MacFarlane's Bear

Ursus inopinatus may have just been a hybrid between
a Grizzly Bear (pictured) and a Polar Bear

Today's animal is a confusing creature-- we don't really know if it actually ever existed!

The story goes that back in 1864, Inuit hunters killed a large, blonde bear and gave its skin to naturalist Robert Macfarlane. Macfarlane, not really knowing what the bear was, gave the skin to the Smithsonian Museum, where it sat collecting dust until 1911.

At that point in time, Dr. Clinton Hart Merriam dug the skin out of storage and studied it for the first time. Because the notes said that the bear lived outside of a Brown Bear's range, and because it didn't match up with a Polar Bear skin, Merriam declared the bear to be a new species-- Macfarlane's Bear.

But is it really a new species? If so, is it extinct? Is this bear a holdover from the Pleistocene times? Or is it just a Hybrid? Hybrids between Grizzly bears and Polar bears have been discovered, so perhaps this "new species" is really just a combination of two others. So far there has been no DNA testing done, so the hybrid theory remains just that.

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Status : Unknown
Location : North America
Size : Weight around 1,000lbs (453kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Genus : Ursus-- Species : U. inopinatus
Image :  Grizzle Bear Blog

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American Black Bear

Ursus americanus

Welcome back everyone! I hope you're ready and set to learn about all kinds of cool animals again!

Today's creature is the American Black Bear, the smallest of the North American Bear species. These mammals can be found all over the continent in forested areas, and there are actually 16 recognized subspecies that range from Alaska to central Mexico.

One odd tidbit about these Bears is that they are not closely related to the other North American Bears (the Brown and Polar). In fact, their closest relatives are the Asian Black Bears and Sun Bears. This relationship is easy to see when you consider that about a quarter of all American Black Bears have white chest spots-- those same spots are common in their Asian relatives!

Another cool fact? American Black Bears aren't always black! They can be brown, blonde, grey, and even a creamy-white color! The eastern bears tend to be darker in color, while those in the west are more pale.

Interestingly, animal matter makes up very little of the Black Bear's diet. They eat mostly fruits and grasses, but will pick up the occasional insect or forage from the remains of another animal's kill. They do not actively hunt out vertebrates.

American Black Bears tend to be solitary, and they can be either nocturnal or diurnal, depending on where they live. The sexes tend to only up when it comes time to breed, and females will have their first litter between the ages of 3 and 5. After that, she'll have a new set of cubs every other year. In colder areas, the Black Bears will hibernate in winter, and the cubs are usually born during that hibernation period.

In general, the American Black Bear is listed as being of Least Concern. However, some subspecies are threatened (like the Louisiana and Florida Black Bears).

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : North America
Size : Shoulder height up to 3ft (.9m), Weight up to 500lbs (227kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Genus : Ursus -- Species : U. americanus
Image : Animal A Day

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Atlas Bear

The Atlas Bear was the only Bear native to the continent of Africa. A subspecies of the Brown Bear (that is found in nearby European and Asian countries), these large mammals once roamed the mountains that give it its name.

The story of these Bears is a tragic one. They lived throughout Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, but once the Romans arrived their numbers were drastically reduced. The Atlas Bears were hunted as a sport, and were even captured to be used in arena games. By the end of the Roman era the Bears were fragmented and rare. They did hang around for several more centuries, but were finally finished off in the late 1800s.

Atlas Bears were large, weighing up to 1,000lbs. They had long-ish black/brown fur and short muzzles. Some scientists believe they should be their own separate species, but for now they remain classified with the Brown Bears.

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IUCN Status : Extinct since the late 1800s.
Location : Northern Africa
Size : Height around 60in (1.5m), Weight up to 1000lbs (453kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Genus : Ursus -- Species : U. arctos -- Subspecies : U. a. crowtheri

Image : MNN

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Parictis

Meet the Parictis genus. The eight species found within it are the oldest known bears in the world, dating back between 38 and 33 million years.

Polar bears have skulls 6 times longer
than those of their Parictis ancestors!

