Home»all galleries»Bears, Bears, & More Bears

There are three types of bears in North America: polar, black, and brown or grizzly bears Of the three, black bears are the smallest. They live mostly in forested areas and are omnivores with a widely varying diet. Polar bears are the largest. They live in the Artic, mostly along the north coast of Alaska and Canada. There are two kinds of brown bears.The smaller interior ones are called grizzlies, while their much larger coastal relatives are simply called brown bears. The coastal bears are able to grow much bigger because of the abundance of salmon to eat. When the salmon are running up coastal streams to lay their eggs, brown bears feast on them. Interior grizzlies do not have that luxury, and must work a lot harder to put on the fat needed to sustain themselves through the long winter months.
Bears are solitary creatures accept mothers with their young and courting individuals. Bears have an excellent sense of smell. Despite their size and awkward gait they are quick runners and adept climbers and swimmers. Grizzlies can run at speeds of 30mph for short distances.
Bears are neither sweet and cuddly nor vicious. Life on the edge is tough, even at the top of the food chain. Sometimes bears are angry & fierce - as befitting a great hunter. Other times they can be very endearing. Bears can also get really distressed, especially a mother with cubs when a much larger
bear is in the vicinity.
Black bears are plentiful throughout North America. Grizzlies, on the other hand, have been hunted almost to extincion in most states except Alaska and isolated parts of Montana. Polar bears are an endangered species because of global warming and sport hunting. (Along the north coast of Alaska sport hunters use packs of dogs to tree polar bears before shooting them. Other sport hunters track them on ice floes using hellacopters.)