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Post by seldomseenjerin on Feb 28, 2020 20:33:46 GMT -5
THIS IS THE CHAPTER “GRIZZLY LORE” ITS ABOUT THE LEGENDS AND FABLES OF THE CALIFORNIA GRIZZLY. HERE IS AN ACCOUNT OF THE LARGEST CALIFORNIA GRIZZLY EVER, WEIGHTING 2300 LBS, THAT KILLED HUNDREDS OF CATTLE, SHEEP, HOGS, AND HUMAN BEINGS. (NOT CONFIRMED, JUST A LEYEND). Oddly enough, a book I was reading about Sierra County (Downieville, Sierraville, and surrounding Sierra Valley) during the 1840s to 1890ssh, mentions the name Ol' Clubfoot when referring to a grizzly mauling a trapper on Hamlin Creek outside of Sierraville. I believe the books title was Behind Every Hero, but it's been a bit. Coincidentally, I have camped there for quite a few years and often thought to myself what great Griz habitat it would make even to this day, and then last year I read this book and find out it once was. I believe the book references a newspaper clipping with the heading tragedy on hamlin creek or something of that ilk. However, and internet search has yielded no results. Makes me wonder though if there were multiple clubfoot grizzlies around or this one being such a unit that perhaps it commanded more territory. If I am ever able to turn up that book or info on the event itself again I will post it here.
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Post by seldomseenjerin on Feb 28, 2020 21:51:17 GMT -5
Some of the information has come back to me. The trapper's name was Samuel Berry and he was found on Hamlin Creek, Sierra County, California after not return from a trapping excursion. Presumably the evidence suggested that he had been mauled by a suspected known grizzly in the Sierra valley and Sierra Crest with the moniker clubfoot. The bear earned this titled from either having his foot shot off or resultant of a trapping incident, that detail is a bit hazy. One drainage north of Hamlin Creek is Berry Creek and I can only deduce that it is named such in honor of Samuel. I believe this occurred in the early to mid 1860s but not positive on that either.
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Post by brobear on Mar 11, 2020 9:47:26 GMT -5
Bull elephant seal too big for the biggest grizzly.
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Post by tom on Mar 13, 2020 9:37:12 GMT -5
What is the max size weight of a big bull Elephant Seal?
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Post by brobear on Mar 13, 2020 12:27:38 GMT -5
What is the max size weight of a big bull Elephant Seal? I don't know what the record is nor how many have actually been weighed. But here is some info: justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-elephant-seals/ Southern elephant seal males typically reaching a length of 5 m (16 ft) and a weight of 3,000 kg (6,600 lb), and are much larger than the adult females, with some exceptionally large males reaching up to 6 m (20 ft) in length and weighing 4,000 kg (8,800 lb); females typically measure about 3 m (10 ft) and 900 kg (2,000 lb). Northern elephant seal males reach a length of 4.3 to 4.8 m (14 to 16 ft) and the heaviest weigh about 2,500 kg (5,500 lb).
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Post by tom on Mar 13, 2020 12:41:23 GMT -5
That is quite large. Much larger than Walrus and too big for any Bear for sure.
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Post by tom on Mar 13, 2020 12:47:06 GMT -5
What about Leopard Seals which inhabit Antarctica. We've talked about this before on the aggressive nature of Leopard seals which have been known to attack humans and even small boats. What if we dropped Polar Bears into the Leopard Seal habitat. The Bears who have fed on seals in the northern arctic would likely see these Leopard seals as food but little do they know......