These ancient bears first appeared in North America around 38 million years ago, during the Late Eocene. By the time the early Miocene rolled around a few million years later, different species had spread to Europe and Africa, with some presence in Asia as well.

Parictis bears were very small, like the size of small dogs. They had skulls that measured only a few inches long! There is still a whole lot to learn about these ancestors to the giant bears of today, as the only fossils found have been very fragmentary. (I couldn't even find a photo or reconstruction image!) Even still, it's always amazing to think about how much things have changed over time-- from a 3in skull to one nearly a foot and a half long!

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Status : Extinct for around 33 million years
Location : North America, Europe, Africa
Size :  Skull size around 3in (8cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Genus : Parictis

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Giant Panda

Captive Panda at the Smithsonian National Zoo

Earth Day has arrived! And in celebration let's talk about the symbol of the World Wildlife Fund and one of the most iconic conservation poster animals out there- the Giant Panda. These large mammals are endemic to China

Giant Pandas are some weird bears. And yes, they are actual, Ursidae family-member bears, though in the past there has been speculation that they belong to some other group. At any rate, they have a digestive system made for processing a carnivorous diet, but they don't eat meat. As you probably know, Pandas eat Bamboo... which is odd because they get very few nutrients from the Bamboo. The result of their unnatural diet is that they have to eat lots and lots of the grass, up to 30lbs a day, in order to get their dietary needs satisfied.

Though their digestive tract hasn't adapted to the Bamboo diet, other features of their anatomy have. Their faces are especially round because they need large back molars and strong jaw muscles in order to grind down the fibrous plant. The have also evolved a modified "thumb" on their paws. This sesamoid bone is different from the one found in other bears, and it allows the Giant Pandas to grasp onto Bamboo easier.

There are a number of reasons why the Giant Panda is so endangered. Poaching and Habitat loss were the first threats to really affect them, though some of those pressure have been alleviated with the establishment of wild preserves. There are now around 40 separate preserves in China.

Panda at the San Diego Zoo

Unfortunately, it has been difficult to get the Panda population to rebound, though they are getting there. They have a mindbogglingly low reproductive rate, both in the wild and in captivity. In the wild, Giant Pandas are solitary; males and females meet up for only a very brief window of time in order to mate. After the deed is done, the male goes on his way, and the female may or may not be pregnant. Even with continued successful couplings, the birth rate is only about 1 cub every two years.

Captive breeding programs ran into all sorts of problems at first. The Pandas just didn't seem to have any desire to mate, and so most early cubs born were due to artificial insemination. Some hilarious methods have been employed over the years, including have the Pandas watch "Panda Porn," aka DVDs of other Pandas mating. Males have also been given Viagra! Natural births have been happening in recent years, though artificial insemination is still frequently employed.

Seriously. Pandas eat all day. I have about
40 pictures, they are all of them eating.

The ins and outs of Captive Panda ownership are quite interesting. All Giant Pandas outside of China are technically "on loan." Foreign zoos pay the Chinese government up to $1,000,000 each year in order to keep their Pandas, and the contracts typically have term limits to them. All Panda cubs born outside of China are still property of China, and most are sent back to their native land upon reaching adulthood. Bai Yun, the female Panda at the San Diego Zoo, has had four of her five cubs returned to China, were they take part in breeding programs.

Currently there are about 300 Giant Pandas in captivity, and it is estimated that there are around 1,600 in the wild, though there may be more. While they are not the most endangered mammals out there, they are certainly one of the most iconic.

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IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : China
Size : Body length up to 6ft (1.8m), Wieght up to 350lbs (160kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Genus : Ailuropoda -- Species : A. melanoleuca

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Andean Bear

Tremarctos ornatus

The Andean Bear is the only Bear species native to South America. It is also sometimes referred to as the Spectacled Bear, due to the lines and light coloration on on their faces than can sometimes resemble eyeglasses.

One really fascinating thing about Andean Bears is that they are the sole surviving member of their subfamily, Tremarctinae. Once upon a time that same subfamily contained the now extint genera of gigantic Short Faced Bears! Crazy to think that the relatively small Andean Bear is most closely related to some of the largest Bears to have ever lived! Though interestingly, even with their small size, they are one of the largest South American land animals, after the Tapirs.

