In Russian folklore, the bear appears as a model of laziness and clumsiness. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the movements of the animal are usually measured and unhurried. But this impression is deceptive. If necessary, the beast is able to run fast and easily climb trees.
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The brown bear, also called the common bear, is a fairly massive animal of heavy build, belongs to the class of mammals. It is an independent species and includes 20 subspecies.
The beast has a large head with deep-set small eyes and a short tail completely hidden in fur. The length of the curved claws reaches 10 cm.
The brown bear is one of the largest land-dwelling predators.
The size and color of an adult animal varies depending on the habitat. It also depends on what the brown bear eats. The largest animals of this species live in the Far East and Alaska. Their growth reaches almost 3 meters, and they weigh about 700 kg. And the smallest ofrepresentatives of the species live in Europe, their height does not exceed 2 meters, and their weight is 400 kg. Moreover, males are larger than females.
The color of representatives from different subspecies varies from pale yellow to black with a blue tint.
The fur of the beast is thick and shiny.
Once a year, animals molt, molting goes from spring to late autumn, so the bear looks untidy in summer.
These animals in natural conditions live from 20 to 30 years, but in captivity with proper care they can live up to 50 years.
Where the bear lives
Representative of this species lives on almost the entire territory of Russia, more precisely, in its forest part, except for the southern regions and the northern tundra. However, the clubfoot can be seen on the island of Hokkaido, in Canada, in some European and Asian countries, in the northwestern United States, and it is also very common in Alaska.
Woodlands have become a favorite place for the animal to live, mostly coniferous forests, with fallen trees and bushes.
The animal is not tied to a specific place: brown bear feeding areas and its dwelling can be in different areas. Thanks to its great endurance, the animal travels great distances in search of food.
Bear lifestyle
Under natural conditions, brown bears are loners. Although females live with cubs. An adult animal has its own territory, which is more than a hundred square kilometers, but males have much more possession. On their site, clubfoot is left as a markwaste products, and also scratch trees.
During the day, animals usually rest in secluded places, such as in a ravine or in a bush. Due to the feeding habits of the brown bear in the taiga, it is active in the morning and evening, when it is not so hot.
Usually a bear hides from people, but a chance encounter can occur, which is fraught with death. Especially dangerous are rods and she-bears with cubs.
Animals have poor eyesight, but excellent sense of smell and hearing, animals use them to navigate.
Bears of different sexes communicate with each other only during the mating season.
What does a brown bear eat
The brown bear's menu is quite varied, as it is omnivorous. It should be noted that the brown bear in the forest eats mostly plant foods. The animal feeds on berries, nuts, acorns, rhizomes and herbs. The animal is not squeamish and willingly eats insects, rodents, frogs and lizards.
Adult animals hunt wild boars and small artiodactyls, sometimes wolves and tigers. It happens that a bear takes prey from less powerful predators. The seasonal food of the beast is fish that enters the rivers to spawn.
The bear has a sweet tooth and, if possible, feasts on the honey of wild bees, finding it in the hollows of trees.
The question arises: what does a brown bear eat if there is not enough food? In famine years, the clubfoot wanders into the fields and spoils the crops. He can also ruin the apiary and attack livestock. Sometimes maleseat alien cubs, more often males as possible competitors in the future.
It can be noted that in nature, brown bears also eat carrion.
Reproduction
Females are ready to mate at the age of 3, males become sexually mature 1-2 years later. The mating season runs from May to mid-summer. During the rut, males roar loudly and fiercely fight for the right to leave offspring.
By the middle of winter, cubs are born during hibernation. As a rule, a female bear gives birth to 2-3 cubs weighing about 500 grams. The first month they are blind and deaf, and at the age of 3 months they already go out for a bear from the den.
Offspring appear infrequently: every 2-4 years. The lactation period usually lasts at least one and a half years, but after leaving the den, the cubs also begin to join the usual food for bears. The she-bear raises them herself, they stay with their mother until they are 3-4 years old, then they leave and live separately.
Preparing for winter
From summer, animals begin to gain fat, preparing for hibernation. What a brown bear eats determines the amount of stored fat needed for a long winter sleep.
At the same time, the beast needs to prepare a shelter for the winter in advance. In autumn, bears begin to equip a den, usually in a dry, hard-to-reach place. To do this, they use windbreaks, caves in the mountains, places under the roots of trees, or dig a shelter in the ground. The beast diligently disguises its housing.
Little cubs spend the winter with their mother. Males spend the winter alone. But not allmembers of the species hibernate. Bears living in the southern regions, where there is little snow, do not sleep in winter.
Hibernation
As a rule, when the first snow appears, bears hide in a den and fall asleep. However, some individuals can hibernate earlier: an old animal that has accumulated a lot of fat can fall asleep long before the snow falls, and a young bear sometimes goes to the shelter in December. Pregnant females go to the den earlier than others.
The body temperature of animals at this time drops to 34 degrees, in this mode, stored fat is consumed more slowly.
Hibernation lasts until the onset of warm days. However, with an insufficient amount of fat reserves, the animal wakes up ahead of time and goes in search of food. However, a thaw may be the reason for waking up early.
A bear that wakes up in the middle of winter is called a rod. He wanders around hungry, because the brown bear eats vegetable food in the taiga, which cannot be obtained in winter. The connecting rods are very dangerous, because in search of food they get close to the villages, attacking livestock and humans. In most cases, such animals are shot.
This species is protected and listed in the Red Book. Currently, there are about 200,000 individuals on the planet. Having no natural enemies in nature, brown bears are completely defenseless against humans.
These animals are the object of sport hunting. Moreover, they are exterminated in order to get meat and skin, as well as a gallbladder, which is used in oriental medicine.
