9781422276334

INTRODUCTION

Bears have always fascinated, amused, and terrified people— and people often misinterpret their behavior. These Alaskan brown bears may appear ready to fight (as sometimes they do, ferociously) but their sitting positions indicate nothing more

serious than rough play.

T hroughout history—indeed, beginning with our prehistoric ancestors—people have been mystified, fascinated, amused, and frequently terrified by bears. There is good reason for each of those reactions. Bears exemplify the mysteries of the wilderness. At times they move with ghostly silence and hide so well that their presence goes undetected by human intrud- ers in their domain. When angered (or occasionally when playful) they may crash through brush and snap small trees, and their echoing roars, coughs, grunts, and mouth-popping can sound supernatural as well as terrifying. Their life cycle is fascinating in many ways. A new- born black bear cub, for example, is about the size of a squirrel without a tail, but at maturity it will have gained at least 500 times its birth weight. A mother grizzly or polar bear may weigh 750 times as much as one of its newborn cubs—which probably weighs less than 1.5 pounds (0.68 kilogram). To appre- ciate the disparity, contrast that with an average

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