It is almost that time of the year again! The Bears are about to wake out of their wintertime hibernation. You better believe those guys are going to be hungry when they get up. They will be on the prowl throughout the mountains and will be hanging out near the creek looking for an easy meal!
Every spring when the bears wake there is the possibility of human contact and if you are wise you will walk away without any incident. Never incite a bear or he might just come and show how tough he really is! And you my friend are no competition for an 800 pound bear or even a 300 pound bear! You got to remember they fight to live everyday and with huge claws that cut through a salmon with precision, you are no match.
Bears are found all over the world and can walk on their heels like a human. They have large bodies, small round ears, with a short stubby tail. Bears are classified carnivores and each species varies amounts of herbivorous behavior. The Polar bear is mostly a meat eaters and the Panda likes plants.
There are many species of bear! You have the, Brown bear, Asiatic black bear, Sloth Bear, Giant panda, Polar bear, Spectacled Bear, Sun Bear, Black bear!
- The Brown Bears can weight anywhere from 300-860 and the females 200-450. They can be aggressive; it is ironic that children have stuffed bears for animals! There are several kinds in the Ursus actos species; Alaska brown bear, Asiatic Brown Bear, European Brown bear, Grizzly bear, Himalayian Snow Bear, Kodiak Bear and the Syrian
- Asiatic Black Bear-Selenarctos thibetanus als known as Black beast, doh bear. Formosa Bear, Giant Cat Bear in Japan. They are medium sized and have huge ears for their body. The males weigh 220-440 and the females 110-275. They are found throughout Southern Asia. They are in Northern India, Northeast china, Nepal, Sikkim, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Taiwan, Southeast Russia, Shikoko, and Honshu. They are mostly veggie eaters and some have been know to eat small animals.
- Sloth Bear- Melursus Ursinus -They are Termite eaters and pretty small animals. Adults may weigh from 110-320. The are also known as Aswail, Ball(Kipling), Honey bear, Jungle Joker, and Lip bear!
- Giant Panda-Ailuropoda melanoleuca- Also known as Fiery Fox, Shi Ti Shou (Iron Eating Beast), Black and White Bear, Shining Cat, Cat Bear, Bai Bao(white Leapord). Pandas males grow to about 190-275 pounds and females 155-220. Bamboo is 99% of their diet and they eat from 26-33 pounds of it a day!
- Polar Bear-Ursus maritimus aldo known as Ice Bear, Nanook Bear, Polar Bear, Sea Bear, White Bear, Walking Bear. They love to eat Seals and they are no feat for those huge claws! They are a very aggressive animal with the male weighing as much as 1,300 pounds and the females are smaller at about 600 pounds. They away from these bears they don’t play!
- Spectacled bear- Tremarctos ornatus-short faced Bear. It gets its named from it rings around its eyes. The males weigh from 220-340 and females 140-180. They are found in South America-Peru, Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, and Bolivia. They eat wide range of food and like to build nest high in trees.
- Sun Bear-Ursus malayanus- Maylay Bear, Dog Bear (Thailand), Ape man, Bruang (Sumatra). IT is a small bear in the lowland tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. This bear can be found in Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangledesh, Cambodia, and many other countries in the Southeastern. They have a balanced diet and love termites, birds, and plam oil. They only weigh up to 145 pounds. Much of their habitat has been ruined by deforestation and they have been over hunted. They are in Danger!
- Black bear- Ursus americanus- American Black Bear, Florida Black Bear Cinnamon Bear, Glacier Bear, Kermode Bear. These guys are found all North American and Canada! They estimated around 750,000 of them and near 7,000 just in the great state of Pennsylvania. They have been known to come in different colors- brown black bear, white black bear, and even the Blue Glacier Bear. They are great climbers and use trees often for protection. There are 18 known sub-species of bear and you can say they are the most successful bear.
So next time you are up in the mountain or driving down the road through Penn State. Be sure to let these guys do what they are doing and never approach a beer. Once you piss a bear off it could be very bad for you. They have been known to rip holes in the tops of cars and they can break a window with no effort! There is no hiding once you make him mad!
The rules: For whatever reason Do Not Ever Run from a bear! There is no way you could ever run from a bear! They run up to 30 mph and could catch you in no time! Just try to back away slowly and if they come for you, you better find a tall tree you can climb! It is recommended to be as high 35 feet in the air! Remember black bear are great climbers but they can be lazy too, your climbing skills may save your life. Grizzlies aren’t great climbers but they can jump high!
For a Brown Bear you will be safer in the fetal position and play dead and hope that it works. He may leave you alone if he thinks you are not a threat. For a black bear you better be ready to fight and use anything available. Pepper Spray in the eyes or a big stick and fight for your life. Be sure to never drop your backpack and run! You can use it to save your life!
Do not ever provoke a bear! They are wild and will kill you! Never feed a bear or leave food sitting around a camp site! Many bear have become addicted to human food and will kill to have it.
Thanks for reading and hope these tips may save your life one!
