Alaska Peninsula Brown Bear

The Alaska Peninsula brown bear (Ursus arctos gyas) or "peninsular grizzly" is a colloquial nomenclature for a possible brown bear subspecies that lives in the coastal regions of southern Alaska. It may be a population of the mainland grizzly bear subspecies (Ursus arctos horribilis).

Etymology

When mentioning Brown bears or Grizzly bears, they are the same animal living in different areas. Coastal bears tend to be larger because of a diet high in salmon.

Physical Appearance

Alaska Peninsula brown bears are very large, usually ranging in weight from 800 to 1,200 lb (360 to 540 kg). One of the tallest Alaskan brown bears was measured at 2.74 m tall. An occasional huge male brown has been recorded, which greatly exceeds ordinary size, with weights reported up to 680 kg (1,500 lb). A large coastal male of this size may stand up to 3 meters (9.8 ft) tall on its hind legs and be up to 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) at the shoulder. The biggest individual on record was shot in 1948 near Cold Bay.

Its weight was estimated at 725 to 771 kg (1,598 to 1,700 lb). This bear just came out of hibernation and carried little or no fat; that means the animal would have weighed around 839 kg (1,850 lb) at the end of the summer. Although variable from blonde to nearly black, grizzly bear fur is typically brown in color with white tips. A pronounced hump appears on their shoulders; the hump is a good way to distinguish a black bear from a grizzly bear, as black bears do not have this hump.

Abilities

The bears are also skilled at chasing fish around and using their claws to pin the slick creatures. That kind of mechanical advantage extends to all of the skeletal muscles in bears. Another important component of bear power is the sheer bulk of their muscles. Huge, thick hind legs and a massive rump characterize polar bears. They have a lot of heavy muscles on them. During five to seven months out of the year, grizzly bears hibernate (well, not in California, where the climate is too warm). It is during this period that female grizzly bears give birth to their young, which they nurse back to health for the duration of their hibernation.

Ecology

On the Alaskan Peninsula, brown bears typically hunt and eat salmon that are spawning. They have a variety of techniques for doing this. These include standing at the top of the falls and waiting to catch the fish in midair (or occasionally in their mouths) or waiting at the bottom of the falls for the fish to jump.

Behavior

Grizzlies are typically reserved, introverted creatures who don't really want to interact with people. They often prefer to stay away from people unless they are compelled to be in close proximity to a food source.

Distribution and Habitat

They may gather in large numbers at feeding sites, such as Brooks Falls and McNeil Falls, both in Katmai National Park near King Salmon. Biologists maintain that coastal ones are truly brown bears. Grizzly bears live throughout Alaska, with the exception of the islands of the Bering Sea, the islands south of Frederick Sound and the islands west of Unimak in the Aleutians East Borough.

Movement Pattern: Nomadic
Movement Pattern: Solo
Population Trend: Increasing
Population:
- Earth: 32,000
- Berbania: ???
- Reinachos: ???
- Thatrollwa: ???
- Sawintir: ???
Locomotion: Amphibious
Habitat: Polar; tundra; taiga; montane grasslands and shrublands; temperate coniferous forests; temperate broadleaf and mixed forests; temperate deciduous forests, temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands; subtropical coniferous forests; subtropical moist broadleaf forests; subtropical dry broadleaf forests; subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands; salt plains; limestone forest; tropical coniferous forests; tropical moist broadleaf forests; tropical dry broadleaf forests; tropical grasslands; tropical savannas and shrublands; Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub; mushroom forests; deserts and xeric shrublands; badlands; flooded grasslands and savannas; swamp; riparian; wetland; mangrove forest; bamboo forest; air-breathing coral reefs; graveyard vale; warm river; cold river; lukewarm river; subterranean river; pond; coral reefs; volcano; lava trench; ghost town; ruined skyscraper; moon; outer space; end plains; end islands
Earth:
- Extant (resident): United States (Alaska)
Berbania: ???
Reinachos: ???
Delphia: ???

Tamed

Brown bears can be tamed by feeding their babies honey and fish, much like bears do today.

Lore

Coming soon