Life of a brown bear in the wild. Brown bear: where it lives, what kind it has and what it eats. Where do wild bears live?

home Brown bear

, the most common bear in Russia and on earth in general. The brown bear is the second largest land predator, after the white polar bear, and one of the most dangerous. The height of such a beast standing on hind legs

, can be more than 3 meters, and the weight can reach 700 kg.

Currently, there are about 200 thousand brown bears of twenty species on earth, all of them live only in the northern hemisphere. Half of them live in Russia.

Description

Brown or common, a very dangerous and treacherous beast of prey, one of the largest land predators. This is a separate species belonging to the class of mammals, the order of predators, and the bear family. Outwardly, all brown bears look approximately the same. This is a large animal, with a large body, a fairly large head, small round eyes and round ears, and a powerful scruff at the back of the neck. They have strong paws at the ends of which are large, non-retractable claws. The coat is thick, uniform in color, brown or brown in various shades. Depending on the species, brown bears vary in size.

The largest live in Kamchatka and Alaska, these are the Kamchatka bear and the American grizzly bear. They are three meters long and weigh about 700 kg. When standing on their hind legs, the height of such bears exceeds three meters. Bears living in Europe are smaller, their length is about 2 meters, and their weight does not exceed 400 kg. Bears living in Russia are of medium size, their length is up to 2.5 meters, and their weight is about 500 kg. Once a year they molt, changing their hair. Shedding begins in the spring and continues until autumn, so in the summer they look untidy, but by winter the fur grows back.

Types of brown bears

Today, about two hundred thousand brown bears of twenty subspecies live in the world, and all of them live only in Asia, Europe and America. Here are the main most famous ones: European

, Latin Ursus arctos arctos - lives throughout Europe, the Caucasus and Russia up to the Yenisei River. This is a medium-sized bear, the number is about 80 thousand individuals., Latin Ursus arctos eniseensis - this subspecies includes all bears living in Siberia east of the Yenisei River, except for the Kamchatka Peninsula, Altai, Sayan Mountains, and Northern Mongolia. The bears are large, numbering about 80 thousand.

Kamchatsky, Latin Ursus arctos beringianus. They live on 95% of the territory of Kamchatka except in high-mountainous and heavily wetlands and on Kuril Islands. Bears are very large, measuring up to three meters and weighing up to 700 kg. The number is approximately 16-16.5 thousand individuals.

Lat. Ursus arctos horribilis - lives in central and northern Alaska, northern and eastern Canada. A very large bear, about 3 m in size and weighing up to 700 kg. Outwardly similar to Kamchatsky, but differs in the shape of the muzzle and color. The name — grizzly — means “gray or gray-haired.” The number is about 50 thousand individuals, listed in the Red Book.

Tien Shan, lat. Ursus arctos isabellinus is one of the smallest subspecies of brown bear. Lives in the Tien Shan, Pamir and Himalaya mountains. Medium size: body length up to one and a half meters, and weight up to 300 kg. Distinctive feature are the claws on the front paws yellow, almost white, for which he was given the second name white-clawed. The number has not been established.

Tibetan, lat. Ursus arctos pruinosus is a very rare subspecies of brown bear. It lives in the east and south of Tibet, and is found in the Gobi and in the Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Gansu and Sichuan, adjacent to Tibet. The bear is relatively small in size, about one and a half meters long, weighing about 100 kg. A distinctive feature is its long fur, dark on the body and yellowish on the head. What does it have to do with most of The hairs of the fur are whitish from the middle, which creates a blue tint, for which it received its second name - blue bear. The number has not been established.

Or Kodiak bear, lat. Ursus arctos middendorffi is a subspecies of the large brown bear. The dimensions of the Kodiak are enormous, up to 3 meters in length, more than one and a half meters in height at the withers and weight up to 700 kg. Lives on the islands of the Kodiak archipelago near south coast Alaska. One of the largest land predators. In total, there are now about 3,500 Kodiaks.

Apennine, lat. Ursus arctos marsicanus, Italian subspecies of brown bear. It lives in Italy, mainly in mountainous regions, hence the name Apennine. Now most of them live national parks Lazio, Abruzzo and Molise. The bear is small in size, standing on its hind legs, about 180 cm in height. Weight is from 100 to 150 kg. Also known as the Cantabrian brown bear. Number of about one hundred individuals.

