| Friday, August 19, 2005 |
| ROARING BACK.... |
WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT
Some bears are thriving to the point where they can still be hunted; others are wobbling on the brink of extinction.
** POLAR BEAR
Weight: 440 to 1,760 lbs.
Length: Up to 8 ft. 5 in.
Range: Greenland, Norway, Russia, Canada, Alaska.
How Dangerous: Extremely dangerous. The polar bear will stalk humans for food.
Status: It could be extinct by the end of the century, as global warming reduces the ice it roams in its hunt for seals, itsprimary food.
** AMERICAN BLACK BEAR
Weight: 130 to 660 lbs.
Length: Up to 6 ft. 3 in.
Range: Much of Canada; 32 U.S. States, mostly in the Rockies, Appalachians and Ozarks; northern Mexicao.
How Dangerous: Not especially. The black bear avoids humans but can't resist garbage dumps; will attack if conrnered.
Status: Thriving throughout most of its range.
** GIANT PANDA
Weight: Up to 275 lbs.
Length: Up to 6 ft. 4 in.
Range: Mountainous areas of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in western China.
How Dangerous: Not. The giant panda is extraordinarily shy and will avoid contact with humans at all costs.
Status: Highly endangered; no more than 1,000 remain in the wild.
** SUN BEAR
Weight: 60 to 145 lbs.
Length: Up to 5 ft.
Range: Burma, Laos, southern China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia.
How Dangerous: Quite. Will attack humans without provacation.
Status: Unknown, because of insufficient field date. Poaching and habitat destruction hae conservation experts worried.
** GRIZZLY BEAR/BROWN BEAR
Weight: 300 to 860 lbs.
Length: Up to 9 ft. 6 in.
Range: Western Canada, northwestern U.S., Alaska, Russia; tiny remanant populations in Europe, Inida, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, the Middle East, Japan, Korea, China.
How Dangerous: Very. Won't usually attack without provocation, but it does'nt take much.
Status: Thriving in Alaska, Canada, northern Russia; recovering in the U.S.; in danger of extinction in much of the restof the world.
(by Pat Dawson/Bozeman from Science Section/TIMEMAG) |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 2:11 PM |
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