Grizzly+Bear





====The grizzly bear, scientifically known as the //Ursus arctos horribilis// is a North American species of brown bear. It is commonly referred to as the sliver tip bear due to the colouration in its fur. This report will outline the general habitat of the Grizzly bear //(Ursus arctos horribilis)// as well as thoroughly describing five different behavioral, structural and physiological adaptations this bear has developed in order to survive.====


 * **Name:** Grizzly Bear
 * **Scientific Name:** Ursus arctos horribilis
 * **Kingdom:** Animalia
 * **Phylum:** Chordata
 * **Subphylum:** Vertebrata
 * **Class:** Mammalia
 * **Subclass:** Theria
 * **Order:** Carnivora
 * **Family:** Ursidae
 * **SubFamily:** Ursinae
 * **Genus:** Ursus
 * **Grizzly Bear Predators:** Human

Grizzly bears commonly live in mountainous areas and ranges where forests and plenty of streams are located. They will also typically be found around dispersed meadows and grasslands situated around the mountains, providing a mixed environment for the Grizzly bear to survive in. As one of the main targets of Grizzly bears are human hunters, tens of thousands of grizzly bears that had once lived in the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains and Sierras of the American West have been significantly lowered to just a fraction of their previous numbers. Today, more and more grizzly bears have inhabited Alaska and Canada. Fewer than a thousand grizzly bears remain in the 48 connecting states. Grizzly bears currently inhabit areas from the pacific coast of Alaska to an place called Hudson’s Bay located in the North which is also a habitat of the polar bear, a relative of the grizzly bear. Studies show that an estimated 30,000 grizzly bears are located in Alaska as well as more than 25,000 bears in Western Canada. Also, approximately 1,200–1,400 grizzly bears exist in the lower forty-eight states of the United States. Although most Grizzly bears are mainly found in the Yellowstone area in Wyoming and also the Northern Continental Ecosystem, minor populations of grizzly bears also live in the North Cascades district.


 * Physical Adaptations**

A Grizzly Bear’s fur ranges from a cream colour to a black or dark brown coat. Generally, cubs have a lighter coat that can further develop as it gets older. The tips of a grizzly bears fur is a white and/or silver colour which gives them that ‘grizzled’ look, which is why they are called the Grizzly Bear and sometimes referred to as the silver tip bear. Their fur is extremely insulating which keeps the bear protected from insects and the temperatures of the environment. Also the colour of the pelt helps the bear blend in with its surroundings to avoid prey and unknown enemies.
 * Fur**

Source 1: Historic and present distribution of grizzly bears. [] A typical Grizzly bear has 42 teeth. Most of which are longer and sharp which are located at the font of the bear’s mouth for shredding and tearing meat. Due to the fact that they are omnivores, they have great, flat-like molars mainly used for grinding. Grizzly bear cubs begin to lose their juvenile teeth around 5-6 months of age. They then have a complete full set of teeth at the age of 1.5 years old.
 * Teeth**

Grizzly bears are known for having one of the keenest senses of smell in the animal world. They can smell food from several kilometers away even if the food is packaged of sealed away. The grizzly bear is known for detecting human scent after more than 14 hours after a person passes through an area. Male grizzly bears are thought to find female bears by their scent that could be left by those rubbing on posts. Grizzly bears do not have very good eyesight. This means that the bear must rely on its sense of smell to scope out food and protect itself for possible enemies. Source 2: [| http://www.exploringnature.org/graphics/mammals/grizz_diagram.jpg]
 * Smell**

A pair of large grizzly bear claws has five digits. They can walk flat ground, which is also known as plantigrade. Each claw can grow from 5-12 centimeters long. Generally, the fore-claws are significantly longer and also straighter than the hind-claws. The main purpose of the claws is to dig up strong roots as well as catch salmon as they swiftly launch out of the rivers/lakes. They do this by quickly slashing at the salmon and catching the fish with their claws. Also their claws help them catch rodents and small mammals from their den or holes. Grizzly bear claws come in a variety of different colours that range from black to brown but are typically white and/or a yellowish colour.
 * Claws**