Gobi or mazalay, lat. Ursus arctos gobiensis is another very rare, almost endangered species of brown bear. Small in size, covered with long hair, this bear is ideally suited for life in the cold expanses of the Gobi Desert. It would have been so if not for man. Almost all of them were exterminated; only a few dozen remained, whom they are trying to save.

Syrian, Latin Ursus arctos syriacus - one of the smallest species of brown bear. It lives in the mountainous regions of the Middle East, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Syria. Similar to the Eurasian brown. Light brown, almost sandy in color, about one and a half meters long. One of the smallest, about 150 individuals remain.

The listed subspecies are the main ones scientific classification, however, in different regions of the same region there are bears slightly different in appearance, size and color. Only zoologists specializing in bears, as well as experienced bear hunters, can distinguish them. In the special classification that they use, in addition to those listed, there are such subspecies as: Caucasian brown, Buryat brown, Kolyma brown, Koryak brown, Amur brown, Amur island brown, and some others. If you want to learn more about these subspecies, you should refer to specialized literature.

Lifestyle

The usual habitat of brown bears is thickets with windbreaks in dense remote forests, often near a river or lake. In Europe, bears live in forests on mountain slopes near alpine meadows, in America in wooded mountains, often on the banks of lakes and rivers, although they often wander in search of food. In summer, mountain bears usually descend into valleys where there is more food.

Although the brown bear is a predator, the bulk of its diet consists of plant foods, such as berries, mushrooms, nuts, acorns, fruits and tree bark, and nutritious roots. But since a huge organism is difficult to maintain with low-calorie vegetarian food, bears supplement this with protein foods, such as fish and small animals. Brown bears living on the banks of rivers, especially in Kamchatka, the Far East and Alaska, adapt to fishing, which they do very well. In those places, fish, especially red ones, summer period their main food. One of the most favorite products is bee honey. They climb for this sweetness tall trees, into hollows in which wild bees collect honey. Brown bears often visit apiaries, destroying bee hives.

Bears lead a solitary lifestyle, males are separated, female bears and cubs are separated. Each one assigns a certain area of ​​forest to himself, usually several tens or even a hundred square kilometers. The bear marks the boundaries of its territory by making scratches on the tree with its claws at the height that it can reach by standing in full height, thereby showing their size, and therefore strength. In addition, he usually leaves feces and urine along the border, which determine his smell. Other bears do not claim the marked territory. However, if some wandering bear thinks of encroaching on someone else’s property, then he first tries on the marks on the tree to see if he can reach the marks left by the owner. If he can’t reach them, he calmly leaves. If he is able to get the marks, and even more so make his marks higher, then he can try to seize these possessions, although not a single bear will simply give up his possessions.

The way of life of bears is quite peculiar. In summer, they rest at night in bushes or among dead wood. At dawn the bears go in search of food. Every bear in his domain knows where to eat mushroom places, bushes of raspberries and other berries, where which cedars have the most nuts, where you can eat acorns, which trees have wild bees in their hollows, where it is more convenient to fish. Although the places on the river rifts where fish are caught well during the spawning season are usually considered common and it’s every man for himself. During the day, bears rest for themselves, settling down among bushes in the grass or in moss, and in the evening they are awake again, constantly hunting for something edible.

Plenty of food in the warm season is the main task of the bear in order to gain fat. In the fall, with the onset of cold weather, bears begin setting up a den. In dry holes, under the roots of trees or under fallen trunks, among dead wood from branches, leaves, grass or moss, they make a den for themselves, which they carefully camouflage from above. As soon as the first snowfall begins, brown bears climb into a den and hibernate. Going to the den, the bear deliberately confuses its tracks, and the fallen snow covers both the den itself and the approaches to it. A bear can sleep peacefully all winter.

Mother bears communicate with males only during mating, then they live independently, and the mother bear takes all care of the cubs. They feed them, teach them to look for food, hide, hunt, in short, all the wisdom bear life. They are looked after for two years. For the winter, mother bears build a larger den, since the cubs also spend the winter with it.

