Ursus arctos horribilis
The Grizzly Bear
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| photo by Daniel Dietrich |
One of the most fearsome animals to be found in the wild, the grizzly bear now remains an endangered species. Only around 1,500 remain -stretching from Yellowstone, up through Idaho/Western Montana, the Cascades, and into Canada.
They normally live to be about 25 years old, weighing anywhere from 250-600lbs. Typically, they will eat just about anything they come across and are therefore opportunistic omnivores. And they need to be, too. Grizzlies are up against a list of factors that limit their chance at recovery. The first being the over-hunting of the species during Western colonization leading up to the turn of the 20th century. The second biggest problem they face is now there are a multitude of highways and settled valleys that have fragmented their population. This has led to a lack of genetic diversity and even genetic isolation since female immigration between populations has dropped significantly -making the future of their existence very uncertain.
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| Matthias Breiter—Minden Pictures/Getty Images |
Conservation efforts have been the upgrading the status of the species from threatened to endangered. Operations like Western Wildlife Outreach work to spread a respect for the species throughout communities that are in contact or conflict with grizzlies that have resulted in high mortality.
I chose to highlight this animal because although I fear ever running into one, I respect the important role they play in the ecosystem. They also are fascinatingly big and powerful which adds somewhat of a thrill to learning about them, which I was sad to learn that there remain so few of them left.
Works Cited
WDFW. "Endangered Species: Grizzly Bear." Annual Report. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2012. PDF. 07 Oct. 2016.
I chose to highlight this animal because although I fear ever running into one, I respect the important role they play in the ecosystem. They also are fascinatingly big and powerful which adds somewhat of a thrill to learning about them, which I was sad to learn that there remain so few of them left.
Works Cited
WDFW. "Endangered Species: Grizzly Bear." Annual Report. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2012. PDF. 07 Oct. 2016.
Hi Steven,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that, despite the fact I'd be rather scared to run into one, bears need to be respected. Predators play an important role in balancing their ecosystem, but sadly they also need quite a big range of territory to survive well in their environment. And unfortunately, humans tend to take up more than their fair share of land.
Hi Steven,
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad to know that human encroachment on wild land is damaging such a beautiful species. While driving on the highway, particularly in more rural areas of Washington, I often think of how the land looked before we made such a big mark on it.
According to my anthropology teacher, polar bears are quickly inheriting the aspects and features of the Grizzly and brown bear. Very ingesting
ReplyDeleteInteresting*
ReplyDelete