Jomoud's Fotothing

Our 2007 Holiday
BEAR COUNTRY - Black Hills, South Dakota
(In this series, full size is recommended for the majority of photo's)

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GRIZZLY BEARS
Grizzly Bears reach weights of 300-1500 pounds. The coat color ranges from shades of blond, brown, black or a combination of these; the long outer guard hairs are often tipped with white or silver giving it a grizzled appearance hence the name. The grizzly has a large hump over the shoulders which is a muscle mass used to power the forelimbs in digging. The head is large and round with a concave facial profile. In spite of their mass size this bear runs at speeds of up to 35 mph.
Once native to Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, it is now in some areas extinct or had its numbers greatly reduced. Nearly half of Canada's grizzly population - about 13 000 - lives in British Columbia. They prefer semi-open country usually in mountainous areas.
The Grizzly Bear is primarily nocturnal and in the winter puts on up to 400 pounds of fat, becoming very lethargic. Although they are not true hibernators and can be woken easily, they like to den up in a protected spot, such as a cave, crevice or hollow log during the winter months. Being omnivores, they feed on a variety of plants and berries including roots or sprouts and fungi as well as fish, insects and small mammals. Normally a solitary animal, the grizzly congregates alongside streams and rivers during the salmon spawn. Every other year females produce 1-4 young which are the size of rats, weighing only 1 pound.