Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi) is a subspecies of brown bear (Ursus arctos).
They inhabit the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago in southwest Alaska.
They look like grizzly bears, but they are significantly larger.
Here are 15 amazing Kodiak bear facts.
Kodiak Bear Facts
1. Kodiak bear is the largest brown bear in the world
The Kodiak bear is the largest recognized subspecies or population of the brown bear.
Furthermore, along with the mighty polar bear, it is one of the two largest bear species alive today.
The weight of females (cows) is between 181 and 318 kg (399 to 701 lb), and males (pigs) can be from 272 to 635 kg (600 to 1,400 lb).
The largest recorded wild male Kodiak bear weighed 751 kg (1,656 lb) on display at the Anchorage Airport, Alaska.
Captive bears can weigh even more: the largest verified size for a captive Kodiak bear was for a male specimen nicknamed “Clyde” who lived at the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, North Dakota.
The giant bear weighed 966 kg (2,130 lb) when he died in June 1987 at the age of 22.
When standing fully upright on its hind legs, a large male can reach a height of 3 meters (9.8 ft).
Largest Kodiak Bear Ever Recorded: Anchorage Airport Brown Bear
The largest Kodiak bear ever recorded is the famous 1700-pound (771 kg) world record brown bear on display at Anchorage Airport, Alaska.
It is also the largest brown bear ever recorded.
World Record Kodiak Bear – the famous 1700-pound (771 kg) world record brown bear on display at Anchorage Airport, Alaska.
Standing about 10 feet (3.05 meters) tall on its hind legs, it is the largest brown bear ever recorded.
Related: 20 Amazing Polar Bear Facts
Polar bears are classified as marine mammals rather than terrestrial mammals due to their dependence on sea ice.
This classification makes the Kodiak bear the largest terrestrial carnivore in the world.
3. Kodiak bears are very close relatives of Grizzly bears
Some experts do not accept them as different species – according to them, Kodiak bears are just grizzly bears that live on Kodiak Island.
Some scientists, on the other hand, think that Kodiak bears (Ursus arctos middendorffi) and grizzlies (Ursus arctos horribilis) are part of the same species of brown bear, although they are different enough to form two subspecies.
The main difference is where they live.
The range of the Kodiak is limited to just the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago of southwestern Alaska.
Grizzly bears, on the other hand, are much more widespread; they are usually found in interior areas of the Canadian provinces of the Northwest Territories, Yukon, British Columbia and Alberta, and the US states of Alaska, Montana, Washington, Wyoming and Idaho.
In general, Kodiak bears live in a food-rich area, they have a larger bone structure, and therefore larger frames than grizzly bears, although both species can reach very large sizes.
There is also no interbreeding between the Kodiak bears and the domestic grizzlies.
Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi) is the largest brown bear on earth.
It rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family.
Although Kodiak bears and Grizzly bears are closely related, they are different subspecies.
Genetic analyzes show that the Kodiak bear is related to brown bears both on the Alaska Peninsula and Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia.
The Kamchatka brown bear is almost as big as the Kodiak bear.
However, the analysis also suggests that the Kodiak bears have been genetically isolated since the last ice age, which means for at least 10,000-12,000 years.
The map of the Kodiak Archipelago, where Kodiak bears live.
By USGS – USGS, CC BY-SA 2.5, LinkDuring the last ice age, Kodiak bears were less geographically isolated than they are now.
Related: 10 Amazing Kamchatka Brown Bear Facts
5. Kodiak bears can come in many different colors
Hair colors of Kodiak bears range from blond to orange to dark brown.
6. They live up to 25 years
The oldest recorded male (bear) in the wild was 27 and the oldest female (sog) was 35.
They reach sexual maturity around the age of 5, but most females (sows) are over 9 years old when they give birth successfully.
Cubs leave their mothers when they are around 3-5 years old, but their survival rate is not great: only 56% of males and 89% of females survive.
But since they live in a relatively small and isolated area, they can create large dense groups in areas rich in food.
As a result, they are more social than other bears and, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife, they have developed a complex language and social structure to express their feelings and avoid fights.
Kodiak bears are usually diurnal, meaning they are active during the day.
9. Kodiak bears are omnivores
Despite its massive size and reputation as a ferocious predator, the Kodiak bear is generally an opportunist and will eat a wide variety of plant and animal species.
They are not as territorial as grizzly bears
Despite their large size, Kodiak bears are not very territorial and do not usually defend their territories as aggressively as grizzly bears.
They live in a small area, so their territory overlaps, and
Food is plentiful where they live.
Related: 20 Amazing Grizzly Bear Facts
Kodiak bear populations are healthy and productive
However, there are still possible threats: effects of global warming on salmon populations which are the most important protein and fat sources for the bears, energy development projects and associated road construction, and increasing human activity in the area which increases the likelihood of human-carrying conflicts are the most important threats.
Furthermore, although the current population is healthy and productive and has shown no overt adverse signs of inbreeding, there is very little genetic diversity within the Kodiak bear population.
This may make their population more susceptible to new diseases or parasites than other, more diverse brown bear populations.
A mother Kodiak bear with her three cubs.
Kodiak bears begin entering their dens in late October.
Pregnant sows are usually the first to go to the den; males are the last.
Males start to emerge from their dens in early April, while sows with new cubs can stay in dens until late June.
Individuals living on the northern tip of Kodiak Island tend to have longer denning periods.
Most Kodiak bears dig their dens in hills or mountain slopes.
Almost 25 percent of adult bears, almost always males, shed, and remain somewhat active through the winter.
Kodiak bear paws are big!
A 700-pound (318 kg) Kodiak bear, which is an average-sized individual, can have a front paw that is 13 inches (33 cm) in diameter.
There was a famous Kodiak bear named “Bart the Bear”
Bart the Bear was a large male Kodiak bear.
Bart was trained by animal trainers Doug and Lynne Seus of Wasatch Rocky Mountain Wildlife, Inc., in Heber City, Utah.
Bart the bear with his trainer Doug Seus.
The Legacy of Bart the BearBart the Bear™ was a large Kodiak bear born in a zoo in 1977 and adopted and trained by Doug and Lynne Seus to be in films.
This video is a tribute to Bart, the Seuses and the conservation nonprofit they created to protect habitat for wild grizzlies, The Vital Ground Foundation.
Since its founding in 1990, Vital Ground has helped improve, restore and conserve 600,000 acres of wildlife habitat in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska and British Columbia.
Kodiak bears do not usually attack people
Kodiak bears usually try to avoid encounters with people.
In the last 100 years, only one person has been killed by a bear on Kodiak Island – the incident occurred in 1999 and he was a bear hunter.
On average, a bear injures a person once every two years.
Bear watching is a popular tourist activity
If some bears avoid these areas because people are there, those bears may not get the fat and protein they need to get through the coming winter.
As a result, unmanaged bear watching can affect several bears, especially productive sows with cubs”.
In recent years, bear watching has become increasingly popular on Kodiak Island and other parts of Alaska.
In recent years, bear watching has become increasingly popular on Kodiak Island and other parts of Alaska.
Image Source: Deposit Photos
Image Source: Deposit Photos
Kodiak bear on Wikipedia
Kodiak Bear Fact Sheet on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website
Kodiak Bear facts and more on the Biology Dictionary website
Kodiak bear on the Bear Conversation website
Bart the Bear on Wikipedia