The Kodiak Bear
Early May on Kodiak Island. Fog drowns the lush forest in mystery.
Spattered across a black earthen floor, slushy snow melts in shadowy
rings. From a wooded den, a shaggy brown head appears. Unbelievable
in size, the creature emerges slowly. Ursus arctos middendorffi,
Alaska’s Kodiak Bear, awakes from her long winter’s nap. She's not
alone. Snuggled close to her massive front paws sit two cubs, the
size of stuffed Teddy bears. Together they weigh only twenty pounds,
and are hardly noticeable in comparison to their 500 pound mother.
Though large, the sow is lean, for she has lost 30% of her body
weight over the winter. Giving birth, nursing, and caring for her
young has taken its toll, and now is the season for eating. One
at a time, she carries her cubs in her jaw out of the den and sets
them rolling on the forest floor.
Kodiak Island is sometimes called “Alaska’s Emerald Isle.” With
knobby mountains, countless waterfalls, finger lakes, and deep narrow
inlets, it could well be called Neverland, for it is the place of
fantasy. After Hawaii, it is the second largest island in the United
States, 3,800 square miles largely devoted to the vast National
Wildlife Refuge. With 117 salmon streams, 14 major watersheds, and
less than 100 miles of road, it is the perfect place for the Kodiak
Bear.
Kodiak Bears have existed on this island for 12,000 years. With
their stream-lined noses and larger bone structure—they are the
world’s largest bear—Kodiaks are the only scientifically recognized
sub-species of the Brown Bear. Separated as they are from the continent,
Kodiaks have a smaller gene pool. But this is not the only difference.
Other bears, grizzlies and browns, require one or two hundred miles
for survival, taking their food requirement into account. Here on
Kodiak Island, where food is abundant, the population of bears is
denser than anywhere else on earth. There are 0.7 bears per square
mile, a total population of close to 3,000 bears on Kodiak and the
surrounding archipelagos. Due to their close proximity, these bruins
have developed a more diverse social structure, with large boars
and sows with cubs vying for dominance. Single subadults, aged 3
to 5 years take up the bottom rungs of the hierarchy.
For good reason bears capture the interest and hearts of many.
Bear watchers, who keep a proper distance, sometimes term these
creatures “gentle giants.” Adult boars stand up to ten feet tall
and weigh between 750 and 1,500 pounds. (Females are considerably
smaller at 350-750 pounds.) They live fascinating lives, and are
as unique and unpredictable as humans. Weighing less than one pound,
hairless, blind, and toothless, cubs enter life almost as helpless
as human babies. One to three cubs is born in each litter, although
sows have been spotted with up to five cubs. Litter size largely
depends on the health of the mother and food availability. By the
end of their first year of life cubs weigh up to 80 pounds. For
two to four years cubs remain with their mothers, who teach them
the skills needed for survival before chasing them off.
No skill is more important to a Kodiak than eating, and this activity
takes up most of its waking hours. Although classified as a carnivore,
bears are actually omnivorous, and eat everything from grasses and
berries to fish and carrion. Eating patterns maximize nutritional
content. Emerging from their dens as early as March, bears will
eat grass and sedges in the spring when they grow most abundantly.
They feast on fish when the salmon run begins in the summer. These
months are crucial as bears must gain three to six pounds of fat
per day to survive hibernation. This is the time to catch a glimpse
of the bear in the wild, as they will compete over the best fishing
spots along a stream. As the salmon supply dwindles, bears turn
their attention to berries, which are at their peak as autumn approaches.
If the food supply has not been adequate, a bear may not hibernate.
At about five or six years old, female Kodiaks begin breeding.
Bears are serially monogamous, and boars will sometimes fight over
a mate, sometimes causing serious injuries. Mating season peaks
in June, although embryo implantation will not occur until the impregnated
sow is denned in November. Only if she has gained the necessary
weight for hibernation will the embryo implant and the eight week
gestation begin.
In response to the winter food shortage, bears hibernate through
the winter months. During this time they will not eat, urinate,
or defecate. Astonishingly, they lose very little bone mass or muscle
tone. But hibernating bears are not unconscious. Although their
body temperatures drop close to the surrounding temperature, bears’
metabolic rates remain high. They curl up to conserve heat, and
may change their positions in their dens. Aroused, bears may even
attack, although this is very rare. Only one person has been killed
by a Kodiak Bear in the last 75 years. Bear-caused injuries occur
about one every other year on the island.
Although they are the largest predator on the earth, bears are
normally shy and not aggressive toward humans unless provoked or
afraid. With their slot secure at the top of the food chain, the
Kodiak’s only natural enemy is man. Hunting on Kodiak Island is
only allowed under the tightest of regulations. About 5,000 resident
hunters apply per year for one of the 319 bear permits. Non-residents
are required to hire a professional guide, an expense between $10K-$15K
per hunt. 160 Kodiak bears are killed each season, with 70% of them
males. Otherwise, Kodiak Bears enjoy relatively long lives between
20 and 30 years.
It is not uncommon to hear a bear watcher speak of their quarry
as if they are family. These outdoorsmen may track a sow and her
cubs for years, and may even give them names. Some consider bears
our cousins, and certainly there is a kinship. Perhaps it started
when we squeezed our first Teddy Bear.
About the Author
Emma Snow has always adored wild animals. Emma provides content
for Wildlife Animals http://www.wildlife-animals.com
and Riding Stable http://www.riding-stable.com.
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