Hibernation continues until the weather warms up. On average, brown bears sleep for about three months. During hibernation, a bear's temperature drops to 34 degrees, at which point the bear's body uses its fat reserves very sparingly. And yet, during wintering bears lose about 80 kg of fat. In the southern regions, where there is little snow in winter, bears do not hibernate during the winter. Yes and in middle lane It happens that the bear has either accumulated little fat, or a thaw, or someone’s intervention wakes up the bear and then he wakes up and leaves the den, looking for another place, or does not sleep at all anymore, but begins to walk and look for food. Such bears are called connecting rods, it’s quite dangerous animals, because from hunger they begin to hunt animals and domestic animals. The connecting rod can easily attack a person, so such bears are usually shot.

Under natural conditions, bears live up to thirty years, and in captivity, with good nutrition, can live up to fifty. They are quite capable, amenable to training, and therefore can often be seen in the circus, performing quite complex acts, including riding a bicycle and even riding a motorcycle.

The brown bear is a widespread and best-known member of the bear family. Its scientific name Ursus arctos is composed of Latin and Greek words, meaning "bear".

Subspecies and habitats of brown bears

The brown bear's habitat once extended as far south as North Africa and Central Mexico. In the Middle Ages, the beast inhabited almost all of Europe, including the Mediterranean and the British Isles. Today, due to overfishing, habitat destruction and road construction, the population has decreased significantly.

Today brown bears are common in Russia, in the north-west North America, in Scandinavia, Japan. They are also found in isolated areas of Southern and of Eastern Europe, China, Mongolia, the Himalayas, as well as in the mountainous areas of some Middle Eastern countries. There is even a small population in the mountains Mongolian desert Gobi. However, the favorite habitats of brown bears are dense forests, remote from populated areas, where windbreaks and shrubs are abundant. In America they inhabit wooded mountains.

Previously, the species was so variable and widespread that it was divided into dozens of subspecies (some of them became extinct); some of them were considered species. However, now they are all combined into the only kind, which includes several subspecies. The most famous of them include the following.

Common (European)

This subspecies is found in Europe, the Caucasus and Russia throughout the forest zone, except for the south of the European part of the country. It has medium sizes.

This large subspecies of brown bear is widespread in Alaska and western Canada.

Kodiak

One of the largest predators in the world. Inhabits from Kodiak and Shuyak islands to Alaska.

Syrian

One of the smallest species of brown bears. It is found in the mountains of the Middle East, as well as in Turkey, Syria and Iran.

Tien Shan

This relatively small bear is one of the smallest in numbers. Found in the Tien Shan, Himalaya and Pamir mountains.

Description of a brown bear

The size of the brown bear is very individual and depends primarily on its geographical habitat. The body length of the animal is from 1.5 to 2.8 meters, the height at the withers is 0.9-1.5 m, the weight of males is 135-545 kg. Sometimes there are males whose body length reaches three meters and weighs up to 700 kg. Most large individuals They live on Kodiak Island (USA), on the coast of Alaska, and in Russia - in Kamchatka. In the European part of Russia, brown bears weighing 250-300 kg are most often encountered. Females are much smaller: their average weight is 90-250 kg. The weight of these animals also depends on the time of year - in the fall they are the most well-fed, since for successful winter hibernation they need to thoroughly stock up on subcutaneous fat.

The body of the drill bear is very powerful, the withers are high and muscular; the head is massive with a wide forehead, the eyes are small, the ears are round, the tail 5-20 cm long is almost invisible under a layer of fur. The animal's fur is thick, the most long hair They grow on the withers and on the back of the body; they are shorter on the head and paws.

Although our hero is called brown, he is not always painted exactly this color. In nature, you can meet black, light gray, straw yellow and even silver (grizzly bears in North America) individuals. Cubs of the same litter can have different colors.

The bear's build is heavy, awkward, and in order to support its large mass, its paws are plantigrade (when walking, the entire sole is pressed to the ground). The same feature allows him to freely rise and stand on hind legs. On each paw it has 5 fingers, armed with curved non-retractable claws, the length of which can reach 10 cm.

Nature did not reward clubfoot with acute hearing and vision, but compensated for this with an excellent sense of smell. When the animal stands on its hind legs, using its sense of smell, it tries to obtain more information about the surrounding environment.

How do brown bears live in nature?

Bears prefer to lead a solitary lifestyle. In search of food, they wander around their vast areas. On the mainland, these areas can be 200-2000 sq. km for males and 100-1000 sq. km for females. Individual territory is vigilantly guarded from the invasion of strangers, and if some clubfoot encroaches on someone else's property, a clash cannot be avoided. Adult males can cause serious injuries to each other during territorial fights.

