Bears of Brooks River 2022 - Katmai National Park: A Guide to their Identifcation, Lives, and Habits

* Paperback Version - 90 Pages - Full Color * Enjoyed by Thousands: Those Famous Bears of the Brooks River in Katmai NP! They're made famous by catching salmon in-flight as they jump the falls. You've probably seen them on the covers of magazines, in videos and by some of the famous photographers. How to Use this Book This book is intended to present the basic life histories, habits, and identifying characteristics of some of the most frequently seen bears along Brooks River within Katmai National Park. It is not intended provide a complete checklist of bears at Brooks River, but rather a representative sample. The only bears to regularly inhabit Katmai National Park and Preserve are brown bears. Scientists currently consider brown bears and grizzly bears to be the same species (Ursus arctos). The difference between the two is somewhat arbitrary. In North America, brown bears are commonly distinguished by their access to coastal food sources such as runs of salmon, while grizzlies reside farther inland. Bears are eating machines, and their survival is dependent on attaining enough calories over the course of the spring, summer, and fall to sustain them through winter hibernation. As the summer wanes into fall, bears spend an increasing amount of time feeding. Hearing and vision in bears are estimated to be near equivalent to those senses in humans, but a bear's sense of smell, which is many times better than a dog's, sets them apart. Bears use scent to communicate everything from dominance to their presence in an area to receptivity to mating. Brown bears are distinguished from other North American bear species by several physical characteristics . They usually have a rounded and dish-shaped face, unlike the faces of black or polar bears that usually have a more evenly sloping and straighter facial profile. Polar bears and black bears also lack the prominent shoulder hump found on brown bears. This hump contains muscles that add power to their front legs. Brown bears' strength comes in part from the rigid anchorage of their thick skeleton, and the position and size of their powerful muscles . Extremely thick bones inside their legs and a plantigrade gait (the whole length of each foot--from heel to toe--touches the ground) help support their great weight. Brown bears are aptly named for their color. Their brownish fur comes in a wide variety of shades and hues. The fur of brown bears ranges from blonde to dark brown. Bear watching at Brooks River is unique, because biologists have gathered an incredible amount of information about how bears use this place . This information allows us to follow the life histories of individual bears using Brooks River, sometimes from a bear's first year exploring the river to later in its life as a dominant adult bear. Even if you only spend one hour watching bears at Brooks River, it is easy to see how each bear is different. Each bear is a unique individual. Rarely do we have the opportunity to get to know a group of wild animals as individuals. Bear watching at Brooks River, however, gives us that chance. Contents of this book: How to Use this Book Chapter 1: Introducing Katmai's Bears Chapter 2: Brooks River and Brooks Camp Chapter 3: Studying Brooks River's Bears Chapter 4: Cubs Chapter 5: Subadult Bears Chapter 6: Adult Female Bears Chapter 7: Adult Male Bears Enjoy discovering the Brown Bears of the Brooks River, especially at the Brooks Camp and Falls! They are fascinating to watch, understand and you'll soon be recognizing their uniqueness in the bear world. Love watching bears? You'll love this book!