Andean Bears are shy and live solitary lifestyles outside of the mating season. They tend to live up in the higher altitudes, and will come down sometimes to search for food. Though many farmers fear them as livestock predators, and consider them to be agricultural pests, Andean Bears rarely eat meat and consume a mostly vegetarian diet. When the need for meat arrives, they typically only take small creatures like rodents and birds.

Habitat loss has been hurting these bears, and as they are forced into more agricultural areas the bad rap that they get from farmers continues to spread. Hunting due to their perceived pest status, as well as for fur and meat, has led the Andean Bears to be listed as Vulnerable.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable

Location : South America

Size : Weight up to 340lbs (154kg) in males, 180lbs (82kg) in females

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Subfamily : Tremarctinae -- Genus : Tremarctos -- Species : T. ornatus

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Short-Faced Bear

Reconstruction of Arctodus simus

The genus Arctodus is now extinct, but when it was still around it was home to some of the largest predators the world has ever seen. Nicknamed "Short-Faced Bears," these massive creatures could weigh as much as 1,800lbs (800kg)! In comparison, our modern Grizzlies typically top off at around half that.

The largest and most commonly found of the extinct species is Arctodus simus, which lived across mostly western North America in higher ground areas. It is the more recent of the two species, having died out only at the end of the last Ice Age.

The other species, known only from a smattering of fossils, is Arctodus pristinus. These guys were smaller and probably more omnivorous. They lived down the Atlantic coast in lowland areas until about 2 million years ago, and may have died out due to competition from Brown and Black Bears.

Around 30 members of A. simus have been found in the La Brea Tar Pits in California. It is the most common of all the bars found in that specific dig site, and the largest bear to have ever lived in North America. Short-Faced Bears most likely died out due to loss of prey, competition from smaller, more adaptive bears, and from human hunting.

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Status : Extinct for 11,000 years, some species longer

Location : North America

Size : Weight up to 1,800lbs (800kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Genus : †Arctodus

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Sun Bear

Adult Sun Bear

Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae
Genus : Helarctos
Species : malayanus

Height : 4ft (1.2m)
Weight : 65-130lbs (30-60kg)

IUCN Status : Vulnerable

The Sun Bear is the smallest of the bear species. They can be found in dense, forested areas of South East Asia, and are named for a bright patch on their chests which resemble the rising sun.

Sun Bears are, ironically, nocturnal. During the night they forage around in the forest, looking for berries, rodents, insects, and a whole plethora of other foods to eat. They have long claw that help to get inside termite nests, and amazingly long tongues which are used for extracting honey.

Sun Bears Have Really Long Tongues!

It is believed that Sun Bears are monogamous, since adults are often spotted in pairs. Because of the warm climate, Sun Bears do not hibernate, nor do they have a set breeding season. Cubs are born hairless and helpless, and require a great deal of care from their mothers. Mother Sun Bears will even stand on their hind legs and carry their cubs from place to place. They are one of only a few bear species that exhibit this type of behavior.

Sun Bears are incredibly elusive, and are listed as an endangered species. Their secretive nature makes it very difficult for us to study them in the wild and determine their total numbers. Deforestation and poaching have been major negative factors on the species.

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Polar Bear

(Image Source)

I was going to write about Reindeer for the holidays... but then I remembered that I had already talked about them a while back. So instead we'll discuss another creature of the North Pole, the aptly named Polar Bear.

The Polar Bear (Ursus martimus) is one of the largest land carnivores on the entire planet, with adult males weighing up to 1,700lbs (771kg). They are perfectly adapted for a cold weather environment, sporting think fur everywhere, including on their feet. The fur is white to camouflage them in the snow, but underneath their skin is black, which allows them to soak up heat more quickly. They are also excellent swimmers.

Though they are technically omnivores, Polar Bears feed mostly on other animals. Seals make up a large part of their diet, and are hunted by waiting on the ice near breathing holes where Seals surface for air. They do also feed on carrion, fish, birds, and some vegetation. Some bears will travel thousands of miles in a year while tracking food.