Diet

The brown bear, unlike its fellow polar bear, cannot be called a predator in the full sense of the word. On the contrary, about 75% of its diet consists of plant foods. These are nuts, berries, tubers and stems herbaceous plants, seeds, acorns, etc.

Thanks to its muscular withers and huge claws, the clubfoot is better suited for digging small mammals, insects and underground parts of plants. Strong jaw muscles also allow the animal to more easily handle fibrous foods and survive on a plant-based diet.

In general, the bear menu depends on the season and availability different types feed Its diet also includes rodents, frogs, worms, and lizards. He willingly eats carrion.

In some areas, brown bears have real feasts when they find large concentrations of insects or come ashore during salmon's spawning run.

In some places they hunt ungulates. With one blow of a powerful paw, the animal can break the spine of a deer. Sometimes bears hunt roe deer, wild boars, fallow deer, and mountain goats. Often clubfoot significantly limit the number of these animals by hunting young ones.

When obtaining food, the animal relies mainly on its strength rather than speed. However, despite its clumsy appearance, the clubfoot can run quite briskly if necessary - at speeds of up to 50 km/h. It is an excellent swimmer, and young individuals are good at climbing trees.

Hibernation

Since bears descended from canids and evolved towards herbivory, they faced a problem - a lack of food in the winter. One of nature’s solutions was their ability to hibernate during the winter.

Typically, hibernating animals save a lot of energy due to a significant, sometimes almost zero, decrease in body temperature. The body temperature of bears that have climbed into a den decreases slightly (from 38 to 34° C), but their heart rate and breathing rate noticeably decreases.

Brown bears are among those mammals that, while asleep, can live up to 6 months without eating, drinking or excreting. Sleeping animals draw energy mainly from fat reserves: the more plump a bear is when it hibernates, the less body weight it loses during sleep. This process is so effective that bears rarely die during winter sleep: death from starvation occurs more often in the spring, when the metabolic rate increases.

In autumn, bears begin to set up a den. Most often, for their winter rookery, they choose places on the outskirts of impassable swamps or along the banks forest rivers and lakes. A prerequisite is distance from populated areas. Rookeries are located under the roots of massive trees, in ravines, caves, crevices, pits, and windbreaks. At the bottom of the den the animal lays a bedding of spruce branches, moss, bark, dry grass, etc.

Bears go into hibernation in October–December and emerge from it in March–May. These terms depend on many factors, but mainly on the geographical habitat. In different areas, sleep can last from 70 to 195 days.

Reproduction

Mating season for brown bears it occurs in May-July. The male and female spend time together for several weeks, but as soon as mating occurs, the animals scatter.

Pregnancy has its own characteristics: the fertilized egg in the female’s body develops to the state of a blastocyst, then stops growing, and around November it is implanted into the uterus. During the hibernation period, pregnancy proceeds quite quickly, the fetus develops actively and after 6-8 weeks 1 to 4 cubs are born. Thus, the total gestational age is 6.5-8.5 months.

High body temperature is necessary for bears to develop their cubs, which are born in the middle of winter. The birth of cubs in the depths of winter and their subsequent feeding by a hibernating mother is an amazing phenomenon.

Bear cubs are born with open eyes and very thin fur. Proportional to the mother's mass, they are very small (less than 1%), which is much less than others placental mammals. However, feeding cubs with milk in the den takes a lot of energy from the mother, as a result of which the female loses up to 40% of her body weight during hibernation.

The reproduction rate of bears is quite low and depends on the region and the abundance of food. As a rule, a female bear gives birth to her first litter at the age of 5 to 10 years, and the interval between the births of cubs is from 2 to 5 years. Females are able to reproduce until about 20 years of age.

In the wild, brown bears live on average about 25 years. There is a known case where an animal in captivity lived to be 43 years old.

Population status

Due to their wide distribution and habitat in remote areas, it is very difficult to determine the exact number of brown bears today. According to rough estimates, there are 200-250 thousand of these animals in the world. Seems like it's enough big number, but we must not forget that many populations are extremely small and are in danger of extinction. Tiny remnant populations are scattered throughout Spain, Italy, France, and Greece. Brown bears were brought to some areas of France, Austria, and Poland from other places. Restoration of small populations is difficult due to the low reproduction rate.

