aid patients who suffer from age, disease, or disuse-related osteoporosis. As Ursus americanus hunkers down this fall, it can only dream of the possibilities it has created for new DMD and osteoporosis treatments. In Brief: Researchers from Michigan Technological University are learning how black bears can hibernate without waking up with brittle bones. They have identified parathyroid hormone as a potential reason for the bears’ strong bones. This research could lead to improved osteoporosis treatments. curioussciencewriters.org/2013/01/23/what-black-bears-can-teach-us-about-bone-strength/
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Post by brobear on Nov 9, 2018 12:55:28 GMT -5
After six months or even longer sleeping, a bear loses neither muscle-mass nor bone density. Truly bears are super-beasts.
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Post by King Kodiak on Nov 9, 2018 13:56:58 GMT -5
After six months or even longer sleeping, a bear loses neither muscle-mass nor bone density. Truly bears are super-beasts. yeah i thouht it was awesome. It can even help with osteoporosis.
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Post by brobear on Nov 15, 2018 15:05:15 GMT -5
www.outdoorhub.com/stories/2014/10/16/4-largest-bears-ever-taken-hunters/ Black bear Black bear hunting is popular across the United States and Canada. About half of US states offer black bear hunting, and with an expanding population nationwide, five states have added bear hunting seasons in the last decade. There are more to come. Alaska ranks high in producing giant black bears as well, led by the islands in the Pacific Ocean just off the state’s southeastern coast, but the most consistent producer of giant black bears is not what you would think. Twelve of the top 25 black bears in the record book came from Pennsylvania. Wisconsin comes in second. As stated earlier, a big bear is the result of two main aspects: excellent habitat and age. Both states have a mix of farm crops and big woods that create ideal bear habitat. Wisconsin and Pennsylvania take a very different approach to their bear hunting, but these approaches seem to lead to the same end. Wisconsin issues a very limited number of bear tags to hunters. It can take a decade to draw a tag in Wisconsin, but the success rates for those with tags is fairly high because both hounds and baiting are allowed. Contrast that to Pennsylvania, which issues tags for anyone that wants one for a small fee. But because the most successful methods of hunting bears (hounds and baits) are not allowed, most bears in the state are shot incidentally by deer hunters. To some degree, bears are shot when large groups of hunters get together and make large drives through blocks of timber. The success rate normally runs around two percent for bear hunters in Pennsylvania. Despite all this, the largest black bear skull on record came from a dead bear found in Sanpete County, Utah in 1975. That animal scored 23 10/16. The largest bear killed by a hunter was shot by Robert Christian in Monroe County, Pennsylvania in 2011; it scored 23 9/16. The second-largest found dead was discovered in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania and given to the state Game Commission in 1987. It scored 23 7/16.
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Post by brobear on Jan 29, 2019 7:33:17 GMT -5
When black bears are observed carefully, one will learn that they all are individuals, not only in behaviour but in appearance as well. This black fellow has an interesting facial profile.
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Post by brobear on Feb 1, 2019 14:35:54 GMT -5
Camping with Bears - What if a black bear ignores me and doesn’t run away? Some black bears have learned to trust people who behave predictably in expected locations. These bears expect to see non-aggressive people in campgrounds or residential areas. These bears are not impudent, brazen, or testing their dominance. These same bears run from people they see in unexpected places. But as long as their world is predictable, with people behaving predictably and nonaggressively in predictable places, these bears can go about finding food without needlessly running from people who have proved many times not to be a threat. Nevertheless, they assess the demeanor of anyone who comes close — just as they do with other bears — and are alert to aggressive behavior. If one of these trusting bears is seeking food you need for your camping trip, it might be time to shake up its world and make it feel unwelcome. Bear Center researchers have never seen a black bear they couldn’t chase away by yelling, waving their arms, and rushing toward it. Waving and popping a big black plastic garbage bag while advancing toward a bear is doubly terrifying. It is not the same old banging pots and pans many bears have come to expect. For the ultimate in terrifying bears, get your group together with everyone waving a garbage bag. Researchers have never seen a black bear that did not immediately run from a stampede, and no black bear or grizzly has ever attacked a group of six or more. Of course, mild pepper spray is easier than any of the above. Black bears that are accustomed to people are no more likely to attack or kill. Three quarters of the killings by black bears are in remote areas of Canada and Alaska where bears have the least contact with people. Statistics show that where black bears are most accustomed to seeing people they are least likely to kill someone. Pictured: Wild Black Bear in Ely, MN – Taken by Dr. Lynn Rogers
