CHARLES BURY
We've all heard of the jungle telegraph, that system of communication by tom-tom which, at least in the movies, allowed members of isolated African tribes to communicate with friends and enemies alike, without requiring the risk of a face-to-face meeting.
Messages could be sent or received, forwarded, answered, commented on and argued with, at no peril to either sender or receiver. Everybody ended up knowing what was going on, but each member of the community could stay safely away from their enemies.
Human communication has evolved considerably, with the jungle telegraph replaced variously by squiggles in the sand, rock art, papyrus scrolls, the printing press, real telegrams, the telephone, radio, television, the Internet, more lines in the sand, and what have you.
In the animal kingdom, it's the bear that has developed a woodland bulletin board.
Our friend the black bear is a very complex animal indeed, in many ways what you might call a zoo (pronounced 'zoo-owe')-psychological basket case.
The basic fact is this: bears are not us.
Except for the once-a-year mating thing, Ursus americanus is an extremely antisocial beast. The bear is an equal-opportunity misfit who hates everything equally, including other bears and you and me.
The bear's tree bulletin board is its way of warning you where and when to stay away. Here's how the Canadian
Wildlife Service tells it.
Most markings are done during the breeding season in late spring or early summer (from mid-June to mid-July)."
Generally, two cubs are born, although there may be only one or as many as four. At birth they are 15-20 cm long and weigh slightly more than 225 g (the size of a Weight-Watchers frozen lunch).
Compared to other mammals, this is very small relative to the mother's weight. For example, a woman weighing 70 kg could expect her infant to weigh about 3 kg, twelve times the mass of the newborn bear!"
"The young bears grow rapidly and are quite active by the time they leave the den with their mother in the spring. At one year they weigh from 13 to 27 kg but only slightly more at two years. Normally, young bears remain with their mother until they are 16-17 months old.
Cubs orphaned during their first summer have about a 30 per cent chance of surviving to independence compared to about an 80 per cent chance for those with mothers."
"Males and females may attain sexual maturity between their third and fourth years in captivity, but often later in the wild. Male bears continue to grow until their seventh year; females cease growth somewhat earlier. Bears have lived for 25 or 30 years, but most animals in the wild would be less than 10 years old."
"In the autumn when days become shorter and temperatures cooler, bears begin to search for a denning site. A suitable site may be under a tree stump or overturned log, or in a hole in a hillside. Most dens are only large enough to accommodate a bear when it is curled up.
Generally, females line their dens with grass, ferns, or leaves, but males usually do not. Females usually den earlier, males frequently wait until the first snowfall before entering a den."
"Recent studies of black bear physiology have shown that denned bears show some characteristics of true hibernators. Although body temperatures are only slightly lower, heart rates are greatly reduced.
In addition, unlike many small mammal hibernators, bears do not have to eat or eliminate waste, but subsist entirely on their stored fat. However, black bears are not true hibernators, and most bears can be aroused if prodded sufficiently.
If the weather becomes exceptionally warm, some bears may wake up and wander around for short periods during the winter months."
"With the coming of spring and warmer weather, bears emerge from their dens and search for food. During the winter they may have lost up to thirty percent of their pre-denning weight. Most bears continue to lose weight during the early summer period until mid-July when quantities of berries start to become available."
"Travel and feeding habits: Black bears are capable of travelling great distances. Biologists who have live-trapped bears and removed them 80 km or more from their home ranges have sometimes been surprised by the bears' return. The home ranges of females are usually quite restricted. Ranges of adult males encompass several female ranges.
Like most animals, they have customary routes of travel, which they regularly follow as they move from one area to another. Old-time bear hunters took advantage of this and frequently set their traps along these well used trails."
"The activity pattern of black bears varies from area to area depending on a number of factors, including human activities. In wilderness areas they are usually most active from dawn until dark, whereas bears in areas with high human activity may be mainly nocturnal to avoid contact with people.
Of course, some individuals solicit human contact in hopes of obtaining a free meal."
"Black bears are omnivorous and will eat almost anything available. Most of their food is vegetation, especially in the late summer and autumn when berries and nuts are available. Favourite fruits include blueberries, buffalo berries, strawberries, elderberries, saskatoons, black cherries, and apples.
Acorns, hazelnuts, and beechnuts are other preferred foods. Insects such as ants and grasshoppers rate high, and black bears will overturn logs, old stumps, and stones while foraging.
Fish, small mammals, and occasionally birds are also on the black bear's menu. In the spring, some bears may prey upon newborn moose calves, deer fawns, caribou calves, or elk calves. Carrion of any sort is highly prized and its attractiveness to a bear increases with its degree of decomposition.
Of course a tree containing honey is always a treat. Bears drink frequently and are usually found in the vicinity of water."
"Causes of death: Although some black bears may live for 20-25 years, few bears in the wild become that old. In areas where bears are hunted, legal hunting is one of the major mortality factors, especially for bears two years of age and older.
Males are usually shot before females because they are less cautious and travel more widely. Females become more vulnerable with increased hunting pressure. Young bears in both hunted and unhunted populations die from starvation, accidents, and predation.
Predators include older bears and occasionally wolves and lynx."
Banfield, A.W.F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press. Toronto.
Burk, D., editor. 1979. The black bear in modern North America. The Amwell Press. Clinton, N.J.
Fair, J. 1990. The great American bear. Northword Press Inc. Minocqua, Wisconsin.
Herrero, S. 1985. Bear attacks. Winchester Press. Piscataway, N.J.
Kolenosky, G.B. and S.M. Strathearn. 1987. Black bear. Pages 443-454 in Wild Furbearer Management and Conservation in North America. Ontario Trappers Association. North Bay. Charlie Bury is a freelance writer based in Birchton, Quebec.
Copyright © 1999 Charles Bury/Log Cabin Chronicles/6.99 |