The conflict with humans, the only enemy of brown bears, is aggravated by the fact that each bear uses a very large territory. In Russia, Japan and some European countries Hunting for brown bears is permitted. In our country, for example, 4-5 thousand animals are killed annually. This level of legal shooting is considered acceptable, but there is still the problem of poaching.

Most populations are listed on CITES Appendix II, with the Chinese and Mongolian populations listed on CITES Appendix I. American populations found in Alaska are listed as rare by the IUCN.

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They are found mainly in Asia, Europe and America. The habitat of the bear family is discontinuous. In the polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere it lives exclusively polar bear. All other bears, including tropical ones, prefer to live in the forest zone. If we divide all the continents of the planet into “bear” territories, we can identify the species typical for them.

1. The polar regions of Eurasia and North America are home to the largest bear, the polar bear. This species feeds mainly on animal food, although in the summer in the tundra it can eat mushrooms, berries, algae and grass.
2. The brown bear lives in the forest zone of Europe and Northern Asia. A species similar to the Eurasian brown bear, found in the forests of North America, is called the grizzly bear. However, its differences from its Eurasian counterpart are insignificant.
3. The black or white-breasted bear lives in mixed forests Far East. It is significantly smaller than a brown bear, but is better adapted to life in the forest.
4. The spectacled bear is found only in the mountainous regions of northwestern South America.
5. Malayan bear - representative rare species, living in southern Asia and the islands of Indonesia. This is the smallest bear with large paws that allow it to quickly dig the ground.
6. The giant panda is technically a member of the bear family, but many scientists believe that it is closer to raccoons than to bears. If you agree that big panda- this is a bear, then she is the most herbivorous bear in the world. However, it diversifies its bamboo diet with animal food, eating birds, eggs, and rodents. All pandas live only in southeast Asia.

Thus, if we consider only the range, the answer to the question “where do bears live” is very simple - in Eurasia and America.

Bear biotopes

Each animal prefers to live in the environment to which it is best adapted. If we use the term “biotope” in relation to a specific species, then this is the world, where individuals of the species that are most adapted to the given conditions live.

Although non-white bears can be found in the steppe, high in the mountains and even in desert regions, their biotope is forest. High in the mountains, bears hide from the heat and midges. They can go out into the steppe to feed on root crops, bulbs, insects, and rodents and birds. However, there are always trees nearby that grow in closed canopies.

Bamboo, that is, your favorite food big panda, is considered a grass. However, this grass forms real forest thickets. In addition, bamboo grows in the forest zone, where true woody species are usually present.

All bears living in temperate and polar climates make a winter shelter called a den. Solitary polar bears rarely hibernate, mainly during years without food. The bear's den in the Arctic is most often maternity hospital. A pregnant bear makes a deep and wide chamber in the snow, lying there from November to April for the entire period of pregnancy and early feeding of the cubs.

Variety of bears

Bears living in temperate climates hibernate during the entire period of snow and cold. The bear's den in winter serves as a place to wait out the state of suspended animation for absolutely all brown bears of northern Eurasia and America. The diet of these species contains too much plant food, and such a large animal is not able to compensate for it with animal food.

A bear's den in the forest is a hole that is most often dug under fallen trees or stumps. This the pit must be completely closed on all sides. There is only narrow hole, through which the bear gets inside his winter home. The top of the bear's hole is filled with brushwood and dry leaves.

White-breasted bears prefer to spend the winter in hollows. Since there are almost no large and hollow trees left in the Far Eastern forests, the black bear, which does not have developed instincts for making a den, is forced to hibernate right on the ground, somewhere under dense thickets.

Thus, bears live in Eurasia and America, as well as in the Arctic and in the forest zone. In addition, some species living in regions with cold climates spend part of their lives in dens.

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Despite the fact that the bear is a predator by nature, it prefers to eat plant foods. Surprisingly, the brown one loves berries, stems and leaves of shrubs, as well as honey. The craving for honey forces the animal to take risks and climb into the hives of wild bees, from where it often has to carry its paws away.

Often, in search of tasty food, the animal climbs into feeding areas and cereal fields, in particular into oats and corn crops.

Taiga and swampy places are rich in a variety of berries, which the brown bear loves so much. He does not refuse forbs either. Moreover, the clubfoot eats only a certain part of the plants. Bears most often feast on their leaves, stems, fruits or roots. A special time for this is spring, when it can accumulate body weight for days after a long winter hibernation by eating vegetation.