(Image Source)

Polar Bears "hibernate", but not in the true sense of the word. Their metabolism slows, but they do not go through a full drop rate in heart rate or body temperature. Female bears dig dens in snow and give birth in these dens, typically to two cubs. These cubs will remain with their mother for two years or more, learning how to hunt and survive. Males have nothing to do with the raising of cubs, and will even kill cubs.

Polar Bears are listed as Vulnerable, and their numbers are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. Warming in the Arctic and loss of pack ice has limited their ability to hunt, placing the population on a decline.

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Wojtek

Iran, 1943. A group of Polish soldiers, freshly released from Soviet camps in Siberia, were on a trek back east to join up with their fellow countrymen fighting in Egypt and Italy. The Polish Second Army Corps, as they were called, came accross a wandering young boy. They in return for some food, the boy gave them a brown sack... which contained a young, orphaned Brown Bear Cub.

(Image Source)

The Cub was less than a year old and badly undernourished. The soldiers nursed him on condensed milk from an old vodka bottle. They named him Wojtek (pronounced Voy-tek) and he became the unofficial mascot of the 22nd Transport Artillery Supply Company.

Wojtek became one of the guys. He enjoyed cigarettes, (eating them, not smoking) would drink bottles of beer, and knew how to march and salute. He figured out how to work the showers, and one one occasion, actually discovered an enemy spy in the unit's bath house.  His reward for such heroism? Two beers and an entire morning in the bath hut!

In 1944, his unit was shipping out to Italy. The British soldiers that  they were traveling with would only allow enlisted men aboard the ship, so Woktek became an official member of the Polish Army. He received the rank of private, was given a serial number, and was listed on all of their official documentation.

(Image Source)

Wojtek was there for the Battle of Monte Cassino, traveling in the passenger seat of supply trucks and carrying heavy shells and boxes of ammunition. He was an excellent soldier, unfazed by everything that was going on around him. After the war, the men of his company were stationed at a camp near Hutton, Scotland, as their home country was under Soviet control. Woytek found a new home at the Edinburgh Zoo, were he responded favorably to visits from Polish soldiers who would try and sneak him cigarettes.

Wojtek became the star of the zoo, and passed away in 1963. Numerous commemorative plaques have been erected for him and there are currently plans in Edinburgh to erect a permanent memorial. In addition, the Sikorski Museum in London is holding an exhibit about this remarkable bear, which runs through November.

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Grizzly Bear

So what is the difference between a Brown Bear, a Grizzly Bear, and a Kodiak Bear? A large part of it has to do with location. Brown Bears stick to the coastal areas, Grizzlies prefer inland habitats, and Kodiak Bears are native to a small chain of islands in Southern Alaska, where they have been isolated from the rest of the bear population since the last Ice Age. (12,000) years ago!)

There are also a physical differences - most noticeably, a hump! Grizzly have shoulder humps made up of fat and muscle that lend extra strength to their front legs, giving them a better ability to dig and swipe. Grizzlies also posses long, white-tipped guard hairs on their shoulders and backs that give them a "grizzled" appearance. Hence the name. There is also some pretty substantial sexual dimorphism going on with these guys, as the males can easily weigh double that of a female and be nearly 2 feet taller when standing on the hind legs.

Grizzly bears are omnivores, notoriously consuming whatever food is easily available to them. Salmon swimming to and from spawning areas are a popular meal, and the bears are also known to go after large prey such as Moose and Caribou. However, they also consume large amounts of plant material, including roots, which is where the digging skills come in.

Grizzlies are solitary animals. They mature sexually at around 5 years of age, and the males and female come together to breed in June or July. Females go in to hibernation and give birth, usually to twins, during the winter while hibernating. Mothers take excellent care of their young, who stay with them for about two years.

While the Grizzly Bear is found in only 2% of its original, native habitat down the the lower 48 states, the Alaskan population is thriving. 98% of America's Brown Bears (including Grizzlies) are found in Alaska, which also houses 70% of the overall North American population.

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