Kermode Bear
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermode_bear
The Kermode bear, sometimes called the spirit bear (Ursus americanus kermodei), is a subspecies of the American black bear.
Distribution
Lives in the Central and North Coast regionsof British Columbia, Canada. It is the official provincial mammal of British Columbia and symbol of Terrace, British Columbia. While most Kermode bears are black, between 100 and 500 fully white individuals exist. The white variant is known as spirit bear, and is most common on three islands in British Columbia (Gribbell, Princess Royal, and Roderick), where they make up 10–20% of the Kermode population. Spirit bears hold a prominent place in the oral traditionsof the indigenous peoples of the area. The U. a. kermodei subspecies ranges from Princess Royal Island to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, on the coast and inland toward Hazelton, British Columbia. It is known in the Tsimshianic languages as moksgmʼol. In the February 2006 Speech from the Throne, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia announced the government's intention to designate the Kermode, or spirit bear, as British Columbia's official animal. It was adopted as such in April of that year.
Habitat N39 48.368 W080 15.521
Kermode bears prefer British Columbia’s old-growth coastal rainforest. In particular, these bears have thrived on two isolated islands off B.C.’s North Coast, Princess Royal and Gribbell, which are home to the largest Kermode population.
Description
The Kermode bear was named after Frank Kermode. White Kermode bears are not albinos, as they still have pigmented skin and eyes. Rather, a single, nonsynonymous nucleotide substitution in the MC1R gene causes melanin to not be produced. This mutant gene is recessive, so Kermode bears with two copies of this mutant, nonfunctional gene appear white, while bears with one copy or no copies appear black. Two black bears can mate and produce a white cub if both of these black bears are heterozygous, carrying one copy of the mutant MC1R gene, and both mutant genes are inherited by the cub. Additional genetic studies found that white Kermode bears breed more with white Kermode bears, and black Kermode bears breed more with black Kermode bears, in a phenomenon known as positive assortative mating. One hypothesis is that this happens because young bears imprint on their mother's fur color. They have a stocky build, a broad head, and a strong jaw equipped with sharp teeth and claws. Kermode bears have a relatively long lifespan of 25 years.
Size
A male Kermode bear can reach 225 kg (496 lb) or more. Females are much smaller, with a maximum weight of 135 kg (298 lb). Straight up, it stands 180 cm (71 in) tall.
Diet
Kermode bears are omnivorous for most of the year, subsisting mainly on herbage and berries except during autumn salmon migrations, when they become obligate predators. During the day, white bears are 35% more successful than black bears in capturing salmon. Salmon evade large, black models about twice as frequently as they evade large white models, giving white bears an advantage in salmon hunting. The white fur of the bear is harder to spot under water by fish than black fur is, so the bear can catch fish more easily. On some islands, white Kermode bears have more marine-derived nutrients in their fur, indicating that white Kermode bears eat more salmon than the black Kermode bears.
Hibernation
They hibernate through the winter months by lowering the metabolism that allows them to survive for months without eating, drinking, defecating or urinating. The bears hibernate in winter dens, usually in cavities in old-growth trees. Hibernation can last for up to seven months.
Reproduction and Development
The mating season peaks between June and August. Litters may consist of up to 6 cubs but usually has 2-3. Kermode bears typically weigh 0.5 to 1 pound at birth. They are born blind and inhabit the den with their mother throughout the winter. When they emerge in the spring, the cubs weigh between 4 and 11 pounds. The female spirit bear is quite protective of her cubs while she teaches them how to survive. Cubs mimic their moms in every way, learning from her every move, including how and where to find food and escaping danger. Cubs start to walk at around 5 weeks of age. They are nursed for up to 30 weeks and eventually disperse at around 16-18 months old. Cubs will gradually add solid food to their milk diet. When the mother bear’s offspring no longer relies on her for sustenance, she will chase her cubs out of her territory. Depending on the abundance of food, they may weigh anywhere from 15 to 100 pounds. They keep developing until 10 to 12 years and continue growing until they can dominate juvenile males without fighting. The males do not participate in caring for the young, but they do indirectly help by warding off new males and eliminating competition for food and space. Females typically give birth every two years but sometimes have a 3 to 4-year gap between litters. The cubs will be born in late January or early February in the warmth of the female’s lair.
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