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Post by brobear on Feb 10, 2019 20:47:38 GMT -5
bearwithus.org/coyotewolfbear-education-initiative/?fbclid=IwAR3V5Oq-6Ewp7AbuxrkmG2UBj1poMc2z2Jro-OXZm45hvA8xBqLZRfWOM6c Coyote~Wolf~Bear –A bear is an omnivore, however it is classified as a carnivore, yet the black bear is primarily a vegetarian. –Very intelligent mammal. Intelligence rivals that of the great apes. –Extremely acute sense of smell. Scent oriented mammal. –Good eyesight, similar to humans, bears see colour. –Cubs stay with mother for minimum 1.5 years. –Cubs learn by following mother, mimicking her actions and activities. Bears inhabit a sensory world that is fundamentally different from ours. We are sight oriented animals, depending principally on the extremely fine discriminatory vision. Bears are scent-oriented: they determine their path through the world largely by determining what it smells like. For all mammals, the acuity of the sense of smell depends primarily upon the size of the olfactory mucosa, a specialized area of mucous membrane located in the nose. In humans, the olfactory mucosa normally totals less than a square inch in area. In the average bear, it may be one hundred times that much. If the wind is right, a bear can smell you coming when you are still over a mile away. Despite its strong reliance on its nose, however, a bear’s other senses are as good as or better than our own. Bears can pick up the sounds of normal human conversation over a distance of nearly a quarter of a mile, and will usually come alert at the click of a camera shutter half a football field away from them. Their hearing, like that of a dog or cat, appears to range well up into the ultrasonic frequencies (blowing one of those “silent” dog whistles in bear country is probably not a particularly good idea). Their vision is also acute. This flies in the face of popular wisdom, but it happens to be true. Their shape and color recognition ability is excellent, better than that of chimpanzees and other close human relatives. Omnivores are opportunists, will happily feed on any trophic level, as readers may discover for themselves if they go feast upon a steak smothered in mushrooms with a glass of wine and a side order of salad. A bear would enjoy that meal every bit as much as you would, and would probably take it from if it had the opportunity. An omnivores niche – to mix sports metaphors a bit- is that of the pinch hitter. Whenever another animal falls down a bit on the job, or leaves its niche temporarily unfilled, the omnivore is there to take up the slack. The key to this niche is flexibility, and the key to flexibility is intelligence. An omnivore must be able to recognize opportunities for food, even when they come in unfamiliar guises. It must be able to adapt its diet to what is available, meaning that it must be able to conceptualize the idea of substitution: if you can’t catch the squirrel, you substitute the nuts in the squirrel’s storehouse. It must be willing to experiment with new foods and be able to carry out those experiments in ways that won’t harm it (discovering that a plant is toxic is of very little value to an animal that dies in the process of making this discovery). The animal must above all be able to learn easily, both from its own experiences and from the experiences of others of its kind. It must be able to build up a specific, individualized body of knowledge that is uniquely tailored to its own peculiar environment, the distinctive combination of biocenters and travel corridors that makes up what it has taken for its home,range. Instinct cannot be tailored this way. Generalized knowledge can be passed on by the genes, but specific knowledge must be taught. This intense need for learning colors everything about an omnivore, right down to the level of biological reproduction. Learn more about the bear at: www.WiseAboutBears.org and throughout this website: www.bearwithus.org
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Post by King Kodiak on Mar 31, 2019 21:10:35 GMT -5
MANY MORE PEOPLE ARE INJURED BY BLACK BEARS THAN GRIZZLIES. THE REASON THAT BLACK BEARS DO BETTER THAN GRIZZLIES AROUND PEOPLE IS THAT THEY ADAPT BETTER.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2019 9:33:52 GMT -5
Agree and alot of people like to underestimate black bears. I think black bears are the most underrated bears. Although grizzly bears are more aggressive than black bears, it is dangerous to play dead if the latter attacks as the black bear will simply drag you away.
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Post by BruteStrength on Apr 1, 2019 13:01:55 GMT -5
Black bears are underrated. I also don't recommend playing dead either. What people don't realize is that black bears can get really big and reach weights of over 700 pounds and more. With this type of weight a black bear should be able to give a lion or a tiger a good fight. Definitely should be able to kill leopards, cougars and jaguars for sure.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2019 0:00:31 GMT -5
A black bear at 500 pounds is enough to give a tiger or lion at equal weights a good fight and get the slight upperhand whereas a 700 pound black bear will defeat a tiger and a lion one on one of course.
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Post by King Kodiak on Apr 2, 2019 3:18:20 GMT -5
A black bear at 500 pounds is enough to give a tiger or lion at equal weights a good fight and get the slight upperhand whereas a 700 pound black bear will defeat a tiger and a lion one on one of course. That sounds about right.
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