The bear is the largest predator on the planet today. A powerful stocky body, strong paws with claws, a plantigrade shuffling gait, small eyes, a short neck, powerful jaws do not make you doubt that it is worth being afraid of.
Currently, the polar bear is listed in the Red Book as a dying species. Brown bears are under threat. The largest individuals are found in Kamchatka and Alaska. The body weight of some of them reaches 1000 kg, and their height is 3 m.
Habitat, lifestyle and nutrition of bears
On the territory of Russia, brown bears live in those places where there are dense thickets of grasses, shrubs and deciduous trees - in Siberia, the Far East, Kamchatka.
The diet of brown bears is mainly made up of grass stalks, oak acorns, berries, crops of wheat, oats, and corn. However, the bear does not disdain smaller species of animals and insects. With one blow of his paw, he can slay a wild boar, a wolf, a fox on the spot. Being close to a body of water, he is able to catch fish. When there is nothing to eat in the forest, the animal can attack the apiary or livestock. The bear goes into hibernation when it grows up subcutaneous fat. But there are also connecting rods. They rarely survive until spring.
The brown bear chooses a place for a den under the roots of trees or in a windbreak. His sleep lasts from 70 to 200 days. During this time, it loses weight by about 100 kg.
Polar bears live closer to the pole. They are excellent swimmers, calmly swim deep into the sea for prey. They feed mainly on pinnipeds - seals, bearded seals, etc. They also hunt young walruses. They do not disdain the carrion thrown out by the sea. They move easily on ice.
Only pregnant polar bears hibernate, the rest of the individuals, if they sleep in winter, much less often than in summer. The female is forced to look for a den so that newborn babies get used to the cold climate after being in a warm environment. Polar bear pregnancy lasts 230-250 days. Cubs are born in November-January and spend several months in a den, feeding only on mother's milk.
Lifespan of bears
The lifespan of bears depends on the conditions in which they exist. In the wild, the life span is from 10 years. In zoos, menageries can live up to 50.
The polar bear lives in the wild for 25-30 years, during this time the female can give offspring several times, but not all cubs survive. The mortality rate is very high, ranging from 10 to 30%. In addition, poachers contribute to the extinction of this species.
The average life expectancy of a brown bear is 30 years. The Himalayan black bear can live in captivity for more than 30 years, but in nature, the lifespan is slightly shorter. The baribal or black bear lives for about 25 years.