However, plant foods are only half of the brown bear's menu. The rest of it is animal food. After emerging from hibernation, the bear hunts rodents, eats all kinds of insects and their larvae. For this purpose, the animal will not even be lazy to dig a hole in order to pull mice, moles, and marmots out of the ground. Bears are known as destroyers of anthills and apiaries.

Hunting and fishing

When they get out to bodies of water, they become real fishermen. Especially during spawning season, when fish spawn, the brown predator will not miss the moment for such a delicacy. The animal values ​​trout and salmon most of all.

If artiodactyls graze nearby, then the clubfoot will not hesitate to attack elk, wild boars or deer. Hunger drives the brown bear from the forest to people. There he often attacks livestock: horses, cows and sheep. There are times when a bear attacks its relatives of another breed, as well as wolves and tigers.

Stories about a bear who really loves honey are by no means fiction. Bears really have a big sweet tooth, ready to climb even trees in search of honey from wild bees.

If the animal is really hungry, then it can attack own cub. Therefore, sensing a threat, the mother bear and her cubs strive to move to a safe distance until the offspring grow up. A well-fed bear does not pose much of a threat even to humans, however, you should not take risks and seek a meeting with it.

Common brown bear - carnivorous mammal bear family. This large predator is considered one of the most dangerous. There are about 20 subspecies, which differ in habitat and appearance.

Appearance

All subspecies of brown bear have a well-developed, powerful body, a fairly large head with small eyes and rounded ears, and high withers. The tail is short (from 6.5 to 21 cm). Strong paws with powerful non-retractable claws up to 10 cm long, five-toed feet, quite wide. Appearance subspecies varies significantly. Males are approximately one and a half times larger than females.

Dimensions

The individuals inhabiting Europe are the smallest, reaching two meters in length and weighing 200 kg. Brown bears living in central Russia are larger and weigh about 300 kg. The largest are grizzlies and Far Eastern bears, their length reaches three meters and their weight reaches 500 kg or more.

Color

What a bear looks like and what color its skin is depends on its habitat. There are bears from light fawn to black and blue. Brown fur color is considered standard.

Grizzlies native to the Rocky Mountains have white fur on their backs at the tips, creating a grayish tint. Brown bears living in the Himalayas have a completely grayish color, while those living in Syria have a light, brownish-red skin.

Brown bears shed once a year, from spring to autumn. Spring molt is often separated from autumn molt. Spring molting occurs most intensely during the rut and lasts quite a long time. Autumn flows almost unnoticed and ends by the time it begins. hibernation bears.

Lifespan

The lifespan of a bear directly depends on the conditions in which it lives. How many years do bears live? Average duration life in wildlife under favorable conditions it is 20-30 years.

How many years does a brown bear live in captivity? With good care, brown bears reach the age of 45-50 years.

Subspecies

Population differences in the brown bear are very large, and previously they were divided into many individual species. Today, all browns have been combined into one species, with several subspecies. Let's look at the most common ones.

European (Eurasian) brown

A large, powerful animal with a strongly pronounced hump.

Main characteristics:

• body length - 150-250 cm;
• weight - 150-300 kg;
• height at withers - 90-110 cm.

The fur is yellowish-gray to dark brown, quite long and thick.

Caucasian brown

There are two forms of this subspecies - large and small.

Greater Caucasian:

• body length - 185-215 cm;
• weight - 120-240 kg.

Lesser Caucasian:

• body length - 130-140 cm;
• weight - no more than 65 kg.

This subspecies combines external signs Syrian and European bears. Short, coarse coat ranging from light yellowish to brownish-gray. There is a dark spot in the withers area.

Siberian brown

One of the largest subspecies.

Its dimensions:

• body length - 200-250 cm;
• weight - 300-400 kg.

It has a large head, long and soft shiny coat from light brown to brown-brown. Some individuals have a yellowish or black tint in color.

Ussuri brown

Also known as the Asian black grizzly or Amur.

• length - up to 2 m;
• weight - 300-400 kg.

It stands out for its developed skull with an elongated nose and very dark, almost black skin. The long hair on the round ears will also help distinguish it from other subspecies.

Far Eastern (Kamchatka) brown

The largest subspecies found in Russia.

Its dimensions:

• length - up to 2.5 m;
• weight - 350-450 kg. Some males reach 500 kg or more.

