Ever wonder why they tell you never to run from a bear? It's because they can run over 30 miles per hour for over an hour straight. They may look slow and lazy at times, but they have speed and stamina.
Bears are opportunistic eaters, which means they will eat what they can whenever they can find it. They will eat carrion, berries, fish, whatever they can get their hands on. That includes camp site food left out by unwary campers.
They sleep for about half the year, hibernating anywhere between 5-7 months. The rest of the year, they eat... a lot. They have no need to use the restroom while hibernating because they recycle their own waste internally. They also give birth while hibernating and subsequently will take care of their young for three years.
Perhaps the strangest thing is that bears don't get pregnant right away. It's called delayed impregnation, and the mother can "store" the embryo safely until she has gained sufficient weight to go into hibernation.
Bears can weigh up to 800lbs, have claws as long as human fingers, and when standing can reach heights of 8 feet. Bears can lift anywhere between 12 hundred to 23 hundred pounds. They can crush a bowling ball with their jaw and take the head off a person with a single swipe. (* Not an animal you want to trifle with.)
Bears are opportunistic eaters, which means they will eat what they can whenever they can find it. They will eat carrion, berries, fish, whatever they can get their hands on. That includes camp site food left out by unwary campers.
They sleep for about half the year, hibernating anywhere between 5-7 months. The rest of the year, they eat... a lot. They have no need to use the restroom while hibernating because they recycle their own waste internally. They also give birth while hibernating and subsequently will take care of their young for three years.
Perhaps the strangest thing is that bears don't get pregnant right away. It's called delayed impregnation, and the mother can "store" the embryo safely until she has gained sufficient weight to go into hibernation.
Bears can weigh up to 800lbs, have claws as long as human fingers, and when standing can reach heights of 8 feet. Bears can lift anywhere between 12 hundred to 23 hundred pounds. They can crush a bowling ball with their jaw and take the head off a person with a single swipe. (* Not an animal you want to trifle with.)