03/15/2021
Animal totems are so special. Bear is one of my favorites! Ready to journey to meet yours? Make an appointment with me today.
Below are a few myths we hear often from the public in regards to bears. Hopefully we can help set the record straight!
1) Bears smell bad. FALSE! They smell like big musky dogs, some people even say they smell a little sweet. Chances are the bad smell your smelling is the carcass they were feeding on.
2) Bears have bad hearing and eyesight. FALSE. A bears' sense of smell is their primary sense, with them having one of the biggest olfactory areas of their brain than any other animal. However, their eyesight and hearing is still good!
3) The Bob Marshall Wilderness here in Northwest Montana is filled with conflict bears. FALSE. We release bears in many different spots of Northwest Montana. Some of our bears may travel into the Bob after being released in places like Spotted Bear, but we have not dropped any bears into the Bob with a helicopter.
4) Bears are solitary and territorial. FALSE. We often see sub-adult bears buddy up with other single sub-adult bears that we know have no relation. Bears are not quite like wolves in terms of territory. Many bears spend time in the same general area. They may try to avoid each other, but they do co-exist. We have seen multiple big male grizzlies grazing on grass on a private property in the spring and they seem to avoid each other. They just get defensive over food sources such as a carcass or if it's breeding season and there is a female in the area.
5) Grizzlies don't and can't climb trees. FALSE. Grizzlies absolutely can climb trees. It may not be as graceful as a black bear, but they can definitely do it!
6) Grizzlies are more dangerous than black bears. FALSE. All bears can be dangerous. Grizzly bears tend to be more defensive of food and young, however black bears are actually known to be more predatorial on humans. Any food conditioned bear is a dangerous bear. Do NOT assume that black bears getting into garbage are less dangerous to have around.
7) Grizzly bears cannot run downhill. FALSE. They absolutely can, and are very fast when doing so!
8)Bears are true hibernators. FALSE. Bears go into torpor, which is similar to hibernation, but is more like a deep sleep where the bears can still wake up easily. In torpor the bears' temperature drops, their heart and breathing rates are significantly reduced, and they do not eat or release waste. However, the reduction in metabolic rate is still not as significant as true hibernators.