What is the largest bear in the world?

Kodiak brown bear, Ursus arctos dalli, is a subspecies of brown bear in the Ursidae family. It is the largest subspecies of brown bear and a carnivorous mammal. It is 2-2.8 meters long and usually weighs more than 550 kilograms, with the largest individual weighing more than 700 kg.

Kodiak brown bears are omnivorous animals. Brown bears have an excellent sense of smell, about 7 times that of hunting dogs. They also have good eyesight and can see fish in the water when fishing. They are distributed on Kodiak Island in Alaska.

Appearance features

Kodiak brown bears are the largest subspecies of brown bears, mainly distributed in Kodiak, Afgnak and Suik islands in Alaska. Their huge bodies are enough to compete with their white neighbors, polar bears. An adult Kodiak male bear can stand more than 3 meters tall and weigh more than 350 kilograms, and such big guys are not uncommon there. The heaviest wild male bear on record weighed 751 kilograms. This poor fat guy was captured alive from Kodiak Island and sent directly to the Berlin Zoo.

Living environment

The Kodiak brown bear is a sturdy bear with a bulging back and shoulders. Its dense fur has different colors, such as gold, brown, black, and brown-black. In winter, the fur will grow further, up to 10 cm long, and in summer it will become shorter again, and the color is darker than in winter. Kodiak brown bear.

Some brown bears have lighter tips, even almost silver-white, which makes them look like they are covered with a layer of silver-gray, hence the name "grizzly bear". The bulging muscles on the shoulders of Kodiak brown bears make their forearms very powerful, and the claws of their front paws can be up to 15 cm long. Because the claws cannot be retracted into the claw sheath like cats, these claws are relatively thick and blunt. Despite this, their forearms are so powerful that their "blunt" claws can still cause great damage when they swing. It is said that a swing of the front paws of an adult brown bear is enough to break the back of a bison, which shows that their strength should not be underestimated. Although brown bears have long claws, they are not good at climbing trees. Adult brown bears are so large that their claws are probably too long to bear such weight. In addition, despite their bulky appearance, they can run at a speed of up to 56 kilometers per hour. Due to their good endurance, they can run for several miles at this speed without any problem. Compared with their huge heads, their ears are quite small, and when they put on thick long-haired winter clothes, the small ears are even more looming. Brown bears have a relatively wide snout and have 42 teeth, including two large canines. Like other bears, they are slender and have a short tail.

Life habits

Generally speaking, Kodiak brown bears usually go out at dawn and dusk, and hide in their dens to rest during the day, but some restless guys may wander around at any time. The dens of brown bears are usually built on well-hidden hillsides, under large rocks, or between the roots of large trees. Sometimes they dig a den by themselves, and then collect some hay and other things to spread in the den, making the den comfortable. Such a den may be used for several years. Entering October to December means that the winter sleep is about to come, but this winter sleep is not what people used to think of as hibernation. Because their metabolic rate does not drop to a very low level like those animals that really hibernate, and these sleeping bears may wake up at any time. But even so, not all brown bears will participate in the winter sleep action. For example, those brown bears living in the south, where the climate is not so harsh and the food in winter is still guaranteed, their sleep time may be very short, or even do not need such a long sleep. The brown bears become active again from March to May of the following year, but the specific time depends on the place of residence, climate and other factors.

Kodiak brown bears are quite aggressive animals, especially when protecting their territory and food. In order to protect their food, they will drive away wolves and mountain lions, and also drive away other bears that invade their territory. However, most fights are still concentrated in the mating season. In order to raise their children, female brown bears usually mate only once every 3-5 years. In order to allow the female bears to enter the mating stage as early as possible, male bears will look for opportunities to kill the female bears' children. Although the brave mothers fight hard when encountering these guys that are 1.5 times or even twice their size, 45% of the deaths of young children are still caused by male bears.

Population status

Kodiak brown bears are also omnivores. Their diet also changes with the seasons. Generally speaking, plant food accounts for 60-90%, including various plant roots, tubers, grass, grains and various fruits. The rest is animal food, such as insects, rodents, ungulates (such as elk, reindeer, moose, etc.), fish and carrion, etc. Sometimes, if the opportunity is right, they will even kill black bears smaller than them to satisfy their hunger. Brown bears living along the coastline have the opportunity to jump into the water and enjoy a nutritious salmon feast every year during the salmon spawning season.

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