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Post by brobear on Aug 11, 2020 7:09:14 GMT -5
www.vchistory.org/exhibits/grizzly-bear/#:~:text=The%20California%20Grizzly%20Bear%2C%20the,of%20California%20written%20in%201898. GRIZZLY BEAR A town gets a name Valley Center was the site of the capture of the largest California Grizzly Bear in history. In 1866, a grizzly weighing 2,200 pounds was killed in the area. Although the town had been settled in 1845 and homesteaded in 1862, it had no formal name until the famous 1866 bear incident. The notoriety surrounding the event gave Valley Center its original name of Bear Valley. The name was subsequently changed to Valley in 1874, to Valley Centre in 1878 and, finally, to Valley Center in 1887. The legend of the great bear A giant grizzly bear, which had been threatening both man and cattle, was killed near the home of James and Ada Lovett in 1866. Lovett and several men dragged the giant animal to where it could be loaded onto a wagon and drove eight miles to the Vineyard Ranch of Col. A.E. Maxcy who had been offering a reward for the capture of the bear. The bear was hoisted onto Maxcy’s cattle scales where it weighed 2,200 pounds and was declared to be the largest grizzly bear ever killed in California. The bear was skinned and cut up, with more than one pound of lead found inside its head. Col. Maxcy kept the skull of the bear as a souvenir until around 1900 when it was reportedly sold to a museum in the south, believed to be either Georgia or Tennessee. Efforts in recent years to locate the skull have been unsuccessful. An eyewitness account The killing of the grizzly was witnessed in 1866 by the 6-year-old daughter of James and Ada Lovett. Some six decades later, in 1932 at age 72, Catherine E. Lovett Smith returned to the family homestead for a visit and provided an oral history of the event to the owner of the ranch, Edward P. Haskell. Mr. Haskell prepared a 3-page documentation of his interview with Catherine and provided a copy for the local history archives at Valley Center Library. His report is titled, How Bear Valley Got Its Name. A peach grower, Haskell created a peach label showing an old oak tree on his property where the bear reportedly attempted the attack. The tree still stands off Guejito Road as does the Lovett home. Descendants of two other pioneer families concur on the story of the bear and how Bear Valley got its name, but differ on the size of the animal. Clyde James, whose father homesteaded here in 1879, said the bear was well over 1,000 pounds. Waldo Breedlove, Sr., born here in 1889 and who grew up near the Lovett ranch, gave the exact weight as 1,950 pounds. The teddy bear In 1902, the 26th President of the United States went on a bear hunt, but refused to shoot the bear cub. A cartoon appeared in the Washington Post to publicize his ethical decision. So popular was Theodore Roosevelt’s decision that a toy stuffed bear was created to celebrate the event. And thus was born the Teddy (Roosevelt) Bear. The California Grizzly The California Grizzly Bear, the largest and most powerful of the bears, thrived in the state for centuries. Some grew to a formidable height of 8 feet and weighed 2,000 pounds, according to a history of California written in 1898. When European immigrants arrived in the state, it was estimated that 10,000 grizzlies inhabited most regions of California. As humans began to populate the state, the grizzly stood its ground, refusing to retreat in the face of advancing civilization. Less than 75 years after the discovery of gold, however, every grizzly in California had been tracked down and killed. It has been extinct since 1924. The killing begins Although the grizzly had roamed the state at will for 300 years, the gold rush of 1849 rang the death knell for the bear. It has been said that the appearance of the repeating rifle in 1848 spelled death for the grizzly. Initially hunted by miners and others because it was considered dangerous, the grizzly was then mercilessly hunted for sport and for its warm fur. Settlers in the late 1800s commonly shot and poisoned bears to protect their livestock. The stock market connection Spanish caballeros roped grizzlies, dragging them into doomed public battles with wild bulls. This popular spectator sport inspired betting as to whether the bear or the bull would win. This gave the modern stock market its “bear” and “bull” nicknames — the bear swipes downward while the bull hooks upward. The path to extinction The last known physical specimen of a California grizzly was shot and killed in Fresno County in 1922. Two years later, the last wild California grizzly was spotted several times in Sequoia National Park and then never seen again. Civilized man had made California’s official animal officially extinct by 1924. Our specimen The taxidermy mount of the grizzly bear on display at the Valley Center History Museum stands nearly 8 feet tall and weighs more than 1,200 pounds. It was originally on display at the San Diego Natural History Museum (founded 1874). It was acquired in 1992 by the Escondido Historical Society for display at its Heritage Walk Museum. The specimen was donated as a generous gift in 2002 by the Escondido Historical Society to the Valley Center History Museum because the bear was a significant part of Valley Center’s local history. Bear specimens in museums commonly come from bears that died of natural causes, illegally confiscated bears, or bears that had to be put down. The state symbol The California grizzly is one of the state’s most visible and enduring symbols, adorning both the state flag and seal. The Bear Flag first flew in 46 as a symbol of the New Republic of California, but was replaced by a second version adopted by the State Legislature in 1911. The bear symbol became a permanent part of the State Seal in 1849. The California Grizzly was designated the official State Animal in 1953. Sources: Local history collection at the Valley Center Library, archives of the Valley Center History Museum, the Science Museum of Minnesota, The Bancroft Library at the University of California, the Library of Congress, and the California State Library.
