1. Grizzly Bears

2. What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beast also happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. " - Chief Seattle, Duwanish Tribe

3. Grizzly: Friend or Foe?

4. "Bears are made of the same dust as we, and breathe the same winds and drink of the same waters. A bear's days are warmed by the same sun, his dwellings are overdomed by the same blue sky, and his life turns and ebbs with heart-pulsings like ours and was poured from the same fountain..." - John Muir

5. Grizzly or Black Bear http://fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter/bearID/

7. Distinguishing Characteristics Always look for the distinguishing characteristics of between black and grizzly bears. Facial profile – Roman (Black) and Dish shaped (Grizzly) Claws – Long, straight (Grizzly 3 – 5 inches) and short and curved (Black 1 to 2 inches. Shoulder Hump – Present (Griz) or not (Black)

8. Minor Distinguishing Characteristics of Grizzlies Front paw print – can draw a straight line across the toes. Ears are smaller and more rounded than black bears. Have an attitude problem!

9. Front pads

11. Grizzly bear Characteristics While there has been much confusion about the taxonomy of brown bears (Ursus arctos), taxonomists agree there are at least two subspecies in North America -- the grizzly bear (U. a. horribilis) and the Kodiak bear (U. a. middendorffi). Coastal brown bears have a greater amount of animal protein in their diet, achieve larger size, and have slight differences in coloration. At any point from the coast to the interior there is interbreeding between the populations.

12. Grizzly Bear

13. Brown Bears

14. Grizzly Bear/Brown Bears Size Females reach their maximum weight of 270 to 770 pounds in 8 years. Males reach their maximum weight of 330 to 1150 pounds in 12 years. The heavier a female is the better are her chances of having cubs. The heavier a male is the better chance he has of successfully breeding with a female. Kodiak bears can grow to 10 feet long and weigh over 1,000 lbs (Jonkel 1984, p 22).

15. Heaviest Bear Ever A grizzly bear killed while stalking cattle in California (1866) who was weighed on a cattle scale weighed in at over 2,200 pounds. Probably in reality it weighed less than that. Current records have the heaviest bear recorded in Alaska at 1,890 pounds.

17. Waldo – Estimated weight between 1100 and 1300 pounds Age mid 20s - Alpha Male

18. Grizzly Bear Range Grizzly bears can be found in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories; and the US states of Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, and Montana. In general their home range is between 10 and 380 square miles. A grizzly bear’s home range is basically inland – away from major bodies of water. In most cases, a grizzly bear’s home range includes an area of forested land or shrub cover, which is used mostly for escape

19. Estimate Population in the lower 48 is between 1,400 and 1,800 bears. They are slightly increasing in Yellowstone area. They are a threatened species. Population in Alaska is approximately 35,000 bears.

20. Population centers Washington Idaho – Cabinet and Selkirks Mountains – 100 in North Idaho and 100 in North Cascades. Population declining. Yellowstone – Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho – Between 500 and 600 bears. Population slightly increasing. (Bears are no longer listed as threatened here, still a threatened species in the rest of it’s range). Montana – Glacier National Park area – between 400 – 600 bears. Population fairly stable. 88 percent of all bear deaths are caused by people

21. Diet Food Types: Grizzly bears feed on berries (blueberries, bearberries, etc.), roots, bulbs of plants, ground dwelling rodents, and most importantly whitebark pine nuts. Sometimes grizzlies will locate a cache of these nuts that a ground squirrel has stored for the winter. With their excellent sense of smell, grizzlies can locate carrion from miles away and will readily feed on it (Bauer and Bauer 1996, p 62). Grizzlies may also prey on moose, elk, mountain goats and mountain sheep. During the spring months, grizzlies also feed on the calves of these animals (Jonkel 1984, p 23).

22. Diet continued.. Another major food source for grizzlies are army cutworm moths. During the summer months in the Yellowstone area, these moths congregate on sub-alpine plants located above the timberline at elevations higher than 10,000 feet. During the early morning hours these moths drink nectar and then during the day they cluster on the surrounding rocks. Grizzlies from all around climb to these high elevations to consume 10,000 to 20,000 of these moths a day. At times like this, when food is abundant, numerous grizzlies will congregate and feed together. Once the food source is depleted, the grizzlies will go their separate ways in search of other food (Bauer and Bauer 1996, p 67). Kodiak bears generally rely on the same types of food as grizzlies, with one addition. Living in coastal areas provides these bears with a rich supply of protein. These coastal areas are so rich in salmon that a 40% higher density of brown bears can be supported there (Bauer and Bauer 1996, p 97).

24. Physical Characteristics.. Face: Brown bears have a concave or ‘dish-shaped’ face (Brown 1993, p 69). Paws: Grizzly bear paws are black or brownish in color with wrinkled skin on the pad (Brown 1993, p 73). Shoulder Hump: Brown bears have a distinguishing shoulder hump. This hump is actually a mass of muscle, which enables brown bears to dig and use their paws as a striking force (Brown 1993, p 77). Claws: Brown bear claws are long and curved, ranging in color from yellow to brown. In rare cases grizzlies have been observed with white claws. These claws are used to dig up roots and bulbs of plants as well as to excavate den sites (Brown 1993, p 74).

25. More characteristics Tracks: The toes fall close together and nearly in a straight line in a brown bear track. The toe pads are generally touching each other with the smallest toe on the inside of the track. Impressions from the fore claws are usually found far in front of the toes because the claws are twice as long as the toe pads. The front tracks of brown bears measure 6-8 inches long (excluding heel) and 7-9 inches wide. Hind tracks measure 12-16 inches long and 8 to 10 ½ inches wide (Brown 1993, p 76). Coloration: Grizzlies range in color from white, blonde, brown, black and shades thereof. The tips of most fur are lighter in color giving them a grizzled effect (Brown 1993, p 65). Growth and Development: Brown bears can weigh 150-200 pounds at the end of their first year of life. They reach sexual maturity between 4 and 5 years and are considered fully grown by 8 to 10 years of age (Brown 1993, p 139).

26. Vocalizations Bears have many vocalizations used for communication between themselves and to indicate their intentions. Aggressive and warning sounds: These indicate a fearful and nervous bear. –Jawing – popping of their jaws –Growling – Low and constant – MOVE AWAY –Huffing – Usually comes right after jawing and right before a bluff charge. http://www.bear.org/website/index.php?option=com_con tent&task=view&id=29&Itemid=42

27. Senses Their best sense is their sense of smell. They can smell that a person has walked on a trail 16 hours after they have passed. Grizzlies have excellent hearing and can hear much higher pitches then people. They have a good vision, their eyesight is as good as ours and they can see in color. They can run 40 mph and they have an amazing weight to strength ratio.

28. Bears standing is not a sign of aggression, but trying to smell your scent..

29. Strength I once saw a 105 pound bear flip over a 300 pound rock with one paw. I also witnessed a 65 pound bear bite a 4 inch live sapling in half.

31. Bear Sign