Appropriate answers are found by clicking on the appropriate heading (e.g., BEAR SAFETY) BEAR SAFETY • How dangerous are bears? * What major factors govern your risk of being injured by a bear? * How commonly are people mauled by a bear? * Why do bears sometimes injure people? • Why do bears sometimes injure people? • How common are serious or fatal injuries? • How common are minor injuries? • Are grizzly/brown bears fiercer than black bears? • How can I stay safe if I encounter a bear? • Should I carry a gun in bear country? • How effective is pepper spray? BEAR IDENTIFICATION • How many species of bears are there? • On which continents do they live? • What’s the difference between brown and grizzly bears? • How do you distinguish black bears from brown bears? • Where in North America do black, brown and polar bears live? • Are polar bears the only kind of white bear? • What are the coat colors for each species? • How do you distinguish a bear’s sex? • How do you estimate a bear’s age or maturity? • How do you distinguish one bear from another? Bears of the World * Photos of each bear species * Maps of the geographic distribution of each species * Photos of the skull of each species * Illustrations of skeletons * Links to pages on bear evolution, with information about extinct species BEAR LIFE CYCLE • What are the stages of maturity for a bear? • What are boars and sows? • What does it mean that a female is “in season”? • What are the mating seasons for bears? • How and why do bears court? How do they mate? • How do bears compete for mates? • At which ages do males and females reproduce? • When does gestation occur? When are cubs born? • What are the roles of adult males and females in caring for cubs? • What is the typical sex ratio of cubs at birth? • How is the ability of a juvenile to survive on its own related to its age? • At which age are cubs weaned? • At which age do they become independent of their mother? • What is a subadult? • Do bears adopt orphans? • How long do bears typically live? • How do bears compare ecologically to chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans? • How intelligent are bears compared to great apes? BEAR ECOLOGY • What foods do bears eat? Which nutrients do these foods provide? • Which types of habitat are occupied by each species? • What preys on bears? • What other enemies do bears have? • Where do bears den? • When do bears den? • What is hibernation? • Why hibernate? • Is the torpor of all hibernating animals equally deep” • What other differences occur between small- vs. large-bodied hibernators? • Why don’t bears store enough fat that they don’t need to hibernate? BEAR CONSERVATION CHALLENGES * Intensive Management (AKA "Alaska's Predator Holocaust") * Climate change and Recovery of Threatened bear populations in the Lower 48 states * Deforestation and habitat fragmentation * Extinct species (Giant short faced bear in Alaska; cave bear in Eurasia, etc.) OTHER FACETS OF NATURAL HISTORY Guides at any level of safety expertise can also earn an endorsement in other aspects of natural history:
Web pages on these subjects will be added if there is demand. |
FREQUENTLY-ASKED VIEWER QUESTIONS
| Bear Viewing Association To watch, to wonder, and to conserve [email protected] Ph/Fax (907) 260-9059 (Office) 39200 Alma Ave. Soldotna, AK 99669 |
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Answers to questions commonly asked by wildlife viewers on the topics listed below: |
| Bear Viewing Association To watch, to wonder, and to conserve [email protected] Ph/Fax (907) 260-9059 (Office) 39200 Alma Ave. Soldotna, AK 99669 |
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