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Post by brobear on Aug 11, 2020 7:10:06 GMT -5
continued... The California GRIZZLY BEAR EXHIBITION at the VALLEY CENTER HISTORY MUSEUM [ORIGINAL TOWN NAME: BEAR VALLEY, CALIFORNIA]
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Aug 11, 2020 8:36:19 GMT -5
Bull elephant seal too big for the biggest grizzly. I would go as far as to say that not even the biggest bear can take on a bull elephant seal.
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Post by brobear on Aug 12, 2020 6:35:13 GMT -5
Bull elephant seal too big for the biggest grizzly. I would go as far as to say that not even the biggest bear can take on a bull elephant seal. ( IMO ) no evidence other than the size of the bears, but I would wager than the California grizzly preyed upon juvenile elephant seals, possible females, and the steller sea lion.
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Aug 12, 2020 7:08:50 GMT -5
That is right. The female elephant seals are five times lighter than their male counterparts.
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Post by brobear on Aug 12, 2020 7:36:31 GMT -5
About posts #119, #120, and #121... there were ( if I'm remembering right ) three notorious outlaw grizzlies called "Old Clubfoot" each in different locations. Each may have experienced some form of steel trap, thus missing toes. Named from their recognizable footprints.
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Post by King Kodiak on Oct 30, 2020 11:20:52 GMT -5
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Post by King Kodiak on Oct 30, 2020 11:50:45 GMT -5
Reply #133: if i understood that article correctly, its not that biologists are planning to clone an actual California grizzly, they are just debating and planning to just introduce grizzly bears from other states into California. So yes, those new bears would be California grizzlies, but technically not the real "California grizzly".
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Post by brobear on Oct 30, 2020 11:58:04 GMT -5
No; not the "golden bear" that might rival the Kodiak bear in size.
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Post by brobear on Dec 7, 2020 7:50:02 GMT -5
Males average roughly 544 kg ( 1,199 lb ). They were probably on the menu of the now-extinct California grizzly. If they had access to them, I figure a grizzly or an American black bear ( 500+ pounds ) could kill one if the sea lion is far enough from the shoreline.
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Post by OldGreenGrolar on Dec 7, 2020 8:06:19 GMT -5
The American black bear has more hooked claws than the brown bear and could latch on to their back. Male sea lions up to 2500 pounds are out of all American black bear’s leagues.
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Post by brobear on Dec 7, 2020 8:11:25 GMT -5
The American black bear has more hooked claws than the brown bear and could latch on to their back. Male sea lions up to 2500 pounds are out of all American black bear’s leagues. Sure; there's going to be a size limit. The thing with pinnipeds is, they're flopping around on flippers. Neither hoofs nor claws that can be used as weapons. So a bear should be able to kill any pinniped larger than himself ( to a limit ).
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Post by brobear on Dec 8, 2020 2:00:23 GMT -5
Male Steller sea lions may grow to 11 feet in length and weigh almost 2,500 pounds, with an average weight of 1,200 pounds. Females are much smaller and may grow to 9 feet in length and weigh 1,000 pounds. The sea lion is a carnivore and has a powerful neck and shoulders thick with muscle and blubber. This thick neck and his massive weight gives the sea lion a huge advantage. But the bear also has advantages. The bear is far more maneuverable on four feet. He can quickly dodge any lunge in his direction made by the sea lion. His most likely target would be the sea lion's head. The 500+ pound black bear could kill the sea lion, but only if he can figure out how to go about it. But, of course, in reality, it is not the nature of a black bear to challenge a beast larger than himself. There are so many food choices to be found which are much easier and safer to be obtained.
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