This subspecies has a massive head with a rather short nose and a wide front part raised above it, and small rounded ears. Dense, long and soft wool from fawn to blackish-brown. Claws are dark up to 10 cm.

Habitats

The brown bear inhabits almost the entire forest zone from the west of Russia and the forests of the Caucasus to Pacific Ocean. It can also be found in Japan on the island of Hokkaido, in some Asian countries, in Europe, Canada and in the northwestern states of America.

For life he chooses forested areas, with windbreaks and bushes, prefers coniferous forests. It can wander into the tundra or settle in high mountain forests, with an undergrowth of edible plants.

The habitat is not tied to a specific place; often the feeding places and the bear’s home are located far from each other and the bear has to make long journeys during the day.

Habits and lifestyle

The brown bear is a loner. Males live separately, and females raise cubs. Each adult has its own territory, the size of which can reach several hundred square kilometers. Males "own" much larger territory than females. The boundaries of the territory are marked by scratches on the trees and the scent of the owner.

The habits of bears are typical of a predator. During the day, as a rule, animals rest, choosing secluded areas among grass or bushes. They go out in search of food in the morning or evening. Despite poor eyesight, bears are excellent at navigating using their sense of smell and hearing.

Despite its impressive dimensions and apparent clumsiness, it is a fairly agile and fast animal, capable of climbing trees, swimming and running at speeds of up to 60 km/h.

Nutrition

The diet of a brown bear is very diverse, because bears eat almost everything. Its main diet consists of plant foods: berries, nuts, acorns, stems, tubers and roots of plants. If possible, he will not miss the opportunity to wander into the fields to feast on oats and corn. It also eats various insects, frogs, lizards and rodents.

Adults hunt young moose, fallow deer, deer, roe deer and wild boar. Large predator is capable of breaking the backbone of its prey with one blow of its paw, then hides the carcass, covering it with brushwood, and guards it until it is completely eaten. For the Far Eastern brown, the main diet in the summer-autumn period is salmon going to spawn.

When the food supply is insufficient, bears often destroy apiaries and attack livestock.

These animals have amazing memory. Having found mushrooms or berries that bears eat in the forest, they remember the places and then easily find their way to them. The lifespan of a brown bear in the wild largely depends on adequate nutrition.

Reproduction

How do bears reproduce? The mating season begins in May and lasts a couple of months. The rut is active, accompanied by fights between males and roars. After 6-8 months, cubs are born. Bear cubs are born in the middle of winter, when the bear is hibernating.

Cubs are born weighing only 400-500 grams, blind, with sparse hair. As a rule, there are 2-4 cubs in a litter. For more than a year after birth, they feed on their mother’s milk, but immediately after leaving the den, the mother begins to accustom them to various foods.

The cubs and their mother live for three to four years, then they separate and begin to live independently. Females reach sexual maturity in the third or fourth year, males develop 1-2 years longer.

Hibernation

From mid-summer and throughout autumn, bears actively prepare for hibernation, feeding heavily and accumulating fat. Bear hibernation differs from the hibernation of other mammals; it is not suspended animation, but simply deep sleep, in which neither the breathing nor the pulse of the animal changes practically. A bear in hibernation does not fall into complete stupor.

Preparation

Shelters for the winter are arranged in remote and dry places, under tree roots or under windbreaks. The clubfoot can dig a den on its own, or it can occupy a crevice in the mountains or a small cave. Pregnant females build a spacious and deep den, insulating it from the inside with moss, leaves and spruce branches.

One-year-old cubs always spend the winter in their mother's den, often joined by two-year-old cubs. Adults lie in the den one at a time.

Duration of hibernation

How long does a bear sleep? It all depends on weather conditions and other factors, the brown one can hibernate for up to six months.

A bear's hibernation in winter and its duration depend on the weather, age, gender, state of health and the amount of fat gained during the summer-autumn period. So, for example, an old individual that has gained enough fat will go into hibernation long before the snow cover falls, and young individuals go to the den only in November or December. Pregnant females settle in for the winter first.

Bear rod

A shatun is an animal that has not had time to accumulate the required amount of fat, which is why it cannot hibernate and is forced to look for food for itself all winter.

Why is a connecting rod bear dangerous? In severe frosts, with an acute shortage of food, the connecting rods often get close to settlements in search of food. There are more than one known cases of a connecting rod attacking domestic animals and even humans.

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