QUIZ: I BLEW IT. The National Wildlife people did a brand new quiz concerning this past week and I failed it miserably. I really blew it, confident as I had been that I knew a thing or two about bears. After all, I have seen live bear “in the wild – as they say. I've witnessed them lumbering across fields, crossing streams, even one fine animal ambling along the road beside which I used to lived in Virginia. Being aware of bear, of course, I thought I knew a thing or two about them.
The first question on the Wildlife quiz threw me. They ask me where most grizzly bear called home. They even gave me a choice of four locations, so I became suspicious. When I saw “ Alaska”, “Canada”,”Montana“,” Idaho“ printed before me, I went first with ”Alaska”; did not bite on the Idaho bait at all, and concluded that Canada had more room for bear to wander than even huge Alaska. My answer was “Canada” and they, of course, liked “Alaska”. Next question, please.
The bear is seen today in just eight species. Originally it is thought to have been it was a small animal of about the size of present day racoons and foxes. It was called the “Ursavus” and it lived in Asia; ate both plant and animal food and was heavily covered with thick fur which enabled it to thrive in the coldest areas. Those which remained in Asia eventually turned into the giant Panda living China today. Those who took the bridge across the Bering Sea, short-faced bear, which prospered in the Upper North and in the Altas Mountains in South America. The “Brown” bear and the “Grizzly” bar are one and the same. Lest we forget, the "Polar” bear split off from the regular bear family at about three hundred years thousand years ago when they took to the ice and turned white for protective reasons.
Male grizzly bears find their partners by following a scent left by the female wherever she may go. The baby pups are only about one-pound in weight at birth and they stay with Mother for two years or more. The male grizzly or brown bear take absolutely no responsability for their young at all, so the romantic version of Papa, Mama and Baby are extremely exaggerated.
The grizzly life is not the sort forming the base of romantic novel - far from it and it appears to be one place for humans to avoid. Other bears are found in many sections of our country - in our National Park area, in particular, and we need to take sensible steps to see to it we can coexist a while longer.
A.L.M. November 15, 2005 [c000wds]
