brown bear, a brief description of which will be discussed in this article is a typical inhabitant of the taiga forest type.It can be found almost throughout Russia, especially in Siberia and the Far East.It is found in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests, even in mountainous regions of different countries, including Central Asia and the Caucasus.So, get acquainted: the owner of Russian taiga - the brown bear!
brief description of the type
Brown Bear or ordinary - a predatory mammal, representing the family bear.Currently, the brown bear is the largest land predator in the world.The duration of his life in nature is estimated 30 years.In captivity predator can live to 50 years.Linguists believe that the name of the beast is composed of two words - "in charge" and "honey."This is understandable: despite their affiliation to predators, the bear is a big fan of sweet honey and even omnivores.
Power
Diet clumsy at ¾ consists of plant foods.This is a different berries, nuts, acorns, roots and tubers of plants.Sometimes these predators eat even grass.In lean years, brown bears, as well as foxes, encroach on the crops of oats in the stage of milk ripeness and maize.Animal feed made up of various insects, reptiles, amphibians, small rodents, fish and, of course, large ungulates.For instance, clubfoot giant worthless one blow of his powerful claws nail large adult moose!
brown bear.Brief description of subspecies
numerical difference between brown bears is so great that once these animals were classified into separate species.Currently, all brown bears are combined into a single view, combining several subspecies or geographic races.So, to the brown bears are:
- Common (Eurasian or European);
- California;
- Siberia;
- satin;
- Gobi;
- grizzly or Mexican;
- Tien Shan;
- Ussuri or Japanese;
- Kodiak;
- Tibetan.
giant heavyweights
As you know, the brown bear, the disclosure of which we present in this article, is the most common type of clumsy worldwide.Though it is called brown, not always it is painted in this color.In nature you can find and black, and beige and yellow, and even flame-colored bears.But the color of their fur, we'll talk later.Now we are interested in their sizes.
size of these animals differ according to their gender, age and habitat.But in any case, the males are larger than females and weigh 30% more.Most Brown Bears have a height at withers of between 75 and 160 centimeters.Body length substantially ranges from 1.6 to 2.9 meters.
mass of brown bear depends on the range of its habitat.One of the largest animals are bears that live in Scandinavia and, of course, in our country.Their weight is 350 kilograms.Their American cousins, who live on the west coast of the US, as well as inhabiting Canada can sometimes weigh more than 400 kilograms of net weight.Name them - a grizzly or gray.
brown bear, the size of which in the world are considered impressive, as is found in the territory of Kamchatka and Alaska.There these predators weigh more than 500 kilograms.There are cases of hunting of brown bears, presumably reach a weight of 1 ton!However, most of these hairy heavyweights do not exceed 350 kilograms net weight.The maximum recorded weight, for example, the Kamchatka bear was 600 kilograms.Animals that survived in Europe, are small.Their weight does not exceed 90 kilograms.
Appearance
brown bear, the size of which we have considered above, has a pronounced barrel-shaped torso and powerful with high withers (shoulder height).Keep this massive body and high legs with clawed flat sole.The length of the claws of the giant hairy ranges from 8 to 12 centimeters.These animals have little or no tail, because its length does not exceed 21 centimeters.
shape of the head of the brown bear - round.It was a small weak-sighted eyes and small ears.Muzzle - extended and forehead - high.The owner of Russian taiga is covered with thick and evenly colored hair.Painting of brown bears, as well as their size is variable.It all depends on one or another habitat of these animals.For example, the famous grizzly bears can be brown with a touch of silver wool.For this they are, by the way, called gray.
Distribution
As mentioned earlier, bears - a forest dwellers.Again, the typical habitat, such as Russia are continuous forests with dense undergrowth of grasses, shrubs and hardwoods.Brown bear, a brief description of which we consider in this article, is found in tundra and alpine forests.In Europe, he prefers mountain forests, but, for example, in North America can be found in the alpine meadows, coastal forests.
Once upon a time these animals inhabited the whole of Europe as a whole, including Ireland and the UK, and in the south of the world reached its habitat African satin mountains.Eastwards this kind of hairy heavyweights was distributed through Siberia and China to Japan.Scientists believe that in North America brown bears came from Asia about 40,000 years ago.They believe that these animals were able to move independently across the Bering land bridge, settled in the west of America from Alaska to Mexico.
