Glacier bear
Glacier bear | |
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A black bear with glacier bear cubs | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Ursidae |
Genus: | Ursus |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | U. a. emmonsii
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Trinomial name | |
Ursus americanus emmonsii Dall, 1895
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The glacier bear (Ursus americanus emmonsii), sometimes referred to as the "blue bear", is a subspecies of
Unique features
The chief feature distinguishing the glacier bear from other black bears is its
Habitat and range
The glacier bear's habitat ranges have been reported to be the Alaskan coastal areas between Cross Sound and Cape St. Elias and from
Glacier bears share most of the characteristics of black bears such as their habitat preferences, food sources, size, and reproductive cycles. They prefer forest with thick understory and landscapes with abundant vegetation, but can be found in urban populated areas. The glacier bear habitat is dependent upon food source availability, and they move between forest, meadows, streams, and mountains in search of food and shelter. Black bears in general are very capable climbers and can use trees as a place of protection and refuge. Glacier bears move into their dens in early winter, which can be an overturned tree, a rock ledge, or a cave.
Diet
Glacier bears, like all other black bears, are omnivores, with their diets varying depending on the food source available during the season and the location.[13] Their diet includes young shoots and roots in early spring. During the summer in Alaska, the glacier bear eats the abundant Pacific salmon spawning in the streams. In some areas, moose and deer are a food source for black bears. During the fall, the bears eat the starchy roots of ground cones and the variety of berries found in Alaska such as blueberries, salmonberries, raspberries, and cranberries.
Reproduction
Breeding habits are much like any other black bear. The glacier bear female normally has her first litter by 3–5 years of age. This breeding period takes place in June through July. Gestation lasts 235 days and cubs are born in January to early February.
Research
Very little is known about this rare color variation, so some potential threats could become an issue for the glacier bear. Some of these threats are
References
- ^ "Glacier bear".
- ^ a b Britton Campbell, Ann. "A most mysterious bear". Canadian Geographic. The Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
- ^ a b "Glacier Bear". Bear Conservation.
- ^ "Bears in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve". National Park Service.
- ^ a b MacDonald, S.O. and Cook, J.A. (2007) Mammals and amphibians of Southeast Alaska. The Museum of Southwestern Biology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001.
- ^ a b Schoen, J and Peacock, L. (2007) "Black Bear" in J Schoen and E Dovichin (eds.) The coastal forest and mountains ecoregion of southeastern Alaska and the Tongass National Forest Archived 2012-01-19 at the Wayback Machine. Audubon Alaska and The Nature Conservancy, 715 L Street, Anchorage, Alaska
- ^ "Ursus americanus".
- ^ ITIS (15 Aug 2007). "Infraspecific taxon details : Ursus americanus emmonsii Dall, 1895". Catalogue of Life. Naturalis Biodiversity Center.
- ^ "Episodes | Nature | PBS". PBS.
- ^ "Home".
- ^ Threatened Wildlife of the United States, U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, Washington, for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. Govt. Print. Office.
- ^ (Erickson 1965) Hall, E. Raymond. 1981. The Mammals of North America, Vols. I & II. John Wiley & Sons, New York, New York.
- ^ ISBN 0412788306.
- ^ "Bear facts". Archived from the original on 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
Further reading
- Canadian Geographic: The north's elusive: Glacier bear, by Ann Britton Campbell, 139, #1, January/February 2019, pp 37 – 44, cf. The bear that disappears, by the same author, December 2018, added: Link to a video