 * Behavioral Adaptions**

When grizzly bears search for their prey, they rely on their keen sense of smell by lowering their heads low to the surface and sniffing the ground as they walk. Although their sight and hearing may not be as good as their sense of smell they stand on their back legs to gain a better outlook of their surroundings as well as to hear further and better. While standing on their hind legs, they turn both their head and ears side to side to scan most of the area. A grizzly bear will not know where a herd of mammals is situated and can spend many hours conducting a single search. When a herd is finally spotted, the grizzly bear will stride around a 200 meter radius where the herd was formerly located in hopes of discovering a bedding calf to catch. The bear will sneakily avoid being seen by the herd of mammals. If a bedding calf is unable to be found, a bear can choose to chase or trap to hook its prey. The bear will follow a herd closely while still remaining hidden, and suddenly attack with a sudden rush of speed. When the grizzly bear closes in on its prey it can knock it over with its paws, and will usually start by attacking the stomach of the calf to speedily kill the victim. Grizzly bears have been spotted lingering on the edges of forests near fields and/or meadows for herds of mammals to arrive where they can simply trap or ambush their prey.
 * Hunting Techniques**


 * Life Cycle**

Female grizzly bears naturally mate every three years typically from June to mid July. A female bear can become pregnant with roughly one to four cubs. Two to three cubs per litter is common. The cubs are born while the mother bear is still in hibernation which is in January to March and the cubs weigh only 1/2 a kilogram when born. The grizzly bear cubs survive the winter season by drinking their mother’s milk and also by staying warm close by her side when sleeping. The mother bear is very protective of her cubs during the first years of their lives. She is also responsible for finding the cubs their food. Typically, cubs stay with their mothers until the second spring of their lives, but it is known for some to stay until the third or fourth spring season. The cubs reach their sexual maturity around 6-7 years old. They continue to grow until they are about 10-11 years old.

Sources:

//Grizzly bear facts//. (2009). Retrieved from [] Heffernan, S. (1994). //The grizzly bear//. Retrieved from [] //Grizzly bear habitat//. (2006). Retrieved from []



====The evolution of bears started in the early Miocene age that was roughly 20 million years ago. The first bear type animal named //Ursavus elmensis// evolved from what seemed like a dog-like generation. Fossil proceedings from the //Ursavus elmensis// show carnassial teeth with superior molars for chewing and crushing which is a known trait found in modern day bears today. Another early bear in the ancestry leading to the grizzly bear is the //Ursus minimus// that belongs to a group of cave line bears, which we are led to believe lived in the Pliocene time period, about 10 million years ago. The cave line bears continued to survive until the most recent ice age 10,000 years ago but have now become extinct.====

The Ursavus elmensis is believed to have lived in the northern hemisphere. Also known as the Dawn Bear it i nhabited subtropical forests throughout Europe during the Miocene age. It took a liking to the subtle change in climates in Europe. The winters were not over ally freezing, this is where the thick fur trait could have taken place with the grizzly bear.

[] ||
 * [[image:subtropical_forest.jpg width="400" height="263"]] || Source 3: Image of a subtropical forest in Europe.



The Ursavus elmensis or the dawn bear had very similar characteristics of a dog-like animal. It was only about the size of a fox and was believed to have done most of its hinting in various trees just like its ancestors. Unlike the modern bears it fed on mainly insects and other vegetation in order to survive.


