BEAR FAMILY 



97 



BARREN-GROUND BEAR 

 Ursus richardsoni S'cH'ainson 



General Description. — See also general description 

 of Grizzly Bear. Size large, muzzle short and slightly 

 upturned, dentition of Grizzly Bear. Color yellowish- 

 brown to very much lighter. 



Dental Formula. — See that given for Grizzly Bear. 



Pelage. — General color throughout yellowish-brown 

 varying in individuals to yellowish so that animal has 

 whitish appearance. 



Measurements.— Length, 8 feet; tail, 3 inches; 

 height at shoulder, 3 feet, 6 inches. 



Range. — Barren Grounds between Hudson Bay and 

 MacKenzie River; hilly regions east and north of 



Great Bear Lake; also Rockies west of MacKenzie 

 possibly to the upper tributaries of the Yukon. 



Food. — Small rodents, ground squirrels, mice, etc., 

 and berries and grass. 



Remarks. — This bear, while generally placed by 

 authorities in the group of the Grizzly Bears, has, 

 nevertheless, characters not found among the Grizzlies. 

 Its range is in a region of heavy snowfall, a treeless 

 region, and because of these facts it has developed 

 habits differing from those of its northern relatives. 

 It ranges throughout its northern habitat without be- 

 coming differentiated into more than the one species. 



Little is known concerning the Barren-Ground 

 Bear, because of the inaccessibility of its home. 

 We know its general appearance, measurements, 

 and color, but beyond that have not cultivated its 

 acquaintance very extensively. It lives, as its 

 name indicates, in a treeless waste of country 

 in the far North, between Hudson Bay and 

 the Mackenzie River ; also to the east and north 

 of Great Bear Lake. It is about the size of the 

 Grizzly Bear, which it generally resembles ; but 

 it has a shorter muzzle and a yellower coat. Its 

 fur, especially in winter, is remarkably thick. 



The hibernating period is very long, often six 

 months of the year, because of the relatively 

 short summer ; and when the animal emerges 

 from its den, pinched by htmger, it is alert and 

 frequently savage. The number of cubs born 

 during the winter period is from two to four. 

 They are extremely small at first, but rapidly 

 develop as soon as they get out into the sunlight. 



These Bears are both flesh-eaters and vege- 

 tarians. -A.ny fish, flesh, or fruit in season is 

 welcome. Their enemies are few, because of the 

 desolate country they inhabit. 



AMERICAN BLACK BEAR 

 Ursus americanus Pallas 



General Description. — A medium-sized animal 

 weighing 250 to 400 pounds and black in color. Form 

 robust ; legs short, powerful ; claws long, sharp, some- 

 what curved ; tail short ; soles naked ; plantigrade. 

 Molar teeth are broad, flat crowned and lack high sharp 

 cusps. Hair long and moderately soft. Ears erect, 

 rounded. 



Dental Formula. — 



"■* ■ Molars, J 



Canines. 



"re- 



Incisors, - — =* ; 



3—3 1—1 



molars, ^-^ ; Molars, - — -^^42. 

 4—4 3—3 ^ 



Pelage. — Notably of two phases in most regions, 

 not infrequently the two phases being represented at 

 a birth. These color variations are the black and the 

 cinnamon. Black Phase. Adults and young similar ; 

 sexes identical. General color black, varying from 

 brownish black to coal black, often with a white spot on 

 breast ; face tinged with cinnamon-brown or tan-brown. 

 Cinnamon Phase. Everywhere cinnamon-brown, often 

 with a lighter shade of brown on nose. 



Measurements. — Sexes almost equal. Length, 6 feet, 

 5 inches ; height at shoulder, 3 feet ; tail, 5 inches ; 

 hind foot, 8 inches. Weight, 200 to 400 pounds. 



Range. — Wooded North America except Louisiana 

 and Florida, where other species occur. 



Food. — Omnivorous ; fruit, berries, grass ; mice, 

 squirrels, and any other mammal it can catch ; birds 

 and eggs ; fish and frogs ; ants and their larvae ; honey 

 and young bees. 



Remarks. — The Black Bear group contains the 

 smallest of the North American Bears, although the 

 Black Bear is itself a good-sized beast. In the eastern 

 part of the United States the cinnamon phase is very 

 rare, but in the western part of its range it is about 

 as common as the black phase. The Black Bear is 

 much the same wherever he is found, but local abund- 

 ance or scarcity of food sometimes produces greater 

 or lesser size, and in addition some habits have pro- 

 duced sufficiently profound changes to warrant the 

 establishment of different species. Of the 14 species 

 and subspecies currently recognized, those below listed 

 are the best known. 



Related Species 



American Black Bear. — Ursus americanus amer- 

 icanus Pallas. The typical stock. Greater part of 

 wooded North America, with the exception of the 

 southeastern United States and northeastern Canada. 



