Top Predators

[0110110]

One experience I heard is of a man that came across a bear unexpectedly in the woods. He was walking with a stick and took a hard swing at the bear's nose. After the man hit the bear the bear ran away as fast as it could.

[resonate]

Black bears are 95% vegetarian. Brown bears are mostly vegetarian too, and stick with smaller game. They don't waste energy on large game unless they are very desperate, which is almost never. Grizzly bears will warn you if you are in their territory, sometimes charging, but then veering away. Huffing sounds are also heard when s/he feels you are a threat... backing away, no eye contact is the only way to "win" for both of you imo. There are all different kinds of situations. Respect goes both ways, they can sense intent. 300 pounds is quite large for a black bear, there are no 1600 pound Grizzly bears that I have seen... they are mainly under 700 pounds.

"The American black bear's diet is varied, but mostly vegetarian, including twigs, roots, berries, young plants, and buds. Insects—from beetles to ants to bee larvae eaten with honey—are also important. Small mammals and fish augment the diet, when they are easily caught. "



"Like their habitats, brown bear diets vary. Brown bears are classic omnivores—animals that eat both meat and plants. Most brown bears primarily eat vegetation, including tubers (underground stems and roots), berries, and pine nuts. But they also eat moths, grubs, rodents (dug out of their burrows), carrion, and occasionally large animals such as horses, bison, and moose and other deer (usually young ones). Seasonally, salmon or trout are important foods."




I don't think humans and bears really have to worry about each other. If it was an actual fight for something (eg: cub safety, or territory), 99.9% of people would back down or be silenced if it was natural combat imo.

Here's a cougar and grizzly clip - cougar and grizzly


Cougars hunt smaller, or ailing prey. "Mountain Lions are relatively uncommon, secretive animals. They are carnivores that prey on a variety of animals; some favorites include deer and wild hogs. Other prey animals included in the Mountain Lion's diet are rabbits, jackrabbits, javelinas, and rodents. Some lions occasionally kill livestock or dogs."

It's been stressed to always keep your kids close and look up into the trees when you're in cougar territory.
But, I don't think they are so interested in humans 99% of the time.

[fjaneson]

Actually the largest Black Bear ever recorded was around 800 lbs.
The largest Grizzly I ever read of was around 1500 lbs...but I actually saw one in the museum
that was 1100 lbs.

BTW These were not captive/zoo fed animals but were killed in the wild.

I agree that on average the weights you stated are correct, and mostly our species have no problems with
each other. Mostly.

List of attacks by Mountain Lion on Humans (California only)
http://tchester.org/sgmstson_attacks_ca.html

(Canada and US but excluding California)
http://tchester.org/sgmstson_attacks_nonca.html

Since 2001-
http://www.cougarinfo.com/attacks3.htm

[markko]

Another dog breed to fight bears (just came across it and remembered of this topic):

Karelian Bear Dog





A very powerful and brave dog, never affraid of any opponent, loyal and protective. Perfect protection dog from predators.

Quotes from wiki:

Quote:This dog will put a bear to flight or attack it with great pugnacity and will sacrifice its own life for its master. Its quick reflexes and fearless nature have also made it very popular for hunting other aggressive game such as the wild boar. It was the breed's ability to hunt and offer protection against a bear that earned the breed its name.
[...]
They have been bred to be very independent and a good bear dog should be able to actively hunt for hours at a time without any contact with its master.
[...]
They are silent but tenacious hunters and only alert when they have the prey at bay. They will keep it there by barking in a very high, fast bark and running back and forth or around the animal until the master comes and kills it. They have been known to hold an animal at bay a very long time. If a bear!! tries to leave the dog will bite it on the backside and aggravate it to keep it from running away.
[...]
They are extremely loyal to their master and love their people.

Wiki article

Sounds like a perfect survival companion to me:crazy:

[shZ]

Awesome thread triplesix and all other posters. I learned a great deal, and I love dogs even more now:grin:. Thank you.