 * Physical Adaptations**

As the dawn bear lived in subtropical climates/conditions in Europe a thick, heavy and dense fur coat was not needed as the temperatures were not cold enough for it to be necessary. The coat of the dawn bear was light and typically brown, but ranged from dark brown to a lighter honey colour. Some were known to have a striped coat so it could disguise them in the forests of Europe from historic prey.
 * Fur**

As you know the dawn bear is a vegetarian so its more developed relatives teeth have become sharper and larger for tearing into meat. The dawn bear had large back molars that were used to grind and munch vegetation as well as insects. The front teeth were not known to be sharp and/or large which means that this animal did not need to shred into meat.
 * Teeth**

The Dawn bear claws, similar to the grizzly bears claws, were very sharp for digging up deep roots. Unlike the grizzly bear, the dawn bear did not have the long, extensive claws as they did not have the need to hunt and catch a variety of fish so long and sharp claws were not needed. As the grizzly bear have become more developed over many years their claws have become longer in order to provide for their omnivore diet.
 * Claws**

The dawn bears sense of smell is similar to what the grizzly bears sense of smell is today. It was still one of the keenest out of all animal species. Their sense of smell is used to scope out insects. They would put their head and ears in the air and move their heads from side to side to try and enhance this sense. It is also used to sniff out a female, which can be tracked several hours away.
 * Smell**

As the dawn bear was a vegetarian it was not necessary for it to hunt/kill mammals for its survival. Instead it depended on its sense of smell to provide it self with a food source. It mainly lived off vegetation and a variety of insects. It put its nose close to the ground so it could smell worms and insect that lay beneath the ground. It would then dig them out with its sharp claws.
 * Hunting techniques**
 * [[image:firstbear.gif align="right"]] ||
 * Source 4: Image Only: [] ||

The dawn bear spread quickly across Europe as well as Northern Africa. It became extinct when the species started travelling to America. After the Etruscan bear, which diverged from the dawn bear is a very close (extinct) relative of the grizzly bear. This animal became extinct after the arrival of the brown bear in America.

Sources:

//History of the grizzly bear//. (2009). Retrieved from [] //Bears of the world//. (1995). Retrieved from [] Klappenbach, L. (2001). //Facts about bears//. Retrieved from []



====This future animal although has a different name is very similar to the Grizzly bear. In English the bear is called the Fast Brown Bear, which translates to brunnea ieiunium sustinere in Latin. It will go into detail about the further development of the grizzly bear itself and how it transformed into the future animal.====

Source 5: []

Although the devastation of global warming would have taken place this future animal will still be able to survive in areas such as North America. It may spread through out places like South Africa and Africa. The bears would live in forestry areas that have lakes and rivers that flow through. This is a common need for bears to survive as they provide a food source as well as a water source.




 * Physical Adaptions**

As global warming would have already taken place the climates of the area would have increased a lot from today. Therefore, the bears do not have to be so insulated during the winter (colder season). This means that the original grizzly bear coat, which is very dense, heavy and warm, does not have to have the same qualities, as it will be hotter in temperature. The coat will be silk and light to maximize the speed and agility of the bear. Also the colouration of the coat will be slightly different. It will be browner in colour so the bear will disguise itself in its environment easily.
 * Fur**

The teeth and jaw of the Fast Brown Bear will be significantly bigger than the grizzly bear. This is to ensure that hunting, fishing and drinking will become much easier as it will be simply for the bear to shred meat as the teeth will be slightly bigger and sharper. The back molars will stay the same square shape and will still have the same use (grinding).
 * Teeth**

Due to the fact that the grizzly bears sense of smell is already extremely well developed there is not much need for it to be changed.
 * Smell**

The claws of the Fast Brown Bear will be slightly longer and straighter than the grizzly bears. This is because the bear should still be able to walk on flat ground as well as use them to strike and hunt other mammals.
 * Claws**

There will be minimal changes to the bear’s life cycle. The only thing that will be changed is the hibernation process will be decreased (time wise) as the temperatures will be hotter meaning that the bears do not have a freezing winter so the time of hibernation can be significantly lowered.
 * Life Cycle**

Due to the fact the temperature will have significantly increased over time the future bear will have no problems with overly heated fur and will be well suited to its environment.
 * Environmental pressure**

Sources: //Global warming//. (2004). Retrieved from [] //Continents in collision: pangea ultima//. (2000). Retrieved from [] //A future for the grizzly bear//. (1995). Retrieved from []