Bear Facts & Questions

[Gregory Matthews]

Ursus americanus, commonly known as the American Black Bear lives in North America from Florida into Canada and Alaska.  It is the most commonly seen bear in the United States. In the following questions, pick either the best answer, as there will always be at least one best answer, or pick several answers if there are more than one correct answers: 

Which of the following are a possible color of the fur coat of the American Black Bear:

1)  White

2)  Brown

3)  Black

4) Reddish brown

5) Tinge of blue

6)   White patch on the chest

7)  Cinnamon

 

What is the best number of sub-species known to exist of the American Black Bear:

a)  3

b) 5

c) 8

d) 16

e) 25

f) 35

 

[phkrause]

1 hour ago, Gregory Matthews said:

Which of the following are a possible color of the fur coat of the American Black Bear:

black, brown

 

1 hour ago, Gregory Matthews said:

What is the best number of sub-species known to exist of the American Black Bear:

16

[Gregory Matthews]

Congratulations, Phkrause:  You are correct as to the best answer for the number of sub-species, which is 16.

 

The American Black Bear, may have a black fur coat and it may have a brown fur coat, as is fairly common knowledge.  However, you have not listed all of the possible colors of its fur coat.

So your answer:  One correct and one partially correct, but needing more work.

By the way, as I was planning to post my question, I thought about adding another coloration--yellow with purple polka-dots.  But, in the end I did not add that one.

 

 

[Gregory Matthews]

The answer to the first part of the question is:  All of the listed colors.

[B/W Photodude]

Our area has been "blessed" with bear activity. I have had garbage cans dumped multiple times. A friend reported he looked out his window one morning and there was a bear walking down the street carrying away his garbage can!

I was out walking one evening, about sunset, when I got stopped by a policeman. After usual pleasantries, he asked if I was carrying a gun. I said no. He said if I wanted to be out walking, I should carry a gun! He said there had been a lot of bear activity in our neighborhood. I have never been encouraged by a police officer to carry a gun before, but then country cops are a bit different than city cops. So, I go down to a local gun shop. I am looking at the guns after telling the clerk why I was considering a gun. I see a .357 which looked kind of nice, but the clerk said, "It will just make them mad!" He suggested a 45cal. Those things look like cannons. I still don't have a gun and don't go for country walks. I looked up on the web and they say tear gas is more effective than guns. But then, checking it out, tear gas for bears is far more concentrated than what you would use for humans and comes in a small fire extinguisher size can. This is not going to work either.

However, in my state, there has never been a fatal bear attack. There is one website out there that lists all fatal bear attacks in this country back to the 1800s. The last fatal bear attack in this country was in New Jersey! That was a predatory attack and I have even seen the youtube video of the bear chasing down the victim of the attack. I believe the victim was the videographer. He should have been working on an escape if possible.

Bear attacks will usual be one of three types. You surprise the bear (a reason for wearing bells), getting between mother and cubs, and predatory. Predatory is said to be the rarest but also I believe one where the bear wants to eat you!

Watch For Bears

The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.

They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.

Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.

It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.

Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.

 

Q. What do bears call cyclists?   
A. Meals on wheels