Brown bears are larger than black bears and have a more
prominent shoulder hump, less prominent ears, and longer,
straighter claws. Both the shoulder hump and the long claws
are adaptations related to feeding. The long claws are useful in
digging for roots or excavating burrows of small mammals. The
musculature and bone structure of the hump are adaptations for
digging and for sprinting to capture moose or caribou for food.
Despite their bulk, bears are surprisingly fast and agile.
A bear’s weight varies with the season. Bears weigh least in the
spring or early summer. They gain weight rapidly during late
summer and fall and are waddling fat just prior to denning. At
this time most mature males weigh between 500 and 900 lbs
(180 – 410 kg) with extremely large individuals weighing as
much as 1,400 lbs (640 kg). Females weigh half to threequarters as much. Bear hides are prized by hunters but the meat
of a brown bear is generally considered unpalatable and hunters
rarely eat it.
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Brown bears eat a variety of foods including berries, grasses,
sedges, horsetails, cow parsnips, fish, ground squirrels, and roots
of many kinds of plants. Brown bears are capable predators of
new born moose and caribou, and can also kill and eat healthy
adults of these species. Bears also consume garbage in human
dumps, as well as all types of carrion.
Brown bears are found throughout Alaska except on the islands
south of Frederick Sound in south-eastern Alaska, the islands west
of Unimak in the Aleutian Chain, and the islands of the Bering
Sea. Except for breeding pairs and females with offspring, bears
are typically solitary creatures and avoid the company of other
bears.
Tracks: Brown bears have a larger track size. Toes are squeezed
together with little or no spacing and do not form an arc.
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