Winter dream
It is known that the physiological test of the brown bear is that these animals occur in the winter hibernation.They do it in October-December.They come out of hibernation in the spring - in March.Generally, these shaggy winter sleep heavyweights can last from 2 to 6 months.Everything depends on the subspecies of the bear and from external factors.Interestingly, in most warm regions of the world, provided an abundant harvest of fruits, berries and nuts bears do not lie in the lair.
Preparing for bed
By their wintering clumsy start to prepare since the middle of summer.It's a brown bear!Description of its preparation for sleep, probably known to many people, because there is nothing secret and surprising.Six months before the onset of cold weather they need to find a suitable place for their winter refuge, equip it and, of course, increase the reserves themselves fat.Most often bear dens located under Kolodin and turnout, under the roots of a huge and massive trees - cedars and firs.
Sometimes these predators pull a "dugout" directly in the coastal cliffs of the rivers.If during this time the bear and found hiding places for their winter shelters, he digs a big hole, then it strengthens its walls vertically protruding twigs.They also showered brown bears inlet while masking and isolating from the outside world for a few months.Just before going to bed a beast, get enough fat, thoroughly confusing the traces stay near the den.
It is worth noting that the most thorough and practical dwellings are considered to bear dens underground.If the predator lucky, he lie down for the winter in the ground.These dens are located deep underground and keep warm clumsy.Near the entrance to the den dirt can detect a variety of trees and shrubs, frosted yellowish.Experienced hunters know that this color gives the hoarfrost hot breath clumsy.
Hibernation
adult animals in most cases while away the cold days of winter in their dens alone.Just bear can lie dormant together with cubs-proshlogodkami.Scientists observe the life of these predators (see. Photo of the brown bear and the description of his way of life), we noted that in some areas of the world where very suitable for the winter there is no space, the bears use the same refuge several times.
In some areas the den may be located generally in close proximity to each other, it turns out that something like a bear "apartment" at home.If, however, with a selection of "winter quarters" very tight, some particularly impudent bears encroach on other people's homes.For example, an adult male brown bear can without any pity to banish from vending den weaker Kindred.
brown bears sleeping curled up.His hind legs are compressed to the belly and the front cover face.Incidentally, this fact has spawned many tales and proverbs, though bears suck winter paw.This is not quite true.Kosolapov, of course, from time to time, being in a particular phase of sleep, licking their front paws, but their sucking is completely irrelevant.
Caution rod!
Scientists say bears that sleep can not be called strong.During the short-term thaw these predators can awaken and even leave for the duration of their winter shelter.At this time, pigeon-toed walk in the winter woods, knead their bones.Once again become cold, hairy heavyweights once again return to their shelter have noticed traces of their stay outside the den.However, these habits of brown bears - it's flowers!
Sometimes it happens that some bears are due to malnutrition in the autumn-winter period can not gain the desired weight, find and equip your home.In this case, in the den they do not lie.Not having time to accumulate the necessary for a comfortable winter fat reserves, the beast simply strolling through snowy woods, like a restless.The people of these poor fellows called "rods".Bear rod - it is very dangerous and very aggressive beast!At this time it is better not to get involved because the animal is very hungry, incredibly angry and attack almost anything that moves.
Reproduction Females give birth brown bears from 2 to 4 times a year.During mating they usually falls in May, June and July.At this time, the males are aggressive: they begin to roar loudly, arise between them with serious fights sometimes end with the death of one of the bears.Pregnancy in females occurs from 190 to 200 days.For once they can bring to 5 bears weighing up to 600 grams and a length of 23 centimeters.
Progeny
Youngsters born blind, with the auditory canal overgrown and covered with short thin wool.After two weeks, the cubs begin to hear, and a month later - see.Within 90 days after birth, they grow all the milk teeth, and they begin to feed on berries, plants and insects.Typically, males brown bears offspring are not engaged, raising young - a prerogative of females.Cubs are sexually mature in 3 years, but continue to grow up to 10 years.
brown bear.Red Book
Unfortunately, this type of bears is in the Red Book of the animal, endangered.Currently, in many areas and regions of the globe hunting for brown bears is restricted or completely prohibited.However, poaching has not been canceled.Bearskin is mainly used for carpets, and meat - for the preparation of food.Such is it important game animals - the brown bear!Red book in which this kind of large predators was once included, currently out of print.It is possible that data on the number of bears as this year has changed dramatically for the worse.
