Bears are afraid of dogs, as they associate them with the presence of wolves or humans. Wolves can be dangerous, as they often travel in packs, meaning that if one wolf is seen, there is likely to be a whole group of them nearby. Additionally, humans often carry firearms, which can pose a significant threat to bears. Given this, bears are wise enough to avoid interacting with armed individuals and their dogs in order to minimize potential risks.
Bears are most dangerous prior to hibernation. During this time, bears require to accumulate as much fat as possible in order to survive until the spring, and their behaviour is entirely subservient to this objective. In late autumn, they become highly aggressive and determined, and are likely to attack any moving object.
Big pandas have been observed to smear themselves with fresh horse manure. Scientists have spent four years researching this behavior to understand what attracts the pandas. They found that pandas “bathe” in the manure only during winter months, as it contains beta-caryophyllene, a substance that protects pandas from cold temperatures by inhibiting the growth of pathogenic organisms.
The liver of a polar bear contains a significant amount of vitamin A. If a person were to consume just one hundred grams of liver, they could experience severe poisoning, characterized by symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, hair loss, and skin peeling.
Newborn cubs weigh only half a kilo, and adult bears weigh half a ton.
Why do bears and other large and potentially dangerous animals, in general, not attack humans, despite being significantly stronger, and instead attempt to avoid contact as soon as possible when they encounter people? This is a question that has puzzled scientists, but they have some theories. One of the most widely accepted explanations suggests that it is due to our upright posture.
In the natural environment, animals may stand on their hind legs in order to appear larger and more threatening. They do not do so without reason. The constant human habit of walking on two legs may cause fear in predators, even those larger than humans, as they perceive it as aggressive and a potential threat.
If you are threatened by a bear attack, one of the most effective means of protection is to demonstrate the fact that you are human. Standing up to your full height and talking loudly is often enough to scare the beast away. Bears, with their obvious physical superiority, are very afraid of people (and dogs, because they associate them with people). This recommendation is part of a set of rules developed by the US National Park Service in case of unforeseen contact with a bear.
There is a prison for bears in the Canadian city of Churchill. Polar bears often enter the city, but they are caught, imprisoned for a period of 2 to 30 days and are not fed (they only give water) to discourage them from returning. And it works great.
In 1962, during the Caribbean crisis, the US Air Force was on high alert “DEFCON 3”. The sentry of the military base in Duluth noticed a figure climbing over the fence. Deciding that this was a Soviet saboteur, he opened fire to kill and turned on the alarm, which automatically spread to neighboring bases. One of these bases turned out to be the Volk Field airfield, where most of the bombers with nuclear weapons were based.
Since DEFCON 3 does not provide for training alarms, the pilots were sure that the Third World War had begun. The interceptors had already started moving along the runway, when suddenly a car appeared, which signaled the cancellation of the order. It turned out that the intruder was… an ordinary black bear.
It is generally believed that a female bear with cubs is the most aggressive towards humans, however, 90% of attacks committed by bears occur on single male bears.
Polar bears are able to quench their thirst by digesting their own fat.
Polar bears sometimes turn green, especially when kept in zoos, because microscopic algae grow in their fur.
Alaska is home to the fattest bears in the world. The reason that bears are gaining weight is that they do not have natural enemies that would make them move quickly, and they feed on salmon, a very fatty fish that contains up to 6,000 kcal per individual.
The grizzly bear possesses the most acute sense of smell of any animal on Earth. Its sense of smell is approximately 2,100 to 3,000 times more sensitive than that of a human and at least 100 times greater than that of a dog. This allows the bear to detect odors from a distance of over 30 kilometers.
The jaws of the grizzly bear are so powerful that they can crush a bowling ball.
You can get a daily allowance of vitamin A by eating only 1/10 grams of polar bear liver. The whole liver contains enough vitamin A to kill 52 adults.
Polar bears also dig dens, only in the snow. And usually there are several “rooms” in them.
Bears do not drink, eat or defecate during hibernation for several months.
Polar bears do not hibernate, except for pregnant females.
An unprecedented detailed study on the winter hibernation of black bears (Ursus americanus) has been conducted at the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, USA. The findings of this study have the potential to revolutionize medicine, according to BBC reports.
The study involved five bears that were captured near human settlements in Alaska. The bears apparently wandered there in search of food and were brought to a research facility at the university. Artificial dens were built for the bears, equipped with various devices such as video cameras, motion sensors, and pulse and body temperature meters. Once the bears settled in the artificial dens, zoologists started taking readings from these devices. The results of the study were remarkable.It has been found that the metabolic rate of hibernating bears decreases by three-quarters, significantly more than was previously assumed by scientists. Interestingly, this “energy-saving mode” persists for several weeks after awakening. Furthermore, the breathing rate of bears in sleep slows down to such an extent that, when they exhale, their hearts simply stop beating for 10, 15, or even 20 seconds at a time.
Similar phenomena have been observed in rodents in the past, but it was previously believed that this could not occur for large animals such as bears. If scientists can unlock the secrets of hibernation in bears and learn how to replicate this process in humans, it could lead to significant breakthroughs in space exploration and extreme medical treatment. “By slowing the metabolism of severely injured people in this manner, we can gain time to provide them with assistance. I believe there is great potential here,” says Brian Barnes, the lead author of the study.
Polar bears often hunt for walruses, but they typically do not target a single individual. Instead, the bear will attack the entire group of walrus, frightening them and then consuming those that have been injured or crushed in the panic of their fleeing companions.
Bears run faster than horses. They also swim, dive and climb trees perfectly. If a bear decides to have lunch with you, it will be very difficult to hide from him.
A bear may be able to outrun a horse in terms of speed, but the bear is not as durable as a horse and will quickly tire.
Polar bears are considered marine mammals, like seals, fur seals, manatees, dolphins, etc.
A characteristic feature of marine mammals is that they spend most of their lives not on land, but on Arctic ice. The Latin name of the polar bear — Ursus Maritimus — means “sea bear”.
Polar bears, to ask each other for something, use touching nose to nose as a greeting.
Most polar bears live in Canada, not in The Arctic. Although polar bears can be found in all countries of the Arctic Circle (USA, Greenland, Norway, Russia), most of them (60-80%) live in Canada.